User manual MACROMEDIA FIREWORKS 8 - USING FIREWORKS

Using Fireworks Trademarks 1 Step RoboPDF, ActiveEdit, ActiveTest, Authorware, Blue Sky Software, Blue Sky, Breeze, Breezo, Captivate, Central, ColdFusion, Contribute, Database Explorer, Director, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash, FlashCast, FlashHelp, Flash Lite, FlashPaper, Flash Video Encoder, Flex, Flex Builder, Fontographer, FreeHand, Generator, HomeSite, JRun, MacRecorder, Macromedia, MXML, RoboEngine, RoboHelp, RoboInfo, RoboPDF, Roundtrip, Roundtrip HTML, Shockwave, SoundEdit, Studio MX, UltraDev, and WebHelp are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Macromedia, Inc. and may be registered in the United States or in other jurisdictions including internationally. Other product names, logos, designs, titles, words, or phrases mentioned within this publication may be trademarks, service marks, or trade names of Macromedia, Inc. or other entities and may be registered in certain jurisdictions including internationally. Third-Party Information This guide contains links to third-party websites that are not under the control of Macromedia, and Macromedia is not responsible for the content on any linked site. If you access a third-party website mentioned in this guide, then you do so at your own risk. Macromedia provides these links only as a convenience, and the inclusion of the link does not imply that Macromedia endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content on those third-party sites. Copyright © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. All rights reserved. This manual may not be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or converted to any electronic or machine-readable form in whole or in part without written approval from Macromedia, Inc. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the owner or authorized user of a valid copy of the software with which this manual was provided may print out one copy of this manual from an electronic version of this manual for the sole purpose of such owner or authorized user learning to use such software, provided that no part of this manual may be printed out, reproduced, distributed, resold, or transmitted for any other purposes, including, without limitation, commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this documentation or providing paid-for support services. Acknowledgments Project Management: Charles Nadeau, Debi Robson Writing: Rosanne Conroy Editing: Melba Lancaster, Shawn Jackson, Lisa Stanziano Production Management: Patrice O'Neill Media Design and Production: Adam Barnett, Aaron Begley, John Francis, Paul Rangel, Arena Reed, Mario Reynoso Localization Project Management: Luciano Arruda Special thanks to Matt Hoffberg, Maureen Keating, David Spells, Marisa Bozza, Souvik Bose, Alan Musselman, Sheila McGinn, Andrew Wilson, Rosana Francescato, Masayo Noda, Kashka Pregowska-Czerw, Kristin Conradi, Bonnie Loo, and the entire Fireworks engineering and QA teams. First Edition: August 2005 Macromedia, Inc. 601 Townsend St. San Francisco, CA 94103 Contents Chapter 1: Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Installing Fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 What's new in Fireworks 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Guide to instructional media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Chapter 2: Fireworks Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 About working in Fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 About vector and bitmap graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Creating a new document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Opening and importing files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Saving Fireworks files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 The Fireworks work environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Chapter 3: Selecting and Transforming Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Selecting objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Selecting pixels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Editing selected objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Transforming and distorting selected objects and selections . . . . . . 69 Organizing objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Chapter 4: Working with Bitmaps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Working with bitmaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Creating bitmap objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Accessing common photo editing tools all in one place . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Drawing, painting, and editing bitmap objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Retouching bitmaps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Adjusting bitmap color and tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Blurring and sharpening bitmaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104 Adding noise to an image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 3 Chapter 5: Working with Vector Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Drawing vector objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112 Editing paths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Chapter 6: Using Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Entering text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Editing text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Applying strokes, fills, and filters to text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Attaching text to a path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Transforming text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Converting text to paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161 Importing text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161 Checking spelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Using