In this chapter
Several new features have been introduced in Fireworks 8, as well as enhancements of some existing features. New feature functionality includes
The new Image Editing panel—. Provides access to commonly used image editing tools, filters, and menu commands.
The new Auto Shape Properties panel—. Enables you to modify the properties of Auto Shapes.
The new Special Characters panel—. Using this panel you can insert special characters into text blocks.
The new Add Shadow command—. Enables you to add a shadow effect to vector objects and text blocks.
New symbol libraries—. Additional buttons, bullets, themes, and animations have been added to the Fireworks 8 libraries.
New default styles—. Additional styles have been added in Fireworks 8.
New default patterns and textures—. Patterns and textures for use in filling shapes have been updated.
CSS-based pop-up menus—. Pop-up menus created in Fireworks 8 are now CSS-based, rather than JavaScript.
New blend modes—. 25 new blend modes have been added, including Negative, Hard Light, Soft Light, Freeze, and a host of others.
Additional import file formats—. Formats such as QuickTime, TGA, MacPaint, and others are now available for import into Fireworks 8.
Additional slicing capabilities—. Slices can now be polygons or rectangles.
Those existing features that have received updates include
The capability to save multiple selections—. Using the marquee tool, you can now save, restore, and name multiple selections within PNG files.
Shift-Click functionality in the Layers panel—. Enables you to make contiguous selections within the panel.
Stored Autosave preferences—. Fireworks preferences are autosaved by the application to ensure that your preferences remain consistent each time you run the application.
Enhanced vector compatibility—. Vector attributes of fills and strokes are preserved when objects are moved between Fireworks and Flash.
Improved JPEG compression—. JPEG files can be exported into smaller files with better quality.
Improvements to the Color Replace, Remove Red Eye, and Vector Path tools and Popup Previews—. Each of these tools has been improved to enhance functionality.
Export Preview renamed to Image Preview—. The functionality remains largely the same, but the navigation link has simply been renamed.
Now that you know what new and enhanced features to look out for, let’s take some time to explore the Fireworks work environment as a whole. The Fireworks workspace comprises the Document window, Property inspector, menus, tools, and other panels. If you’ve used any of the other Macromedia Studio programs, there’s a good chance the Fireworks environment will look familiar with its Document window, toolbar, and docked panel groups.
When you open Fireworks, you are greeted with the start page (see Figure 3.1), which is common to all development programs within the Studio. The start page enables you to open a recent file, create a new file, access Fireworks tutorials, as well as hop on the Web with Fireworks Exchange to add new capabilities to the program. If you don’t care for the start page, simply check the Don’t Show Again box located in the bottom-left corner of the page.
If you turn off the start page and later decide you want to reactivate it, you can do so by choosing Edit, Preferences and checking the Show Start Page check box.
The first step in exploring Fireworks 8 is to use the start page to create a new file by selecting the Fireworks file under the Create New heading, or to choose File, New from the menu bar. The New Document dialog box (see Figure 3.2) appears, where you can select the dimension for your new document.
Figure 3.2. The New Document dialog box lets you control the canvas size and canvas color for each new document.
After you’ve set the canvas size and canvas color for the document, you see an interface that looks similar to most of the other programs in Studio (see Figure 3.3).
The Fireworks 8 interface comprises five elements, each with its own features:
Document window—. The Document window contains the canvas and the additional work area surrounding the canvas. The canvas is the “live” area where your images appear and is where you create, edit, and delete objects that make up your images. Assets in the gray area are not exported unless you drag them back onto the canvas. At the top of the Document window are Original, Preview, 2-Up Preview, and 4-Up Preview buttons (see Figure 3.4). The preview buttons display the graphic as it would appear in a browser based on optimization settings you can choose for each different view.
Tools—. Also referred to as the Toolbar, the Tools panel contains several tools that enable you to create and edit a variety of graphics, including text, vector objects, bitmaps, and web objects.
Property inspector—. The Property inspector is a panel that changes the tools and modifiers displayed based on the object selected.
Menu—. Common to nearly all graphical interfaces is a top row of menus and submenus to group common commands.
Panels—. Like other Studio programs, the panels in Fireworks are docked to the right of the screen. The default panels include Optimize, Layers, Assets, and Frames and History.
The Document window contains the image or asset on which you are working, as well as a few other goodies. The most important part of the Document window is the canvas and the gray work area that surrounds it. As described earlier, the canvas represents the actual document as it would be exported. Graphics, or assets, in the gray area are not visible in the exported document. The work area is handy for storing graphics or to use for bleeds.
