fireworks mx bible

Inside, you’ll find complete coverage of Fireworks MX • Master the basics, from object creation to full-blown photo manipulation • Enhance your images with sophisticated fills, filter

LOWERY & WHITEMAN

Fireworks, whether you’re looking for an in-depth tutorial on program fundamentals or the lowdown on the

new interface or new options for transparent gradients, text editing, and pop-up menus

Inside, you’ll find complete coverage of Fireworks MX

• Master the basics, from object creation to

full-blown photo manipulation

• Enhance your images with sophisticated fills,

filters, xtras, layers, and Live Effects

• Build in interactivity using hotspots, slices,

and JavaScript behaviors — no coding required

• Speed up production with styles, libraries,

and round-trip workflow features

• Make the most of sliced file auto-checkout, XHTML

support, and other new tools for Dreamweaver integration

• Get up to speed fast on GIF animation and create

state-of-the-art banner ads

PC running Windows 98 SE/2000/Me/XP, Windows NT 4

SP6; Power Macintosh running System 9.1 or higher/

OSX 10.1 or higher See the “What’s on the CD-ROM”

appendix for details and complete system requirements ISBN 0-7645-3662-1

traffic-Build eye-catching effects using layers, rollovers, frames, and slices

Master the new interface and improved graphics and Web connectivity tools

Joseph W Lowery,bestselling author of Dreamweaver MX Bible

and Derren Whiteman

,!7IA7G4-fdggcf!:P;o;O;t;t

Fireworks tools and more

on CD-ROM

BONUS CD-ROM!

Fireworks tools plus Fireworks MX trial version and more

Bonus CD-ROM

• Fireworks commands, templates, textures, gradients,

strokes, and images

• Macromedia Flash MX, Dreamweaver MX, Fireworks MX,

and FreeHand trial versions

• Splat!, Eye Candy 4000, and Xenofex demo versions by

Bible

Includes 16 pages of full-color examples

MX Bible

Fireworks ®

MX Bible

Joseph W Lowery and Derren Whiteman

Best-Selling Books • Digital Downloads • e-Books • Answer Networks • e-Newsletters • Branded Web Sites • e-Learning

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Copyright © 2002 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Library of Congress Control Number: 2002107897

ISBN: 0-7645-3662-1

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Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

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Publishing, Inc., in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission PANTONE and other Pantone, Inc trademarks are the property of Pantone, Inc FreeHand 10 and Macromedia Flash MX Copyright © 1995-2000 Macromedia, Inc 600 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 USA All Rights Reserved Macromedia, Flash, Fireworks and FreeHand are trademarks or registered trademarks of Macromedia, Inc in the United States and/or other countries All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

About the Authors

Joseph Lowery has been writing about computers and new technology since 1981.

He is the author of the current and previous editions of Dreamweaver Bible and

Fireworks Bible as well as Buying Online For Dummies (all from Wiley Publishing,

formerly Hungry Minds, Inc.) He recently co-wrote a book on Flash with designerHillman Curtis and has also written books on HTML and using the Internet for business His books are international best-sellers, having sold over 300,000 copiesworldwide in ten different languages Joseph is also a consultant and trainer andhas presented at Seybold in both Boston and San Francisco, Macromedia UCON

in the U.S and Europe, and at ThunderLizard’s Web World As a partner in DevaAssociates, Ltd., Joseph developed the Deva Tools for Dreamweaver set of naviga-tional extensions Joseph and his wife, dancer/choreographer Debra Wanner, have

a daughter, Margot

Derren Whiteman’s online life began before the invention of the World Wide Web,

when data moved across the Internet, and online communities were based aroundelectronic bulletin board systems (BBS) He built Web sites “by hand” in the earlydays of the World Wide Web — because that was how you made them in those

days — and later took up modern tools after joining Mediafear, a San

Francisco-based Web design shop where he spent three years building dynamic Web sites for artists and musicians Derren has also served as an information technology consultant and computer instructor, enabling individuals and small businesses