the Text Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Chapter 7: Applying Color, Strokes, and Fills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Using the Colors section of the Tools panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Organizing swatch groups and color models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Using color boxes and color pop-up windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Working with strokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Working with fills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Applying gradient and pattern fills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Adding texture to strokes and fills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Chapter 8: Using Live Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Applying Live Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 Editing Live Filters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Chapter 9: Layers, Masking, and Blending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Working with layers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 Masking images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 Blending and transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Chapter 10: Using Styles, Symbols, and URLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 Using styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236 Using symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 Working with URLs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246 4 Contents Chapter 11: Slices, Rollovers, and Hotspots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Creating and editing slices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Making slices interactive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Preparing slices for export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 Working with hotspots and image maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 Chapter 12: Creating Buttons and Pop-up Menus . . . . . . . . . . . 281 Creating button symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282 Creating navigation bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Creating pop-up menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Chapter 13: Creating Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Building animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 Working with animation symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 Working with frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313 Tweening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .318 Previewing an animation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319 Exporting your animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320 Working with existing animations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 Using multiple files as one animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323 Chapter 14: Optimizing and Exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325 About optimizing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 Using the Export Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 Optimizing in the workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331 Exporting from Fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352 Sending a Fireworks document as an e-mail attachment . . . . . . . . . 370 Using the File Management button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371 Chapter 15: Using Fireworks with Other Applications . . . . . . . 373 Working with Macromedia Dreamweaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 Working with Macromedia Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392 Working with Macromedia FreeHand MX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399 Working with Macromedia Director MX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405 Working with Macromedia HomeSite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .410 Working with Adobe Photoshop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .413 About working with Adobe GoLive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .419 About working with HTML editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420 About extending Fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420 Contents 5 Chapter 16: Automating Repetitive Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421 Finding and replacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .422 Batch processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .426 Extending Fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437 Flash SWF movies used as Fireworks panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443 Chapter 17: Preferences and Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . 445 Setting preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445 Changing keyboard shortcut sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449 Working with configuration files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451 About reinstalling Fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .453 Viewing package contents (Macintosh only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .453 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455 6 Contents CHAPTER 1 Introduction Macromedia Fireworks 8 is the definitive solution for professional web graphics design and production. It is the first production environment to address and solve the special challenges facing web graphics designers and developers. You can use Fireworks to create, edit, and animate web graphics, add advanced interactivity, and optimize images in a professional environment. In Fireworks, you can create and edit bitmap and vector graphics in a single application. Everything is editable, all the time. And you can automate the workflow to meet the demands of time-consuming updates and changes. Fireworks integrates with other Macromedia products such as Dreamweaver, Flash, FreeHand, and Director, as well as your other favorite graphics applications and HTML editors, to provide a truly integrated web solution. You can easily export Fireworks graphics with HTML and JavaScript code customized for the HTML editor you're using. This chapter covers the following topics: System requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Installing Fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 What's new in Fireworks 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Guide to instructional media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 1 System requirements Before installing Fireworks, make sure your computer meets the system requirements. For more information, see the Macromedia website at www.macromedia.com/go/sysreqs. 