In the top-right corner of the Document window is the Quick Export menu (see Figure 3.5). This menu is used to quickly send your graphics to other Macromedia programs such as Dreamweaver, Flash, or Director, or even to enable you to preview them in a web browser.
The bottom of the Document window contains animation controls that are activated if you are working with multiple frames.
The grayed-out X circle to the right of the animation controls is used to exit bitmap mode and is also activated only if you are working in bitmap mode.
Moving farther right is the page preview which, when clicked, shows a preview of the document’s height and width as well as the image’s pixel width, height, and resolution, as shown in Figure 3.6.
Figure 3.6. The Page Preview window gives you a snapshot of your document’s width, height, and resolution.
At the far right-lower corner is the magnification pop-up menu, where you can see and change the magnification at which you view your document. Click the down arrow to change the magnification to one of 14 preset magnifications (see Figure 3.7).
Many of the tools used in Fireworks are similar to tools found in other Studio programs. For instance, there is little variation in how the selection and drawing tools work between the programs. There are, however, a few administrative tools specific to Fireworks, as well as some robust image modification tools we’ll discuss in the following sections.
As the name indicates, the Select tools are used to select objects, as well as reposition and resize assets.
Unique to Fireworks is the Select Behind tool (see Figure 3.8), which enables you to select objects beneath or stacked behind other objects. You can access the tool by clicking and holding on the Pointer tool and then choosing Select Behind tool.
The Distort tool enables the user to distort objects by arbitrarily resizing points and sides, as well as by rotating them. Select the object you want to modify; then use the Distort tool (see Figure 3.9) to move one of the object handles.
The Export Area tool (see Figure 3.10) is used to define an area on the canvas for export. Select the tool and click and drag to define the export area. Release the mouse button and press the Enter key. The Export Preview dialog box appears, enabling you to control the export settings.
The Bitmap group contains 19 tools that are used to modify bitmap images.
The Marquee tool, or “marching ants,” is used to define a rectangular area of pixels. Select the Marquee tool and click and drag to create a rectangular area that you can modify (see Figure 3.11). To deselect the area choose Select, Deselect [Cmd-Shift-A] (Ctrl+D) from the upper menu bar or select any area outside the marquee.
When you use any of the Marquee or Lasso tools, as well as the Magic Wand tool, the Property inspector has an Edge menu that gives three Edge options for the tool when you copy and paste the selection:
Hard—. Creates a selection with a defined edge.
Anti-alias—. Reduces jagged edges in the selection.
Feather—. Softens the edge of the selection.
When you choose the Marquee or Oval Marquee tool, the Property inspector also shows a Style menu that gives three selection style options:
Normal—. Creates a marquee in which the height and width are independent of each other.
Fixed Ratio—. Sets the height and width to a defined ratio.
Fixed Size—. Constrains the height and width to a defined dimension.
The Oval Marquee tool is identical to the Marquee tool except that it defines an elliptical area of pixels.
The Lasso tool enables you to draw a freeform selection area. This is handy if you are selecting pixels in complex shapes (see Figure 3.12).
The Polygon Lasso tool enables you to draw a polygonal selection area with numerous points (see Figure 3.13). This is a smarter choice than the Lasso tool if you need to select areas with straight lines.
The Magic Wand tool is probably one of the most used tools in image editing. Using this tool, you can select contiguous pixels of a similar color (see Figure 3.14). Using the Property inspector, you can control the Tolerance (0–255) and Edge (Hard, Anti-Alias, or Feather).
Adjusting the Tolerance setting controls the tonal range of colors that are selected when you click a pixel with the Magic Wand. If you enter 0 and click a pixel, only adjacent pixels of exactly the same tone are selected. Conversely, if you enter 255, all colors in the object are selected.
Like its real-world counterpart, the Brush tool (see Figure 3.15) is used to apply paint to a canvas. Rather than applying acrylic, oil, or watercolor paint, the Fireworks Brush tool applies pixels with a variety of settings.
Figure 3.15. The Brush tool is used like an artist’s brush to apply colored pixels to your digital canvas.
The power of the Brush tool can be utilized when you use the Property inspector (see Figure 3.16), the Stroke Options pop-up menu, and the Edit Stroke dialog box to add incredible control over every aspect of the brush. You adjust pixel color, brush size, edge effect, brush shape, texture, and transparency. In fact, you can use more than 50 types of brush strokes.
The Pencil tool is basically a single-pixel version of the Brush tool. The Pencil tool is constrained to be a 1-pixel brush (see Figure 3.17). Using the Property inspector, you can control the Pencil tool’s color, anti-alias, and transparency.