to use technology to their greatest advantage

Derren spends much of his time in technical publishing, helping to make today’sWeb-building tools accessible to everyone He served as Technical Editor for

versions 3 and 4 of Joseph Lowery’s Fireworks Bible (Hungry Minds, Inc.) and

Dreamweaver 4 Bible (Hungry Minds, Inc.) Other books that Derren worked on

include Mastering Dreamweaver 4 and Fireworks MX (Sybex, Inc.), Look & Learn

Dreamweaver 4 (Hungry Minds, Inc.), and From FrontPage to Dreamweaver (Sams

Graphics and Production Specialists

Beth Brooks, Melanie DesJardins, Joyce Haughey, Clint Lahnen, Kristin McMullan, Barry Offringa,Brent Savage, Jeremey Unger

Quality Control Technicians

John Greenough, Susan Moritz

Permissions Editor

Laura Moss

Media Development Specialist

Angela Denny

Proofreading and Indexing

TECHBOOKS Production Services

Cover Image

Anthony Stuart

To Doris Cutler — doing business in our family as Aunt Doree — thanks for all the love and support you offered us from afar and for keeping my Dad in his place as only an older sister could.

— JL

For Phyllis and Chris, your support has always gone above and beyond And for Rob Houston, proof that a great teacher really does teach.

— DW

The Fireworks engineering team saw the storm coming across the North Central

Texas landscape The Internet bubble had burst and companies were lookingfor ways to reduce costs while keeping quality high The next release of Fireworkshad to be really special; it wasn’t enough to produce great looking, highly-optimizedWeb graphics or cutting-edge navigation elements The process of production hadbecome as important as the final output — the next generation of Fireworks needed

to be easy to use, more powerful and open for enhanced teamwork

A key goal was to streamline both the workspace and the workflow For the space, we incorporated a Property inspector similar to the one found in Dreamweaver,but customized for a graphics application The Property inspector makes it far easier

work-to modify fill and stroke settings and much more without having work-to dig through a work-ton

of panels However, the Property inspector can’t do it all, so we also enhanced theoverall panel management with dockable, collapsible panel groups that are easy tofind when you need them and get out of your way when you don’t Not coinciden-tally, you’ll find the same polished user interface across the Studio MX line, includingMacromedia Flash MX and Dreamweaver MX — a significant ease-of-use factor in and

of itself

We tried to improve the workflow with other enhancements to the workspace One of the strengths of Fireworks is its ability to work both with vector-based andbitmap-based graphics; it hasn’t, however, always been easy to move from one mode

to another To smooth out the workflow, Fireworks now switches modes cally based on your selected tool, object, or layer; it’s so effortless that we call it

automati-modeless editing We think you’ll also find our new on-screen text editing a great

time-saver Select the text tool, click anywhere on the canvas and begin typing toinsert your text Need to correct a word or change a font? Just double-click into the text and make your change

One of the most popular features introduced in Fireworks 4 was our pop-up menucreator We decided to ramp up the power on this feature and now in Fireworks MXyou can make pop-up menus in either vertical or horizontal formats, with far greatercontrol over positioning, appearance, and interactivity Another new power-user fea-ture that’s getting rave reviews is the Data-Driven Graphics Wizard This command —

actually created by Fireworks MX Bible author Joseph Lowery — dissolves production

roadblocks by combining Fireworks graphic templates with XML data files to output

as many variations on a theme as required, with a fraction of the work

powerhouse as big as a proverbial iceberg Starting in Fireworks MX, custom commands and panels can be constructed that leverage the JavaScript API of theFireworks graphics engine with a Flash user interface You’ll find other examples ofnew Fireworks extensibility throughout the program as evidenced by the very handyAlign panel and other extensions under the Commands menu Like Dreamweaver andFlash, extensions are easily installed and removed through the Extension Manager.The Web is continuing to evolve and Fireworks is keeping pace In addition to out-putting JavaScript and HTML for the majority of the world’s code editors, Fireworks