7 Installing Fireworks This section explains how to install Fireworks. Be sure to read the release notes on the Macromedia website at www.macromedia.com/go/ fireworks_documentation for late-breaking information or instructions. To install Fireworks: 1. 2. Insert the Fireworks CD into your computer's CD-ROM drive. Do one of the following: In Windows, the Fireworks installation program starts automatically. On the Macintosh, double-click the Fireworks Installer icon. 3. Follow the onscreen instructions. The installation program prompts you to enter the required information. If prompted, restart your computer. 4. Registering Fireworks It's a good idea to register your copy of Macromedia Fireworks, electronically or by mail. You can register electronically during the product activation process when you first launch Fireworks. By registering, you get on the priority list to receive up-to-the-minute notices about upgrades and new Macromedia products. You will receive timely e-mail notices about product updates and new content appearing on both the www.macromedia.com and www-euro.macromedia.com websites. To register your copy of Fireworks, do one of the following: Select Help > Online Registration and fill out the electronic form. Select Help > Print Registration, print the form, and mail it to the address shown on the form. Viewing the files installed with Fireworks At some point you may need to view or access the files installed with Fireworks. During installation, Fireworks places files in various locations on your system. It's important to understand why these files reside where they do. For more information, see "Working with configuration files" on page 451. 8 Chapter 1: Introduction Macintosh users should pay special attention to the format Fireworks uses to store the application and its default configuration files. For more information, see "Viewing package contents (Macintosh only)" on page 453. What's new in Fireworks 8 Create and optimize images for the web with precise control in an intuitive, customizable environment. New support for ActionScript and CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) formats allow Fireworks to work even more efficiently with Dreamweaver and Flash. New file formats supported, new panels and dramatically streamlined workflow optimize both your time and your images. Optimization Image Editing panel This new panel is a central location where you can access commonly used image editing tools, filters, and menu commands. Fireworks 8 now supports import of QuickTime Image, MacPaint, SGI & JPEG 2000 file formats (QuickTime plug-in required for QuickTime support). More import file formats Batch processing workflow Streamlined file renaming, the ability to check file dimensions optimized when scaling during a batch process and the addition of a status bar and log file are just a few of the optimizations to this workflow. For more information on batch processing, see "Batch processing" on page 426. Take advantage of the integrated workflow in Fireworks to create and optimize images for Dreamweaver 8 and Flash Professional 8 without losing information or time with roundtrip editing. Use improved support for CSS and ActionScript, as well as feature alignment with the other Studio products. Integrated workflow CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) pop-up menus Fireworks 8 uses CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) format to create interactive Pop-up Menus. The result is clean and easy to customize code that integrates well with sites built in Dreamweaver. For more information, see "About exporting pop-up menus" on page 305. Vector attributes (fills, strokes, filters and blend modes) are preserved when moving objects between Flash and Fireworks. Vector compatibility What's new in Fireworks 8 9 Integrated workflow More slicing options Polygon slices are inserted automatically when a selected object is a polygon path. See "Creating nonrectangular slices" on page 255. Fireworks recognizes ActionScript color values when copied from Flash and pasted into Fireworks color value fields. Choose single-file output formats such as gif, jpg, tiff, in the "Save As" dialog. See "Saving documents in other formats" on page 27. The logic used to determine the default folders in the Open, Save, Save As, Save a Copy, and Export dialogs is enhanced by reducing the amount of navigation required. Like Flash, grids now use a dotted line and a lighter default grid color. Recognize ActionScript color values Use the "Save as" command to save bitmaps into different file types Evolved Open, Save and Export logic Less intrusive grids Use Fireworks for visual tools to create professional quality web graphics and animations such as rollovers and pop-ups without the need to program. Exercise precise control over your images with many new creative options. Create without complexity 25 new blend modes Perspective shadow Solid Shadow Mobile interface components 25 new choices to alter the look of your colors and objects. Add a perspective shadow to open paths and text objects. A new live filter that stamps the object it is applied to several times. Mock up your mobile interface quickly with bitmap interface components. Sample buttons, animations Get started quickly with cool new assets like buttons, themes and bullets animations, themes and bullets. Auto Shape Properties panel Live Marquee & Convert Selections (Marquee to Path and Path to Marquee) Autoname text This new panel is used to modify the properties of auto shape properties such as the Star Auto Shape, Arrow Auto Shape or Smart Polygon Auto Shape. Turn active selections into editable vector paths and the reverse. Get instant feedback on filters and settings applied to selections. See "Converting a marquee to a path" on page 63 and "Converting a path to a marquee selection" on page 138. Layers are automatically named by the text you type in them. See "Naming a text object" on page 144. 