The Eraser tool (see Figure 3.18) is used to remove pixels from an image. Think of it as the anti-Brush tool. Using the Property inspector, you can control the Eraser tool’s size, edge, shape, and transparency.
The Eraser tool, however, is not a universal eraser. Note that it is a bitmap tool and erases only pixels. It does not erase vector graphics such as shapes you create with the vector tools. This nuance has driven many to near insanity until they realized they were trying to use the wrong tool for the job.
The Blur tool (see Figure 3.19) creates the effect of blurring pixels, giving a soft or out-of-focus effect. The Property inspector enables you to control the size, shape, edge, and intensity of the blur.
The Sharpen tool (see Figure 3.20) increases the contrast between pixels and is useful for repairing out-of-focus images. The Property inspector enables you to control the size, shape, edge, and intensity of the effect.
A throwback to the darkroom days of photography, the Dodge tool is used to lighten pixels on the image (see Figure 3.21). Dodging areas of an image is useful to bring out more detail in darker pixels. The Property inspector enables you to control the size, edge, shape, range, and exposure of the dodge. You can apply the Dodge tool to three tonal ranges:
Shadows—. Change the dark portions of the image.
Highlights—. Change the light portions of the image.
Midtones—. Change the middle range of the image.
The exposure ranges from 0% to 100%. Specify a lower percentage value for a lessened effect, and a higher percentage for a stronger effect.
Another darkroom tool brought to the digital age is the Burn tool (see Figure 3.22). The Burn tool is used to darken pixels in the image. As with the Dodge tool, the Property inspector enables you to control the size, edge, shape, range, and exposure of the burn.
Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) as you drag the tool to switch back and forth between the Burn tool and the Dodge tool.
The Smudge tool (see Figure 3.23) smears and displaces images. Visually, the effect is similar to that of the Blur tool. However, think of taking your finger and rubbing the wet ink on your freshly printed image. That’s the Smudge tool. The Property inspector enables you to set the size, shape, edge, and pressure of the stroke. It also enables you to use a specified color at the beginning of each smudge stroke. If the smudge color is checked, the color under the tool pointer is used. If the Use Entire Document check box is selected, the tool uses color data from all objects on all layers to smudge the image.
The Rubber Stamp tool takes pixels or objects from one area of your canvas and paints them in another. This replication process from one area to another is called “cloning.” Select the Rubber Stamp tool and click the area you want to clone. The sampling pointer turns into crosshairs. Move to a different part of the image with the pointer. You will now see two pointers. The first one is the source and the second is the Rubber Stamp. As you drag the second pointer, pixels beneath the first pointer are copied and applied to the area beneath the second (see Figure 3.24).
Figure 3.24. The Rubber Stamp tool was used to clone the SuperHawk logo and place a duplicate below the bike.
Use the Property inspector to control the Rubber Stamp tool’s size, edge, and transparency. When Source Aligned is selected, the sampling pointer moves vertically and horizontally in alignment with the second. When Source Aligned is deselected, the sample area is fixed, regardless of where the second pointer is moved. If the Use Entire Document check box is selected, the tool samples from all objects on all layers. When this option is deselected, the Rubber Stamp tool samples from the active object only.
The Replace Color tool (see Figure 3.25) lets you select one color and paint over it with a different color. To use the Replace Color tool, choose whether you want to select replacement colors from the swatches or from the image itself using the From drop-down. If you choose to select from the swatches, click the Change Color well in the Property inspector to select the color and choose a color from the pop-up menu. You can also click in the image to choose the color you want to replace.
Next, click the To color well in the Property inspector to select the replacement color; then choose a color from the pop-up menu. You can also select a color from the image by dragging the tool over the color you want to replace.
The Property inspector enables you to control brush size and shape, as well as color tolerance and strength. Select Colorize to replace the Change color with the To color. Deselect Colorize to tint the Change color with the To color, leaving some of the Change color intact.
The Red-Eye Removal tool is used to correct the red-eye effect in photographs. This tool is essentially a stripped-down version of the Replace Color tool in that it paints only red areas of an image and replaces the red pixels with grays and blacks (see Figure 3.26). The functionality of the Red-Eye Removal tool has been enhanced in Fireworks 8 to enable you to more accurately identify and remedy red-eye in your photographs.
Select the Red-Eye Removal tool and drag a selection marquee across or click on the red pupils in the photograph to replace the red pixels. Use the Property inspector to set stroke attributes, brush tip size, brush tip shape, and tolerance (0 replaces only red; 255 replaces all hues that contain red). Strength sets the darkness of the grays used to replace reddish colors.