MX now speaks XHTML fluently Moreover, the code output is compliant with Webaccessibility standards, including Federal guideline Section 508 Fireworks is poised

to help designers like yourself grow and move steadily forward

Changes — whether they are the result of an economic downturn or the introduction

of exhilarating new technologies — are often difficult to go through and made easierwith the proper guide In the book you hold in your hands, you’ll find one of bestroadmaps to the changes in Fireworks MX available Joseph Lowery and DerrenWhiteman provide details and examples essential for the Web graphics professional.Our desire to make Fireworks better is ongoing and our mailbox never closes If you have a suggestion for a new feature or a way to be more productive, feel free

to drop us a line at wish-fireworks@macromedia.com We’re looking forward tohearing from you

David MorrisProduct Manager, FireworksMacromedia

Remember that burst of pleasure when you first realized how exciting the

Web could be? I’ll let you in on a little secret: Macromedia Fireworks makescreating graphics for the Web fun again Images produced with Fireworks are assophisticated and rich as those created with any other combination of programs,plus they’re Web-ready — as optimized as possible and bundled with HTML andJavaScript code for amazing interactive effects

I’ll be the first to admit my bias I’m a Dreamweaver power user, and it seems onlynatural to combine Macromedia’s exciting Web-graphics solution with its premierWeb-authoring tool In fact, Macromedia encourages you to do so with its Studio

MX offering But while I’m confessing, let me also note that I have no patience fortools that don’t do the job The wonderful revelation about Fireworks is that thisprogram eliminates production bottlenecks I didn’t even know existed — all whileproducing stunning imagery that stays editable through revision after easy revision.When I set out to write this book, I decided to really push Fireworks Rather thanusing it merely to optimize a series of images (which it does superbly), or to create

a compact animation (which it also does superbly) from work created in other programs, I used Fireworks exclusively for all image manipulation and creation.Consequently, both my productivity and my creativity went through the roof

Fireworks MX Bible was designed to give you all the information and techniques

you need to achieve the same results

— JL

Who Should Read This Book?

The Web is, without a doubt, one of the key phenomena of our time, and it hasattracted an enormous amount of talent, both artistic and technical After all, howoften does a new mass medium appear? The range of Web designers extends fromfirst-generation artists drawn to the exciting Internet possibilities, to print profes-

sionals who want to expand their creative horizons Fireworks MX Bible talks to all

those groups, offering solutions to everyday graphics problems, as well as ing a complete reference for the program

provid-What Hardware and Software Do You Need?

Fireworks MX Bible includes full coverage of Macromedia Fireworks MX If you don’t

own a copy of the program, the CD-ROM that accompanies this book contains a fullyfunctional, 30-day trial version Written to be platform-independent, this book coversboth Macintosh and Windows versions of Fireworks MX

Fireworks for Windows requires a 300 MHz Pentium processor (Pentium II or higherrecommended) and one of the following operating systems: Windows NT 4 (ServicePack 6 or later), Windows 98 SE, Windows Me, 2000, or XP

Fireworks for Macintosh requires a Power Macintosh processor (G3 or higher ommended) and Mac OS 9.1 or a later version, including Mac OS X, version 10.1 orlater

rec-On either platform, Fireworks also requires the following:

✦ 64MB of available RAM

✦ 80MB of available disk space

✦ 800×600-pixel, 256-color display (1,024×768 pixels or higher and millions ofcolors recommended)

✦ Adobe Type Manager 4, or a later version may be required if you work withType 1 (PostScript) fonts For Macintosh, this requirement applies only to

OS 9.x)

Please note that these requirements are the minimum As with all graphics-baseddesign tools, more capability is definitely better for using Fireworks, especially interms of RAM and processor speed

How This Book Is Organized

Fireworks MX Bible can take you from raw beginner to full-fledged professional if

read cover to cover However, you’re more likely to read each section as needed,taking the necessary information and coming back later To facilitate this approach,

Fireworks MX Bible is divided into seven major, task-oriented parts When you’re

familiar with Fireworks, feel free to skip around the book, using it as a referenceguide as you build your own knowledge base

The early chapters present the basics, and all chapters contain clearly writtensteps for the tasks you need to perform In later chapters, you’ll encounter sectionslabeled “Fireworks Techniques.” Fireworks Techniques are step-by-step instructionsfor accomplishing specific Web-design tasks — for example, using a mask to add aninteresting border to an image Naturally, you can also use Fireworks Techniques assteppingstones for your own explorations into Web-page creation

If you’re running Fireworks while reading this book, don’t forget to use the CD-ROM.