10 Chapter 1: Introduction Create without complexity Special Characters panel Reshape text on a path Use this new panel to insert special characters directly into text blocks. Edit path points when text is attached. See "Editing paths and text attached to paths" on page 158. Save time and effort with the many refinements made to common tasks. Workflow Improvements Recent Fonts & Recently used fonts now appear at the top of font menus. Optimization remember last Optimization now defaults to the last settings used. See settings used "Saving and reusing optimization settings" on page 351. Save multiple selections Save, restore, name and delete multiple marquee selections within PNG files. See "Saving marquee selections" on page 64. Select objects that share an Shift-click to select objects that share an edge or boundary in edge in the Layers panel the layers panel. Autosave preferences Group consecutive nudges Improved tablet support Lock objects Fireworks 8 preferences are automatically saved more frequently. Consecutive nudges are treated as one move. Tablet support is improved for Path Scrubber tools and stroke pressure sensitivity. Lock on a per-object basis in the Layers panel. See "Protecting layers and objects" on page 207. For more information on the new features, see the Fireworks page on the Macromedia website at www.macromedia.com/go/fireworks. What's new in Fireworks 8 11 Guide to instructional media A variety of resources are available for learning Fireworks, including this manual, Fireworks Help, PDF versions of the Fireworks documentation components, and several web-based information sources. Using Fireworks is the Fireworks user manual. You can access it at any time in Fireworks help (Help > Using Fireworks). The manual is also available in PDF format on the Macromedia website at www.macromedia.com/go/fireworks_documentation. Getting Started with Fireworks provides an interactive introduction to the key features of Fireworks. You can complete tutorials covering common Fireworks tasks, such as using the drawing and editing tools, optimizing images, and creating rollovers, navigation bars, and other interactive elements. You can access the guide at any time in Fireworks help (Help > Getting Started with Fireworks). The guide is also available in PDF format on the Macromedia website at www.macromedia.com/go/fireworks_documentation. The Fireworks Support Center at www.macromedia.com/go/fireworks_support offers support and problem-solving information. The Fireworks Developer Center at www.macromedia.com/go/fireworks_devnet presents information to help you improve your skills and learn new ones. The Fireworks discussion group provides a lively exchange for Fireworks users, technical support representatives, and the Fireworks development team. Use a newsgroup reader to go to news://forums.macromedia.com/macromedia.fireworks. Extending Fireworks includes information about writing JavaScript to automate Fireworks tasks. You can control every Fireworks command or setting using special JavaScript commands that Fireworks can interpret. The manual is available both in help and on the Macromedia website as a downloadable PDF. 12 Chapter 1: Introduction CHAPTER 2 Fireworks Basics Macromedia Fireworks 8 is an application for designing graphics for use on the web. Its innovative solutions tackle the major problems facing graphic designers and webmasters. Using the wide range of tools in Fireworks, you can create and edit both vector and bitmap graphics within a single file. The advent of Fireworks freed web designers from having to jump back and forth among as many as a dozen task-specific applications. Its nondestructive Live Filters eliminate the frustration of having to re-create web graphics from scratch after any simple edit. Fireworks generates JavaScript, making rollovers easy to create. Efficient optimization features shrink the size of web graphic files without sacrificing quality. If you are new to Fireworks, it would be helpful for you to understand general Fireworks concepts such as opening, importing, and saving files; finding your way around the Fireworks environment; and working within a file. After you create a new file or open an existing file, the Fireworks work environment is available to you. This chapter contains the following topics: About working in Fireworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 About vector and bitmap graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Creating a new document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Opening and importing files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Saving Fireworks files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 The Fireworks work environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 2 13 About working in Fireworks Fireworks is a versatile application for creating, editing, and optimizing web graphics. You can create and edit both bitmap and vector images, design web effects such as rollovers and popup menus, crop and optimize graphics to reduce their file size, and save time by