Although working with photographs and imported images revolves around bitmaps, Fireworks also has some powerful vector tools that enable you to unleash the illustrator within. In addition, you can compress and export both photographs and vectors in formats that are optimized for the Web. This section looks at Fireworks’s vector tools and what they can do.
The Line tool (see Figure 3.27) is used to draw straight lines. To draw a straight line, select the Line tool and then click on the canvas and drag to create the line. Hold down the Opt or Alt key while dragging to constrain the line to 45° increments. In the Property inspector you can adjust the stroke color, width, and line type, along with the selected line’s transparency, overall size (width and height), and position (x and y fields).
The Pen tool is used to draw complex shape and vector paths, similar in nature to the complex illustration tools offered by Macromedia’s FreeHand illustration program. To draw straight lines, create plot points by clicking the pen tool anywhere on the canvas. It’s as simple as playing connect-the-dots, as shown in Figure 3.28. Select the Pen tool and start clicking on the canvas. When you plot the next point, the previous line segment is deselected, as indicated by a hollow white center plot point. A straight line, representing the path, connects the two points.
When creating paths between plot points, holding the Shift key ensures that the lines are straight.
To draw an open path, plot the points until the path is complete and then double-click the final point or select any tool in the toolbar. To draw a closed path, create points until the shape is complete and return to click on the first point again. When you hover over the first point, a hollow circle appears to the right of the Pen tool cursor. Clicking on the first point closes the path.
To draw a curve, press and hold the mouse button down to position the control handles as you draw. While drawing curves is easy, drawing curves that actually represent what you had in your mind’s eye is usually not (see Figure 3.29). Keep in mind that the farther you drag the mouse, the greater the effect on the curve. One way to practice drawing curves is by tracing existing images or other rounded objects to get the feeling for how curves are created.
After an object has been created with the Pen tool, you can easily remove the points that define its shape or add additional points to modify its shape. To remove a plot point, click on it and it is removed from the path. Remove curved points by clicking and dragging in the opposite direction of the curve. Add new plot points by clicking anywhere on the path where a plot point doesn’t already exist. If you want to edit the location of existing plot points, choose the subselection tool and you can drag the plot point to a new location.
As you can see, the Pen tool offers many of the illustration features that are included in more complex illustration applications such as FreeHand or Illustrator. Although the Pen tool certainly can’t compete with these applications for full-blown illustration, it does provide some of the basic functionality that enables you to illustrate within Fireworks without having to rely on one of these more complex applications.
If you are interested in using Fireworks to create basic illustrations, the Vector Path tool (see Figure 3.30) is a great place to start. The Vector Path tool is the vector version of the Pencil tool, and it enables you to do freeform illustration. Points are automatically inserted as you draw. To use the Vector Path tool, select the tool from the Pen pop-up menu and start drawing. You can always come back and edit the shape later with the Sub-selection tool.
Use the Property inspector to control your line characteristics.
The Redraw Path tool is another drawing tool that enables you to modify an existing path either by extending the path on either or both ends or by changing its existing structure. Using this tool enables you to extend or change any segment of the path while retaining the path’s stroke, fill, and effect characteristics (see Figure 3.31). Basically, it gives you a quick, easy tool to make adjustments to any path on your canvas without having to redraw the path with the Pen tool.
Select the Redraw Path tool, located in the Pen tool pop-up menu, and move the pointer directly over the path. The pointer changes to the Redraw Path pointer. Drag to extend the path segment and the new portion of the path is highlighted in red. Release the mouse button and you’re good to go.
The Rectangle tool is used to draw rectangles and squares. To draw a rectangle, select the Rectangle tool and drag on the canvas to draw. Release the mouse button when you are finished and modify the rectangle’s characteristics as needed in the Property inspector. To draw a perfect square, hold down the Shift key as you draw.
The Ellipse tool is used to draw ellipses and circles. To draw an ellipse, select the Ellipse tool from the Rectangle pop-up menu and drag on the canvas to draw. Release the mouse button when you are finished and modify the ellipse’s characteristics as needed in the Property inspector. To draw a perfect circle, hold down the Shift key as you draw.
The Polygon tool is used to draw many-sided shapes and stars (see Figure 3.32). To draw a polygon, select the Polygon tool from the Rectangle pop-up menu and drag on the canvas to draw. Release the mouse button when you are finished and modify the polygon’s characteristics as needed in the Property inspector.
