Fireworks is one of the best installed web designing tools that’s never used.
What I mean is, Fireworks is installed in so many Adobe suite installs and never gets touched. I’ve heard of many designers who give it a try for a few minutes and throw their hands up in the air out of frustration because it wasn’t like Photoshop.
That’s the problem.
Adobe Fireworks isn’t suppose to replace Photoshop, it stands alone as its own tool.
Fireworks is the best tool you can use for:
- Rapid Prototyping
- Rapid Layout
- Rapid Design
Can you find the common thread?
Menial tasks that can take minutes to perform in Photoshop, take just seconds in Fireworks, and it isn’t just about saving time either, as Fireworks is an incredibly powerful graphics application, and with some experience there is very little you can do Photoshop that you can’t do in Fireworks just as well.
If you’re interested in giving Fireworks a chance and increasing your web design efficiency, consider giving Fireworks a serious look. In fact, here’s a great resource to get you started:
Fireworks for Beginners
Fireworks for Beginners is a short, to the point overview of Fireworks. It will get you familiar with the interface:
- The Workflow
- Vectors and Bitmaps
- Click and Select
- The PNG Format
As well as what’s different about Fireworks compared to programs like Photoshop:
- Working with Layers
- Smart Auto Shapes
- Live Filters & Non-Destructive Adjustments
- Pages, States & Layers
- Re-usable Symbols
- Styles
Finally, Fireworks for Beginners offers some time saving tips and trips that are even helpful for those of you that are Fireworks pros!
Here are a few other resources for Fireworks you may find useful:
- Annotation Command Panel for Fireworks
- 52 Weeks of Vector Icons for Fireworks
- New Resource: Fireworks Lab
Have you given Adobe Fireworks an honest try?
Do you have any cool Adobe Fireworks’ resources? Please, share!
Jared Erickson says
every year i say “i’m going to learn fireworks” and i open it and it crashes..
Brian Notess says
+1
Eric Dye says
🙂
Eric Dye says
#adobeFAIL
Geoff says
I’ve been using Fireworks since Macromedia version 3, and it’s an indispensable part of my toolkit. Unfortunately, I now live in fear that Adobe will abandon it by continuing to add web features to Photoshop and InDesign that aren’t true replacements.
As evidenced above, CS4 was absolutely terrible and never received significant bug fixes that it desperately needed before CS5 released. There was even a Fireworks team blog post that said, basically, “we’ve identified the crashing problem and we’re not going to fix it.”
CS5, thankfully, runs a bit better. I haven’t tried any of the CS5.5 apps.
Eric Dye says
This is a sad story.
wvpv says
Fireworks FTW!
It’s an indispensable tool for me.
Still chugging along with Fireworks 8.
Eric Dye says
As am I. #twins
After reading Geoff’s comment, I’ll be keeping my disk around a little while longer.
wvpv says
The only problem I’ve had with FW8 is a OTF font isse, but, amazingly, the newer the computer the faster it runs!
Eric Dye says
With Windows, FW8 forces you out of Aero mode and doesn’t take advantage of multiple processors. But it still rocks.
Craig Allen says
Will give it a go tonight…then again, I have CS4.
Eric Dye says
:-/
How did it go?
rcarmstrong says
The first website or 2 (come to think of it, I think they were more “coming soon” pages) I ever designed were actually done entirely in FW (back when it was still Macromedia FW), complete with disjointed rollovers and stuff (it was back in ’04, I think). Don’t use it much these days, but I might have to dust it off, if only for old times’ sake.
Eric Dye says
Did you get it dusted off? (Rollovers … good times!)