automating repetitive tasks. When a document is complete, you can export or save it as a JPEG file, GIF file, or file of another format--along with HTML files containing HTML tables and JavaScript code--for use on the web. You also can export or save a type of file specific to another application, such as Photoshop or Macromedia Flash, if you want to continue working in the other application. Vector and bitmap objects In the Fireworks Tools panel, you will find distinct sections containing tools for drawing and editing vectors and bitmaps. For more information on these two basic formats, see "About vector and bitmap graphics" on page 15 In Fireworks, the tool you select determines whether the object you create is a vector or a bitmap. For example, select the Pen tool from the Vector section of the Tools panel, and you can begin drawing vector paths by plotting points. Select the Brush tool, and you can drag to paint a bitmap object. Select the Text tool, and you can begin typing. After drawing vector objects, bitmap objects, or text, you can use a wide array of tools, effects, commands, and techniques to enhance and complete your graphics. You can use the Fireworks tools in the Button Editor to create interactive navigation buttons. You can also use the Fireworks tools to edit imported graphics. You can import and edit files in JPEG, GIF, PNG, PSD, and many other file formats. After you import a graphic image, you can adjust its color and tone, as well as crop, retouch, and mask it. Interactive graphics Slices and hotspots are web objects that specify interactive areas in a web graphic. Slices cut an image into different sections to which you can apply rollover behaviors, animation, and Uniform Resource Locator (URL) links. In addition, you can export the sections using different settings. On a web page, each slice appears in a table cell. Hotspots let you assign URL links and behaviors to all or part of a graphic. For more information, see "Slices, Rollovers, and Hotspots" on page 251. 14 Chapter 2: Fireworks Basics Slices and hotspots have drag-and-drop rollover handles that let you quickly assign swap image and rollover behaviors to graphics directly in the workspace. The Button Editor and Pop-up Menu Editor are convenient Fireworks features that help you build special interactive graphics for navigating websites. About optimizing and exporting graphics Fireworks has powerful optimization features to help you find the balance between file size and acceptable visual quality as you prepare to export graphics. You can optimize web graphics in Fireworks to minimize their file size so that they load quickly into websites, while comparing the quality of the graphics in the Preview, 2-Up, or 4-Up views in the workspace. You can slice an image into smaller parts and then optimize each part in the format that best suits the content. For added optimization flexibility, you can use selective JPEG compression to focus the most important part of a JPEG while reducing the quality of the background. After you optimize your graphics, the next step is to export them for use on the web. From your Fireworks source PNG document, you can export files of a number of types, including JPEG, GIF, animated GIF, and HTML tables containing sliced images in multiple file types. For more information, see "Optimizing and Exporting" on page 325. About vector and bitmap graphics Computers display graphics in either vector or bitmap format. Understanding the difference between the two formats helps you understand Fireworks, which contains both vector and bitmap tools and is capable of opening or importing both formats. About vector and bitmap graphics 15 About vector graphics Vector graphics render images using lines and curves, called vectors, that include color and position information. For example, the image of a leaf may be defined by a series of points that describe the outline of the leaf. The color of the leaf is determined by the color of its outline (the stroke) and the color of the area enclosed by the outline (the fill) When you edit a vector graphic, you modify the properties of the lines and curves that describe its shape. Vector graphics are resolution-independent, which means you can move, resize, reshape, or change the color of a vector graphic, as well as display it on output devices of varying resolutions, without changing the quality of its appearance. About bitmap graphics Bitmap graphics are composed of dots, called pixels, arranged in a grid. Your computer screen is a large grid of pixels. In a bitmap version of the leaf, the image is determined by the location and color value of each pixel in the grid. Each dot is assigned a color. When viewed at the correct resolution, the dots fit together like tiles in a mosaic to form the image. 16 Chapter 2: Fireworks Basics When you edit a bitmap graphic, you modify pixels rather than lines and curves. These bitmap graphics are resolution-dependent, which means that the data describing the image is fixed to a grid of a particular size. Enlarging a bitmap graphic redistributes the pixels in the grid, often making the edges of the image appear ragged. Displaying a bitmap graphic on an output device with a lower resolution than the image itself can also degrade the image's quality. Creating a new document When you select File > New to create a new document in Fireworks, you create a Portable Network Graphic, or PNG document. PNG is the native file format for Fireworks. After you create graphics in Fireworks, you can export or save them in other familiar web graphic formats, such as JPEG, GIF, and animated GIF. You can also export or save graphics in many of the popular formats used off the web, such as TIFF and BMP. Whatever optimization and export settings you choose, the original Fireworks PNG file is preserved to allow easy editing later. To create a web graphic in Fireworks, you must first set up a new document or open an existing one. You can adjust the setup options later in the Property inspector. To create a new document: 1. Select File > New. The New Document dialog box opens. 