One slightly annoying feature of this tool is that you can’t change the number or angle of sides after you’ve drawn the polygon or star. You have to make those decisions before you draw the shape.
To draw a shape, select the Polygon tool (see Figure 3.33). Then, in the Property inspector, select Polygon or Star from the Shape menu, the number of sides or your new shape, and the angle for the sides. Finally, choose the fill and stroke features for the shape. With these options selected, draw the shape on the canvas.
A look at the Auto Shapes tools in the toolbar Rectangle menu (see Figure 3.34) reveals a host of shapes that you can use in your designs. Even better, you can modify these shapes by using the control handles, as well as change their stroke and fill properties. Auto Shapes can also be ungrouped and modified as individual objects.
Figure 3.34. Auto Shapes simplifies the process of creating complex shapes by giving you “canned” shapes that can be modified.
Select an Auto Shape from the Shape pop-up menu in the toolbar and click and drag to draw your shape. Use the Property inspector, shown in Figure 3.35, to modify the width, height, position on the stage, fill, and stroke properties. Use the Auto Shape Properties panel to the right to set specific properties for the selected Auto Shape.
Fireworks comes with the following Auto Shapes:
Arrow—. Draws simple arrow shapes of any proportions.
Beveled Rectangle—. Draws rectangles with beveled corners.
Chamfer Rectangle—. Draws rectangles with corners that are rounded to the inside of the rectangle.
Connector Line—. Draws three-segment connector lines like those used in flowcharts.
Doughnut—. Draws filled ring shapes.
L-Shape—. Draws corner shapes with right angles.
Pie—. Draws pie charts.
Rounded Rectangle—. Draws rectangles with rounded corners.
Smart Polygon—. Draws equilateral polygons with 3 to 25 sides.
Spiral—. Draws open spirals.
Star—. Draws stars with any number of points from 3 to 7.
The Auto Shapes tab in the Assets panel (see Figure 3.36) also lets you create your own shapes, as well as use shapes from third-party developers.
You can add also new Auto Shapes by using the Fireworks Exchange website. To add new Auto Shapes, display the Shapes tab in the Assets panel. Click the Options menu and choose Get More Auto Shapes. Fireworks connects to the Fireworks Exchange website. Follow the onscreen instructions to select new Auto Shapes and add them to Fireworks.
The Freeform tool is one of the more fun tools to play with in Fireworks. This tool enables you to push and pull on various objects to change their curvature. For instance, as shown in Figure 3.37, you can push a segment of a straight line with the tool to create a curved shape. The size and pressure exerted by the tool can be adjusted with the Property inspector.
The Reshape Area tool (see Figure 3.38) is a nifty feature that enables you to stretch and mold paths. To use the tool, just select any path and then select the Reshape Area tool. As you roll your cursor over the path, you can see the various handles that are available for each object. Just click and drag any of the handles and you reshape the path as you drag.
Use the Path Scrubber tools to change the appearance of a path with varying pressure applied to a pressure-sensitive tablet or changing speed if you’re using a mouse. Path Scrubber properties, which include stroke size, angle, ink amount, scatter, hue, lightness, and saturation, can be specified in the Property inspector (see Figure 3.39). You can also specify how much pressure and speed affects these properties.
Be aware that this feature allows you to adjust only paths that have a pressure-sensitive brush stroke. To adjust the pressure sensitivity of the stroke, select the path and then choose Stroke Options from the Stroke Category drop-down menu in the Property inspector. Click Advanced and choose the Sensitivity menu and the pressure can be adjusted in the Pressure field.
As indicated by the name, the Knife tool is used to cut objects apart. Select an object on the canvas, drag the knife across the object, and the plot points are created showing the path that was cut. You can then use the Pointer tool to drag the objects to different locations on the canvas as two separate objects.
Fireworks is the web designer’s best friend when it comes to creating graphics for the online medium. Because many web graphics are used in interactions (links, rollovers, and so on), Fireworks has set aside several dedicated web objects and tools in the Web category of the Tools panel.
A hotspot is an area of the canvas that is intended to have user interaction. In Fireworks, this feature comes into play when you export an image as an HTML file and the hotspot becomes an area that provides a function (such as a hyperlink) or changes (such as rollover buttons) when the user rolls the mouse over the area or clicks on it. The Rectangle, Circle, and Polygon Hotspot tools (see Figure 3.40) create hotspots, or image maps, specific to their shape. To create a hotspot, simply drag the Hotspot tool to draw a hotspot over an area of the graphic. Hold down the Alt or Option key to draw from a center point. You can adjust a hotspot’s position while you are drawing. While holding down the mouse button, press and hold down the Spacebar; then drag the hotspot to another location on the canvas. Release the Spacebar to continue drawing the hotspot.
