Macromedia FireWorks MX 2004 7.0.2.296 review
DownloadWeb design suite of many tools (updater available).
|
|
Web design suite of many tools (updater available).
Here are some key features of "Macromedia FireWorks MX":
Selective JPG Compression
Shrink image files even further by specifying different compression levels for different image areas, so focal points remain crisp and clear, while less important areas, such as backgrounds, compress more. To do this, marquee select an image area and choose Modify > Selective JPEG to specify a different compression level than the surrounding image.
The Select Behind Tool
Selecting buried elements can be a real pain if you don’t know about this feature. To select an element that’s behind another, press the V key. This converts the Pointer tool to the Select Behind tool.
The Export Area Tool
To export sections of a page comp for reassembly in Dreamweaver, use the Export Area tool, under Crop in the Selection tools. This way you can specify different compression settings, or even different image formats, for each piece of the comp, without actually slicing it up.
Cross-Platform Gamma Preview
Windows video devices have a darker "gamma" than do Macs, so colors look darker on PCs. To see how your graphics will display on the other platform, select View > Windows Gamma or View > Macintosh Gamma, depending on your platform.
Save optimization presets
To save your favorite optimization settings for easy re-use, choose Save Settings from the Options menu in the Optimize panel. Your new settings option will show up in the pull-down menu at the top of the Optimize panel.
Automation Features
Fireworks provides a couple of handy options for automating repetitive tasks. Batch processes are ideal for automatically creating thumbnails, optimizing, or applying filters to a large number of images. To create a batch process, start by choosing File > Batch Process, then follow the steps as the wizard guides you through the creation of your process. For quick-and-dirty automation, the History panel provides a simple solution. Just select a set of steps in the History panel and replay them or save them as a reusable command.
Reconstitute Tables
If you have an HTML table full of sliced images, but no source PNG, the Reconstitute Tables command can help you out. Select File > Reconstitute Tables, and point to any HTML file containing a table with image slices. Fireworks will import it and convert it to a PNG. Macromedia-written JavaScript behaviors, such as image rollovers and pop-up menus, will be imported and attached to the appropriate slices.
Advanced Text and Path Manipulation
To create text that winds a complicated path, simply draw the path, type the text, and select Text > Attach to Path. To recreate part of a free-form path, use the Redraw Path tool (located under the Pen tool). Six other useful path commands can be found under Modify > Alter Path. If you are a serious illustrator, you should check them out.
Customizable HTML Output
Users often complain about the quality of the code generated by Fireworks. Some people want spacer images in empty table cells. Other people want non-breaking spaces. Some people want tables that play well in FrontPage. Other people want tables of standards-compliant XHTML. And some people don’t want any tables at all, as they would prefer absolutely positioned CSS layers. Fireworks can deliver all those code styles, and more! Use the options in the Export dialog to control the code exported by Fireworks.
Roundtrip Graphics with Macromedia FreeHand
Everyone knows that Fireworks plays well with Flash and Dreamweaver. But it’s also integrated with another Studio product: FreeHand. You can Import FreeHand design and storyboard files into Fireworks, and edit the objects, text, and live effects. Then add interactivity to the Fireworks files and optimize them to save space. When you export the files back to FreeHand, they will remain editable.
Limitations:
30 days trial.
Macromedia FireWorks MX 2004 7.0.2.296 keywords