2. 3. Enter the canvas width and height measurements in pixels, inches, or centimeters. Enter a resolution in pixels per inch or pixels per centimeter. Creating a new document 17 4. Select white, transparent, or a custom color for the canvas. Use the Custom color box pop-up window to select a custom canvas color. N OT E 5. Click OK to create the new document. To create a new document the same size as an object on the Clipboard: 1. Copy an object to the Clipboard from any of the following: Another Fireworks document A web browser Any of the applications listed in "Pasting into Fireworks" on page 22 2. Select File > New. The New Document dialog box opens with the width and height dimensions of the object on the Clipboard. 3. 4. Set the resolution and canvas color, and click OK. Select Edit > Paste to paste the object from the Clipboard into the new document. Opening and importing files In Fireworks, you can easily open, import, and edit both vector and bitmap images created in other graphics programs. In addition, you can import images from a digital camera or scanner. Fireworks preserves many, but not all JavaScript behaviors when you import a file from Macromedia Dreamweaver. If Fireworks supports a particular behavior, it recognizes that behavior and maintains it when you move a file back to Dreamweaver. NO T E To open a Fireworks document: 1. Select File > Open. The Open dialog box appears. Select the file and click Open. To open a file without overwriting the previous version, select Open as Untitled, and then save the file using a different name. T IP 2. This section covers the following topics: "Opening recently closed documents" on page 19 "Opening graphics created in other applications" on page 19 "Creating Fireworks PNG files from HTML files" on page 20 "Inserting objects into a Fireworks document" on page 21 Chapter 2: Fireworks Basics 18 Opening recently closed documents The File menu lists up to 10 recently closed documents in the Open Recent submenu. The Start Page also lists recently closed documents. To open a recently closed file: 1. 2. Select File > Open Recent. Select a file from the submenu. To open a recently closed file when no files are open: 1. Click the file name on the Start page. Opening graphics created in other applications With Fireworks, you can open files created in other applications or file formats, including Photoshop, Macromedia FreeHand, Illustrator, uncompressed CorelDRAW, WBMP, EPS, JPEG, GIF, and animated GIF files. When you open a file format other than PNG using File > Open, you create a new Fireworks PNG document based on the file you open. You can use all of the features of Fireworks to edit the image. You can then either select Save As to save your work as a new Fireworks PNG file or as another file format; or with some image types, you can select Save to save the document in its original format. Saving in the document's original format flattens the image to a single layer and eliminates your ability to edit the Fireworks-specific features you added to the image. Using Fireworks, you can save the following file formats directly: Fireworks PNG, GIF, animated GIF, JPEG, BMP, WBMP, TIF, SWF, AI, PSD, and PICT (Mac only). Fireworks saves 16-bit TIF images at 24-bit color depth. NO T E Animated GIFs You can bring animated GIF files into Fireworks in two ways: You can import an animated GIF as an animation symbol. You can edit and move all the elements of the animation as a single unit and use the Library panel to create new instances of the symbol. When you import an animated GIF, the frame delay setting defaults to 0.07 seconds. If necessary, use the Frames panel to restore the original timing. N O TE Opening and importing files 19 You can open an animated GIF as you would open a normal GIF file. Each element of the GIF is placed as a separate image in its own Fireworks frame. You can convert the graphic to an animation symbol in Fireworks. EPS files Fireworks opens most EPS files, such as Photoshop EPS files, as flattened bitmap images, in which all objects are combined on a single layer. Some EPS files exported from Illustrator, however, retain their vector information. When you open or import most EPS files, the EPS File Options dialog box opens. Image Size determines Resolution the image dimensions and the units in which the image is rendered. You can select from pixels, percent, inches, and centimeters. indicates the pixels per unit for the resolution. opens the file in the same proportions as the original. smooths jagged edges in the opened EPS file. Constrain Proportions Anti-aliased When you open or import Illustrator EPS files that contain vector information, the Vector File Options dialog box opens. This is the same dialog box that appears when you open or import FreeHand files. WBMP files Fireworks can open WBMP files, which are 1-bit (monochrome) files optimized for mobile computing devices. This format is for use on Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) pages. You can open a WBMP file directly using File > Open or import a WBMP file using File > Import. Creating Fireworks PNG files from HTML files Fireworks can open and import HTML content created in other applications. When you open or import an HTML file, Fireworks reconstructs the layout and behaviors defined by the HTML code, allowing you to re-create web pages that contain sliced graphics, JavaScript buttons, and other types of interactivity. This allows you to salvage inherited websites even if you don't have the source PNG files. With this feature, you can quickly open or import a web page to update graphics, change document layout, or alter navigational links, buttons, and other interactive elements, all without having to rebuild the page from scratch or modify its scripting. 20 Chapter 2: Fireworks Basics