The Polygon Hotspot tool draws a hotspot by connecting a series of points; it’s similar to the Pen tool, but without the capability to create curved points.
After you’ve created the hotspot, use the Property inspector to add the link URL, Alt tag, and Target (None, _blank, _self, _parent, _top) (see Figure 3.41).
A slice is a place in the larger image where you want to create a smaller section that operates differently when the image is exported. Slices are usually areas where you want to create behaviors such as rollover effects or just want to have a larger image divided up into smaller portions.
To create a slice, select the Slice tool and drag to draw the slice object (see Figure 3.42). The slice object appears on the Web Layer, and the slice guides appear in the document.
As with a hotspot, you can use the Property inspector to add a link URL, Alt tag, and target, as well as set a default export compression for each individual slice. This is convenient for those times when you have a top banner for a site that needs some sections to be exported as JPEGs (logo graphics with gradients) and others as GIFs (text navigation).
The options you have for adding behaviors to both hotspots and slices in Fireworks are covered when the Behavior panel is discussed later in this chapter.
Use the Polygon Slice tool to create a slice by connecting a series of points, similar to the Pen tool.
Use the Hide and Show Slices buttons below the hotspot and slice tools on the toolbar (see Figure 3.43) to respectively hide or display your slices on the canvas.
Similar to the other development applications within the Studio suite, the Property inspector is a context-sensitive panel that changes options as you change your work. Choose a tool from the Tools panel, and the Property inspector displays tool options. Select a vector object, and it displays stroke and fill information. The inspector also displays effects, blending modes, and opacity, saving you tons of time and energy in opening other panels or dialog boxes.
This dynamic panel displays many of the common options for a selected object or tool. When no object or tool is selected, or when the work space is clicked on, the document options appear.
The menu bar (see Figure 3.44) is chock full of commands that enable you to do everything from opening a file to applying sophisticated effects to your images. Because an encyclopedia could be written on just this topic alone, the following sections simply summarize the important commands in each menu.
The File menu in Fireworks is similar to that of just about every other program. As the name suggests, commands in this menu affect whole files or documents. Some special File menu commands include the following:
Reconstitute Table—. Used to integrate Fireworks files with web pages in Dreamweaver by allowing you to easily update the table structure used in the HTML pages.
Batch Process—. Enables you to automate a series of customizable commands, such as image resizing, on a large group of files, all with the click of a couple buttons.
The Edit menu contains a few specialized commands for inserting Fireworks objects. Some unique Fireworks commands include the following:
Insert Fireworks Objects—. Enables you to insert objects such as a New Button, Symbol, Hotspot, Slice, Layer, or Frame.
Clipboard Variations—. Enables you to Copy HTML Code, Paste Inside, Paste As Mask, and Paste Attributes.
Preferences—. Enables you to customize your workspace. Editing Preferences are discussed later in this chapter.
The View menu is home to commands that control how you look at your workspace. In addition to the typical magnification, ruler, and guides commands is the Windows/Macintosh Gamma command. Computers that run Windows and Macintosh operating systems use different gamma settings, which typically results in Windows screens being darker than their Mac counterparts. Big whoop, you say. Well, what can happen is that the graphic that looks fine on your Windows monitor appears slightly washed out on the Macintosh monitor. Likewise, the graphic that works on a Macintosh monitor is darker on the Windows screen. Use the Windows/Macintosh Gamma command to toggle between the two gamma settings and see whether there is a difference on your graphics.
The Select menu is split into five categories:
Vector path and selection tools—. Used to select and edit vector points and paths.
Pixel selection tools—. Used to modify pixels of similar colors, feather selections, or invert selections.
Pixel region selection tools—. Used to expand, contract, and smooth selected regions of pixels.
Convert Marquee to Path command—. Transforms the existing shape of the Marquee into a path that can be edited and reshaped like any other Fireworks object.
Save Bitmap Selection tools—. Used to save and restore single bitmap selections.
The Modify menu is the most frequently used menu in Fireworks. This menu contains commands that enable you to alter canvas and object attributes, stacking order, and grouping. Other commands of interest include the following:
The Text menu provides common commands for modifying font, style, paragraph settings, alignment, and even spelling. Some unique commands include
Attach to Path—. Allows you to attach text to a vector path (see Figure 3.45).
Convert to Paths—. Enables you to change text to vector objects so you can modify text as a graphic object.