An integral element of the book, the CD-ROM offers a number of additional Fireworkstextures, gradients, and HTML templates, in addition to trial programs from majorsoftware vendors

Part I: Come See the Fireworks

Part I begins with an overview of the Fireworks philosophy and design To get themost out of the program, you need to understand the key advantages it offers andthe deficiencies it addresses Part I takes you all the way from setting up documents

to getting the most out of Fireworks

The opening chapters give you a full reference to the Fireworks interface and all

of its customizable features Chapter 1 will be of special interest to users of ous versions of Fireworks; it’s a complete guide to all the newly added features

previ-in Fireworks MX Later chapters previ-in Part I provide an overview of everythprevi-ing thatFireworks can do — this feature-rich program will often surprise you

Part II: Mastering the Tools

The Fireworks approach to graphics is fundamentally different from any other tool

on the market Consequently, you’ll need to travel the short learning curve beforeyou can get the most out of Fireworks The early chapters in Part II cover all theessentials, from basic object creation, to full-blown photo manipulation

Color is a key component of any graphic designer’s tool kit, and color on the Webrequires special attention, as you’ll see in Chapter 7 The object-oriented nature ofFireworks is explored in chapters on creating simple strokes and combining paths

in a variety of ways to help you make more sophisticated graphics Fireworksexcels at creating graphical text for the Web — you’ll see how in Chapter 10

Part III: Achieving Effects

Fireworks graphics really begin to gain depth in Part III The variety of fills and textures available — as well as the capability to add your own — are critical for thewide range of image production for which a Web designer is responsible Chapter 12explores the exciting world of Fireworks Live Effects and filters, which are excitingnot just because they’re easy to use and they look great, but also because of thepositive impact that their always-editable nature will have on your workflow

Most of the time, a graphic will actually contain a number of images Chapter 13explains the Fireworks methods for arranging and compositing multiple objects inorder to achieve stunning results The Fireworks mask-group feature, in particular,

is an especially creative and powerful tool that takes the hard work out of alphachannels Although Fireworks is a great drawing tool, it’s also adept at handlingbitmap imagery

Part IV: Coordinating Workflow

Web design is an ongoing process, not a single event Part IV is dedicated to helpingyou streamline your workflow, as you acquire images via scanning or importing,manipulate them in Fireworks, and then optimize them on export, either for theWeb or for import into other creative tools, such as Macromedia Director or Flash.Although it’s true that Web graphic design is an art form, it’s also a business — andone element of that business is applying a consistent look and feel to each element

of a particular Web site Fireworks styles enable you to save formatting instructionsfrom one object and apply them to other objects again and again The Library panel

is a place to store symbols, objects you use frequently, such as logos and navigation

buttons Fireworks symbols further minimize repetitive work by linking similarobjects so that changes need only be made once Chapter 18 describes howFireworks MX helps you update and maintain your graphics through the URL paneland the surprising Find and Replace feature The final chapter in Part IV covers thegreatly expanded Command feature set with it’s new Flash movie interface capabil-ity and the History panel, useful for constructing simple reusable commands fromyour actions

Part V: Entering the Web

Fireworks broke new ground as the first image editor to output HTML and JavaScriptcode With its full-featured hotspots, image maps, and sliced images embedded inHTML tables, Fireworks is incredibly Web-savvy Part V explains the basics of Webinteractivity for those designers unfamiliar with the territory and also offers specificstep-by-step instructions for linking JavaScript behaviors to graphics

