TechNote

Fireworks 8 Frequently Asked Questions

Issue

What's new in Fireworks 8?
What does Fireworks do?
What file formats can Fireworks Import and Export?
How do I switch languages in Fireworks 8?
How can I convert my pop-up menus to the new CSS based pop-up menus?
Does Fireworks 8 work with Photoshop?

What's new in Fireworks 8?

Optimization

Image editing panel - Access commonly used image editing tools, filters, and menu commands in a central location.
More import file formats - Fireworks 8 now supports import of QuickTime Image, MacPaint, SGI, and JPEG 2000 file formats. (A QuickTime plug-in is required to use this feature on Windows).
Batch processing workflow optimized - Streamlined file renaming, the ability to check file dimensions when scaling during a batch process, and the addition of a status bar and log file, are just a few of the workflow optimizations.

Integrated workflow

CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) pop-up menus - Get clean and easily customizable code that integrates well into sites built in Dreamweaver. Fireworks 8 uses CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) format to create interactive pop-up menus.
Vector compatibility - Preserve vector attributes (fills, strokes, filters and blend modes) when moving objects from Fireworks to Flash.
New slicing option - Insert polygon slices when a selected object is a polygon path.
Recognize ActionScript color values - Ensure color consistency. Fireworks recognizes ActionScript color values when copied from Flash and pasted into Fireworks color value fields.
Use the âœSave asâ command to save bitmaps into different file types - Choose formats such as gif, jpg, tiff, in the âœSave Asâ dialog box.
Evolved open, save, and export logic - The logic used to determine the default folders in the open, save, save as, save a copy, and export dialog boxes is enhanced, reducing the amount of navigation required.
Less intrusive grids - Like Flash, grids now use a dotted line and a lighter default grid color.

Create Without Complexity

26 new blend modes - 26 new choices to alter the look of your colors and objects, such as Overlay, Color Burn and Hard Light.
Add shadow - Add a shadow to paths and text objects.
Solid shadow - A new live filter that stamps the object it is applied to several times.
Mobile interface components - Mock up mobile interfaces quickly with Halo Lite bitmap interface components.
Sample buttons, animations, themes, and bullets - Get started quickly with cool new assets like buttons, animations, themes, and bullets.
AutoShape properties panel - This new panel is used to modify AutoShape properties such as the star, arrow, or smart polygon AutoShapes.
Live marquee and convert selections (marquee to path and path to marquee) - Turn active selections into editable vector paths and the reverse. Get instant feedback on filters and settings applied to selections.
Autoname text - Layers are automatically named by the text you type into them.
Special characters panel - Use this new panel to insert special characters directly into text blocks.
Reshape text on a path - Path points can now be edited when text is attached.

Workflow Improvements

Recent fonts and optimization - Recently used fonts now appear at the top of font menus. Optimization now defaults to the last settings used.
Save multiple selections - Save, restore, name, and delete multiple marquee selections within PNG files.
Select objects that share an edge in the layers panel - Shift-click to select objects that share an edge or boundary in the layers panel.
Autosave preferences - Fireworks 8 preferences are automatically saved more frequently.
Group consecutive nudges - Consecutive nudges are treated as one move.
Improved tablet support - Tablet support is improved for path scrubber tools and stroke pressure sensitivity.
Lock objects - Lock on a per-object basis in the layers panel.

What does Fireworks do?

Fireworks 8 is the best solution for creating and optimizing web images with precise control in an intuitive, customizable environment. The industry-leading optimization tools in Fireworks enable users to strike the balance between maximum image quality and minimum compression size. Fireworks integrates seamlessly with Dreamweaver and Flash for ideal conditions to create and optimize images without losing information or time with roundtrip editing. Use visual tools to create professional quality web graphics and animations, such as rollovers and pop-ups, without programming skills.

What file formats can Fireworks Import and Export?

Fireworks imports:

AI
BMP
Fireworks PNG
FreeHand FH7-11
GIF
Illustrator 8
JPEG
JPEG 2000*
MacPaint*
Photoshop PSD
PICT (Macintosh only)
PNG
QuickTime Image*
SGI*
TGA
TIFF

Fireworks exports:

BMP 8, 24 bit
CSS layers
GIF and animated GIF
HTML
Illustrator 7 (.ai)
JPEG
Macromedia Flash (.swf)
Photoshop PSD (.psd)
PICT 8, 24 bit
PNG 8, 24, 32 bit
TIFF 8, 24, 32 bit
WBMP

*QuickTime plug-in required

How do I switch languages in Fireworks 8?

Fireworks 8 is a multilingual installer/application that allows the application to sense which OS your system is running and install and runs in that language. For more information about switching languages see Switching Languages in Fireworks 8 (TechNote b6a0f908).

How can I convert my pop-up menus to the new CSS based pop-up menus?

With the addition of CSS based pop-up menus in Fireworks 8 you may want to convert your existing menus to CSS. For information on how to do this see Converting previous version pop-up menus to the new CSS menus (TechNote 6131eb27).

Does Fireworks 8 work with Photoshop?

Fireworks provides excellent support for importing native Photoshop (PSD) files, with options for retaining many aspects of the imported files, including layers, masks, and editable text. Bring Photoshop images into Fireworks for further editing and web optimization without losing the ability to export the images back into Photoshop.