The Commands menu is where you can really see the flexibility of Fireworks. Within the Commands menu are several ready-made commands, or macros, that you can use to make your life simpler. You can also create your own commands if you have the programming know-how.
Some interesting commands included in Fireworks are
Convert to Grayscale—. Found in the Creative submenu, this is similar to the popular command found in Photoshop.
Add Picture Frame—. Found in the Creative submenu, this command adds a textured frame around the canvas.
Resize Selected Objects—. Provides a pop-up window that gives you a graphical interface with which to resize an object (see Figure 3.46). Nothing really special about this, except it looks cool.
Twist and Fade—. Also found in the Creative submenu, this third-party command enables you to create a vortex effect with any vector or bitmap graphic (see Figure 3.47). Be careful, though. It’s addictive and resource intensive and could lock up the program if you call for too many steps.
The Filters menu contains all the bitmap filters. Included are filters that handle color adjustment, blurring, levels, curves, the sharpness of a mask, the amount of noise applied to an image, and so on. After it is applied to an image, a filter effect cannot be removed unless you use the Undo command (Edit, Undo Filter Image).
The Window menu provides a list of all the panels and toolbars available in Fireworks. Think of it as your interface repository—just click on any of the selections in this menu and the appropriate panel or pop-up is displayed.
Learn to appreciate the guidance and wisdom found within the Help menu. Here you can find the entire Fireworks 8 manual in HTML format. You can search for answers to those aching questions about how to draw those pesky Bezier curves with the Pen tool.
You can also access online support from the Fireworks Help Center, as well as exchange ideas on the Macromedia Online Forums. Visiting the forums becomes a daily part of your life if you’re interested in expanding your Fireworks capabilities.
At first glance, the panels system used in Fireworks (and the other development applications in the Studio) can be a bit overwhelming. After you get used to the system, however, it’s just a matter of finding the right panel and you have all the tools you need grouped together. Let’s take a look at some of the most commonly used panels.
The Optimize panel (see Figure 3.48) enables you to choose from the various compression options that are available for use when your image is exported. From the panel, you can choose between the various file types, color depths, and file quality.
The Layers panel (see Figure 3.49) overlays each of the objects that exist within the document. Using the Layers panel, you can adjust the grouping order and choose which layers should be displayed and which should be hidden. You get a more extensive look at the Layers panel in Chapter 4, “Developing Graphics and Animations.”
The Assets panel provides access to reusable objects such as shading styles, recently used URLs, custom objects, and various shapes. Using the elements stored in any of the subpanels is as easy as dragging them into your workspace.
The Styles tab (see Figure 3.50) enables you to easily apply custom fills, gradients, and coloring to your Fireworks objects. To apply a style, simply select your object and click the style you would like applied to it.
Typing in the same URL over and over can become a tedious task when developing web objects within Fireworks. Luckily, Fireworks 8 remembers the URLs that you have used in the past and stores them in the URL tab (see Figure 3.51). To apply a URL, simply choose a hotspot or slice and select the URL from the drop-down list. You can even create your own custom URL libraries that contain URLs for different uses.
The Library tab (see Figure 3.52) saves information about symbols that are stored in the current document. Each symbol has a name and a type, and can be reused if you drag it from the panel onto the canvas. The objects in the Library can be sorted by name or by type if you click on the appropriate column header and click the Toggle Sorting button.
The Shapes tab (see Figure 3.53) stores the Auto Shapes that supplement those available with the Auto Shape tools. You can download additional Auto Shapes by clicking the menu on the Shapes tab and choosing Get More Auto Shapes.
The Frames and History panel enables you to track the animation frames that you have created and to also view the actions you have taken in developing your images.
The Frames tab (see Figure 3.54) displays information about the frames you have created toward animating your images. For a complete overview of how frames can be used to develop animations, check out Chapter 7, “Putting It All Together: The Images and Page Layout for Retro’s Cycles.”
The History tab (see Figure 3.55) enables you to review the steps you have taken in developing your images. The number of steps that are stored is based on the preferences you set for Fireworks in the Preferences dialog box (Edit, Preferences). By default, Fireworks 8 stores 20 steps, and you can move through the steps and see them replayed by moving the slider on the left side up or down. If you want to replay a set of steps, select them and click the Replay button. You can also save and reuse steps at a later time by selecting the steps and clicking the Save Steps As Command icon.
It’s a fact of life that no two designers are alike. How you like to organize your workspace is different from how I organize mine. The copy of Fireworks 8 you installed on your desktop has preset preferences that the folks at Macromedia thought you’d enjoy. You may like what they’ve done, and you may be yearning to go in and tailor the program to fit your style.