If you work with Dreamweaver (or work with someone who does), you’ll want tocheck out Chapter 22 in order to get the most out of the integration possibilitiesbetween Fireworks and Dreamweaver

Part VI: Animation

Animations have become important to the Web Not only do they offer an alternative

to static displays, but GIF animations are used extensively in the creation of bannerads Animation in Fireworks MX is surprisingly full-featured and easy-to-use We’llwalk step by step through the creation of a banner ad and discover tweening, onionskinning, and other basic animation techniques

Part VII: Programming with Fireworks

One of the most amazing things about Fireworks MX is the way it can be controlled

by scripts written in JavaScript, the most common scripting language for Webauthoring Fireworks offers many ways to customize the way you work with the

program We’ll look at each of them and discover the extensive Fireworks JavaScriptAPI (Application Programming Interface) The final chapter explores the brave newworld of Fireworks extensions and describes how you can use Flash to create userinterfaces for such commands.

Part VIII: Appendixes

Appendix A is a Web primer, a place to get a good grounding on the ways of the Web

Appendix B is a handy reference guide to productivity-boosting keyboard shortcuts

on both Macintosh and Windows systems The material on the accompanyingCD-ROM is detailed in Appendix C

Conventions Used in This Book

The following conventions are used throughout this book

Windows and Macintosh conventions

Because Fireworks MX Bible is a cross-platform book, it gives instructions for

both Windows and Macintosh users when keystrokes for a particular task differ

Throughout this book, the Windows keystrokes are given first, and the Macintoshkeystrokes are given second in parentheses, as in the following example:

To undo an action, press Ctrl+Z (Command+Z)

The first action instructs Windows users to simultaneously press Ctrl and Z, andthe second action (in parentheses) instructs Macintosh users to press Commandand Z together In Fireworks for Windows, the keyboard shortcuts are displayed inthe menus in plain English In Fireworks for Macintosh, as in other Macintosh pro-grams, the keyboard shortcuts are specified in the menus by using symbols thatrepresent the modifier keys

You’ll notice that in most — but not all — keyboard shortcuts, the Windows Ctrl keycorresponds to the Macintosh Command key, and the Windows Alt key corresponds

to the Macintosh Option key

Screen captures in odd-numbered chapters are of Fireworks for Windows running

on Windows 98; in even-numbered chapters, they’re of Fireworks for Macintosh ning on Mac OS 9 In the rare event that a particular feature or example is markedlydifferent on each platform, both are shown

run-For the purposes of this book, Windows generally refers to Windows NT 4 (Service

Pack 6 or later), Windows 98 SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000, or Windows XP

Similarly, Macintosh or Mac OS refers to Mac OS 9.1 or higher or OS X, version 10.1

or higher

Keyboard combinations

When you are instructed to press two or more keys simultaneously, each key in thecombination is separated by a plus sign For example:

Ctrl+Alt+T (Command+Option+T)The preceding line tells you to press and hold down the two modifier keys (eitherCtrl+Alt or Command+Option, depending upon your platform), and then press andrelease the final key, T

Menu commands

When instructed to select a command from a menu, you see the menu and the mand separated by an arrow symbol For example, when instructed to execute theOpen command from the File menu, you see the notation File ➪ Open Some menususe submenus, in which case you see an arrow for each submenu, as in Modify ➪Transform ➪ Free Transform

com-Typographical conventions

Italic type is used for new terms and for emphasis Boldface type is used for text

that you need to type directly from the computer keyboard

Code

A special typeface indicates HTML or other code, as demonstrated in the followingexample:

The (¬) character at the end of a code line means that you should type the next line

of code before pressing Enter (Return)

Navigating through this book

Various signposts and icons are located throughout Fireworks MX Bible for your

assistance Each chapter begins with an overview of its information, and ends with

a quick summary

Icons are placed in the text to indicate important or especially helpful items Here’s

a list of the icons and their functions:

Tips provide you with extra knowledge that separates the novice from the pro

Notes provide additional or critical information, and technical data on the currenttopic

