Macromedia Fireworks
Encyclopedia
Adobe Fireworks is a bitmap and vector graphics editor
. It was originally developed using parts of xRes
by Macromedia
, which Adobe acquired in 2005, and aimed at web designers (with features such as: slices, the ability to add hotspots etc.) for rapidly creating website prototypes and application interfaces. It is designed to integrate easily with other former Macromedia products, such as Dreamweaver and Flash
. It is available as a standalone product or bundled with Adobe Creative Suite
. Previous versions were bundled with Macromedia Studio.
is consistent with the rest of Adobe Creative Suite, similar to that of Adobe Photoshop
. On Mac OS X
, it is possible to display the application in multiple document interface
mode or the standard viewing mode where all toolbars float freely on the screen.
, flat PNG (8,24,32 bit), JPEG
, GIF (both animated and non-animated), PSD, SWF
, PICT
, BMP, WBMP
. The individual pages of a file can also be converted into a single PDF
.
Vector graphics editor
A vector graphics editor is a computer program that allows users to compose and edit vector graphics images interactively on a computer and save them in one of many popular vector graphics formats, such as EPS, PDF, WMF, SVG, or VML....
. It was originally developed using parts of xRes
Macromedia xRes
xRes was an image editing application by Fauve Software, later acquired by Macromedia. It allowed for a real time preview of work. An early version also introduced the concept of layers, a new way of moving and overlapping objects within an image...
by Macromedia
Macromedia
Macromedia was an American graphics and web development software company headquartered in San Francisco, California that produced such products as Flash and Dreamweaver. Its rival, Adobe Systems, acquired Macromedia on December 3, 2005 and controls the line of Macromedia...
, which Adobe acquired in 2005, and aimed at web designers (with features such as: slices, the ability to add hotspots etc.) for rapidly creating website prototypes and application interfaces. It is designed to integrate easily with other former Macromedia products, such as Dreamweaver and Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
. It is available as a standalone product or bundled with Adobe Creative Suite
Adobe Creative Suite
Adobe Creative Suite is a collection of graphic design, video editing, and web development applications made by Adobe Systems. The collection consists of Adobe's applications , that are based on various technologies...
. Previous versions were bundled with Macromedia Studio.
User interface
Fireworks' user interfaceUser interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
is consistent with the rest of Adobe Creative Suite, similar to that of Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop...
. On Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, it is possible to display the application in multiple document interface
Multiple document interface
Graphical computer applications with a multiple document interface are those whose windows reside under a single parent window , as opposed to all windows being separate from each other . Such systems often allow child windows to embed other windows inside them as well, creating complex nested...
mode or the standard viewing mode where all toolbars float freely on the screen.
Hierarchical Layers
Fireworks supports layering the graphic file. Deep child layers are also possible. All the layers can be accessed from the Layers panel.Smart Guides
When Smart Guides are enabled, dashed lines will appear as you use the Selection tool to drag any object around on the canvas. Smart Guides intuitively "line up" with any other element, so that you can visually see when two objects are aligned by their top, sides, bottom or center. Also by dragging out guide lines and pressing the Shift Key, numeric indicators display the distances between guides and the edges of the canvas. This feature was added with the release of CS4.9 Slice scaling
This feature ensures that rounded rectangles maintain their roundness when transformed depending on where the guides are placed. CS4 has this feature exposed as a tool. With this feature introduction in CS3 version, its usage was limited to symbols.Symbols
Reusable elements can be converted into symbols and placed at multiple pages or on the same page. When the master symbol is edited, the changes are propagated to all the instances of that symbol automatically.Image Optimization
Fireworks was created specifically for web production and in terms of image compression, it is known to have a better compression rate than Photoshop with JPEG, PNG and GIF images.Adobe Creative Suite Integration
Fireworks understands the file formats ai, psd, eps, which designers use in a team allowing for better workflows across multiple Adobe applications.Export
A file can be exported as TIFFTagged Image File Format
TIFF is a file format for storing images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and both amateur and professional photographers in general. As of 2009, it is under the control of Adobe Systems...
, flat PNG (8,24,32 bit), JPEG
JPEG
In computing, JPEG . The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality....
, GIF (both animated and non-animated), PSD, SWF
SWF
SWF is an Adobe Flash file format used for multimedia, vector graphics and ActionScript. Originating with FutureWave Software, then transferred to Macromedia, and then coming under the control of Adobe, SWF files can contain animations or applets of varying degrees of interactivity and function.,...
, PICT
PICT
PICT is a graphics file format introduced on the original Apple Macintosh computer as its standard metafile format. It allows the interchange of graphics , and some limited text support, between Mac applications, and was the native graphics format of QuickDraw.The original version, PICT 1, was...
, BMP, WBMP
Wireless Application Protocol Bitmap Format
Wireless Application Protocol Bitmap Format is a monochrome graphics file format optimized for mobile computing devices....
. The individual pages of a file can also be converted into a single PDF
Portable Document Format
Portable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
.
States
Previously known as Frames, these are used for animation purposes. They are also used for defining the behaviors in cases of symbol buttons like Up, Down, Over.Version history
- 1998: Macromedia Fireworks
- 1999: Macromedia Fireworks 2
- 2000: Macromedia Fireworks 3
- 2001: Macromedia Fireworks 4
- 2002: Macromedia Fireworks 6 a.k.a Macromedia Fireworks MX
- 2004: Macromedia Fireworks 7 a.k.a. Macromedia Fireworks MX 2004
- 2005: Macromedia Fireworks 8
- 2007: Adobe Fireworks 9 a.k.a Adobe Fireworks CS3
- 2008: Adobe Fireworks 10.0 a.k.a Adobe Fireworks CS4
- 2010 Adobe Fireworks 11.0 a.k.a Adobe Fireworks CS5
- 2011 Adobe Fireworks 11.1 a.k.a Adobe Fireworks CS5.1