Most people don’t bother messing with customizing their preferences unless they use the program on a daily basis. If you have a hankering to make some changes, read on.
For the most part, the preference settings (accessed by choosing Edit, Preferences) are self-explanatory. I’ll review a few key preferences that you may want to consider changing. Note that you need to restart Fireworks for the new preferences to take effect.
The General tab (see Figure 3.56) contains settings that influence the basic aspects of the Fireworks environment. One setting worth changing is the number of Undo Steps. The default setting is 20. The higher the setting, the more RAM is sucked up. The lower the setting, the less RAM is used, but the more hampered you are by your mistakes. It’s a balancing act and you will have to determine what’s best for you. I like to set my Undo Steps to 10.
The Editing tab settings (see Figure 3.57) affect workflow. You can change cursor styles, hide edges, display striped borders, and so on. Checking the Pen Preview, however, is handy if you’re just learning how to use the Pen tool because the next line segment is displayed while you’re drawing.
Launch and Edit settings are used to control how Fireworks integrates with other Macromedia programs such as Dreamweaver. Because most Fireworks graphics comprise an editable graphic (Fireworks PNG) and an exported graphic (JPEG or GIF), the launch and edit settings enable you to select one of the following three options:
Always Use Source PNG—. Opens the source PNG file when editing from another application. When you’re finished with the file, the original optimization settings are used when it’s exported again.
Never Use Source PNG—. Opts not to use the source PNG to open the exported JPEG or GIF in Fireworks.
Ask When Launching—. Prompts you to decide what to do on a case-by-case basis. Because I believe there are few absolutes in life, I keep the default Ask When Launching setting.
The Folders tab enables you to designate where plug-ins, textures, and patterns are stored. After restarting Fireworks, the program loads all plug-ins, textures, and patterns in those folders.
The Import tab provides controls on how Photoshop objects are imported into Fireworks:
The Layers section—. Dictates how Photoshop layers are brought into Fireworks. They can be imported as Fireworks Objects or as Fireworks Frames. The Share Layer Between Frames option imports the Photoshop layers as Fireworks sublayers and also designates those layers as shared.
The Text section—. Enables you to decide whether you want to retain editability or appearance. If you want to preserve the font style from the Photoshop object but don’t have the font, select Maintain Appearance. If you want to edit the text, select Editable.
The Use Flat Composite Image option—. Flattens and merges all Photoshop layers.
I have used Photoshop in the past and have plug-ins that I would like to use in Fireworks. Is this possible?
Sure. To use Photoshop plug-ins, you need to indicate where the plug-ins are located in your Fireworks 8 preferences. To do this, choose Edit, Preferences and click the Folders tab. Then browse to where your plug-ins are located. You need to close Fireworks and restart it for the settings to take effect.
After I start using the Polygon Lasso tool, is there a way I can go back a step without having to start all over again?
To go back a step, simply release the mouse button. Hold down the Shift key, press Alt or the Option key, and then release the Alt or Option key to temporarily display an arrow cursor. The selection path is reset to wherever you click with the arrow cursor. The cursor then reverts back to the Polygon Lasso tool and you can continue your work.
Is there an easy way to swap the line color and the fill color for an object?
The quickest way to swap colors is to use the Swap Stroke/Fill Colors button on the Tools palette. Just select an object, click the button, and you’ll notice that the colors are swapped.
Developing graphics and animations is a lot of hard work and a lot of fun. All those cool tools, effects, gradients, and animation tools at your disposal make it easy to get immersed in the process. It’s important, however, that throughout the process you consider where and by whom your graphics will be used.
For instance, if you are building a website that will be available to the general public, it’s unlikely that every one of your visitors will have a broadband connection. Therefore, adding “heavy” graphics that are large in file size could render some visitors unable to view your site properly. If they have to wait five minutes for a navigation image to load, they probably won’t stick around for the rest of the site.
Additionally, it’s a very good idea to keep track of who is using your images and in what manner. The last thing you want to have happen is for someone to take an image on which you worked long and hard and stretch it beyond its limitations—resulting in a cruddy-looking image that others think you created. Be prepared to distribute images and logos in a variety of formats, with differently colored (and transparent) backgrounds, and in different sizes. This reduces the risk that someone will do a chop-job on your image to meet some specific need.
Finally, it’s good practice to remember that although graphics are a good way to enhance your site, an increasing number of visitors on the web have visual disabilities. To accommodate these users, don’t forget to add Alt text to your images within your web pages to allow these visitors to take full advantage of your site.
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