Sections marked with a New Feature icon detail an innovation introduced inFireworks MX

Cross-Reference icons indicate places where you can find more information on aparticular topic

The Caution icon is your warning of a potential problem or pitfall

The On the CD-ROM icon indicates the CD-ROM contains a related file

On the CD-ROM Caution

This is one of my favorite moments in writing a book: when I get to acknowledgeand thank the many generous people who helped make this book possible Firstand foremost among these folks is Derren Whiteman For the past several editions,

Derren had served as the unindicted co-conspirator for the Fireworks Bible in his

role as technical editor I’m extremely pleased to welcome him to the “indicted”ranks with the pleasures and privileges so associated In other words, “Duck,Derren, duck!”

Seriously, Derren has provided an eagle eye for detail and a relentless drive for

per-fection all during the writing of the Fireworks MX Bible I greatly value his expertise

and sense of humor — it helped me keep mine despite a rather grueling productionschedule

I also owe a great debt of gratitude to Kleanthis Economou, who graciously acceptedthe technical editor chores for this edition Not only is Kleanthis a terrific designerand Fireworks wizard in his own right — if you need any proof, just stop by www

developer community I’m honored to have him on-board

The Fireworks community has grown considerably over the past year, and its erosity even more so Special thanks to those designers who graciously allowed me

gen-to include their work on the CD-ROM: Kleanthis Economou, Massimo Foti, LindaRathgeber, Eddie Traversa, Simon White, and others I owe a debt of gratitude —and probably a drink or three — to another Fireworks community member, authorSandee Cohen Sandee’s work continues to inspire, and I wish her continued success

Of course, I wouldn’t be writing this book — and you certainly wouldn’t be reading

it — if it weren’t for the fantastic vision of the Fireworks team Fireworks is a velously complex program, and there is true glory in bringing it to life A heartythank you and a round of applause to you all: Jeff Ahlquist, Doug Benson, BrianEdgin, Andy Finnell, Rob McCullough, Randy Varnell, and Eric Wolff among manyothers Finally, let me offer a special thanks to David Morris, Fireworks ProductManager, for his support and encouragement, as well as the openness and access

mar-he has granted me

— JL

Contents at a Glance

Foreword ixPreface xiAcknowledgments xix

Part I: Come See the Fireworks 1

Chapter 1: Welcome to Fireworks MX 3Chapter 2: Understanding the Interface 23Chapter 3: Customizing Your Environment 93Chapter 4: Setting Up Documents 119

Part II: Mastering the Tools 141

Chapter 5: Creating Vector Objects 143Chapter 6: Working with Bitmaps 171Chapter 7: Managing Color 203Chapter 8: Choosing Strokes 229Chapter 9: Structuring Paths 267Chapter 10: Composing with Text 297

Part III: Achieving Effects 327

Chapter 11: Using Fills and Textures 329Chapter 12: Creating Live Effects and Filters 359Chapter 13: Arranging and Compositing Objects 407

Part IV: Coordinating Workflow 455

Chapter 14: Capturing and Importing 457Chapter 15: Exporting and Optimizing 493Chapter 16: Working with Fireworks Styles 547Chapter 17: Using Symbols and Libraries 559Chapter 18: Updating and Maintaining Web Graphics 581Chapter 19: Automating Workflow 611

Part V: Entering the Web 643

Chapter 20: Mastering Image Maps and Slices 645Chapter 21: Activating Fireworks with Behaviors 683Chapter 22: Integrating with Dreamweaver 719

Part VI: Animation 743

Chapter 23: Applying Animation Techniques 745Chapter 24: Animating Banner Ads 783

Part VII: Programming with Fireworks 797

Chapter 25: Customizing Fireworks 799Chapter 26: Building Fireworks Extensions 811

Part VIII: Appendixes 863

Appendix A: Web Primer 865Appendix B: Keyboard Shortcuts 889Appendix C: What’s on the CD-ROM 909Index 915End-User License Agreement 967

Foreword ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xix

Part I: Come See the Fireworks 1 Chapter 1: Welcome to Fireworks MX 3

Mastering Fireworks MX — the Next-Generation Graphics Package 4Combining the best features 4Emphasizing vectors and incorporating bitmaps 5Digging into screen orientation 5Getting the most from this Internet-based program 5Getting the Best of Both Pixels and Paths 6Using vector tools with organic bitmaps 7Exploring bitmap compatibility 8Learning Live Effects 9Focusing on styles 10Looking at animation 11Linking to the Web 12Delving into hotspots and slices 12Dissecting the URL panel 13Evaluating images with Behaviors 13Optimizing for the Web 14Integrating with Dreamweaver MX 15Stepping over to Flash MX 16Examining Production Tools 16Grasping batch processing 16Using automation 17Extending Fireworks with custom commands 18Learning What’s New in Fireworks MX 19Looking at the user interface 19Exploring graphics creation 19Discovering Web connectivity 20

Chapter 2: Understanding the Interface 23

Examining the Fireworks Environment 24Understanding the Document Window 25Smart Maximize 28Document window controls 28Display options 33Exploring the Tools Panel 34Selecting the Proper View 39Accessing Toolbars (Windows Only) 39Main toolbar 40Modify toolbar 41Status bar 43The Property inspector 43Tool options 44Stroke settings 44Fill settings 45Effect settings 46Managing the Floating Panels 47Grouping and moving panels 48Panel Layout Sets 48Hiding and revealing panels 49Collapsing panels 49Examining common features 50Optimize panel 52Swatches panel 53Color Mixer panel 54Layers panel 56Align panel 57Frames panel 58History panel 59Info panel 60Behaviors panel 61URL panel 62Styles panel 63Library panel 65Find and Replace panel 66Project Log panel 67Answers panel 68Using the Menus 69Application menu (Mac OS X only) 69File menu 70Edit menu 72View menu 74Select menu 77Modify menu 78Text menu 83Commands menu 85

Filters 86Window menu 88Help menu 90

Chapter 3: Customizing Your Environment 93

Setting Preferences 93Learning general preferences 94Understanding editing preferences 96Learning Launch and Edit preferences 100Examining folder preferences 101Discovering Import preferences 102Setting Up for Multiple Users 103Adjusting the HTML Setup 104Understanding general options 104Discovering table options 105Learning document-specific options 107Selecting Print Options 111Personalizing Keyboard Shortcuts 112Changing the current shortcut set 113Working with custom keyboard shortcuts 113

Chapter 4: Setting Up Documents 119

Creating New Documents 119Exploring two approaches 119Understanding the canvas options 121Discovering the steps to create a new document 124Opening Existing Images 125Examining file formats 125Opening multiple images 129Storing Files 130Closing a file 132Reverting to a saved file 132Modifying Canvases 133Altering the canvas size 133Trimming the canvas 139Picking a new canvas color 139Rotating the canvas 140

Part II: Mastering the Tools 141 Chapter 5: Creating Vector Objects 143

Understanding Vector Objects in Fireworks 143Examining Paths 144Applying a stroke 145Looking at open and closed paths 145

Examining direction 146Starting from Shapes 147Examining rectangles and squares 148Using ellipses and circles 152Exploring polygons and stars 153Drawing Lines and Freeform Paths 157Making straight lines 158Drawing with the Vector Path tool 159Constructing Bézier Curves 161Drawing lines with the Pen 162Creating smooth curves with the Pen 163Mixing lines and curves 164Adjusting curves 165Using the keyboard modifiers 167

Chapter 6: Working with Bitmaps 171

Understanding Bitmaps in Fireworks 171Examining bitmap preferences 172Opening existing bitmaps 172Scaling bitmaps 173Inserting a bitmap into a document 175Inserting an empty bitmap 175Using bitmap tools 175Understanding the Touchup tools 187Fireworks Technique: Limiting Your Drawing Area 196Making Pixel Selections 197Selecting all 197Selecting similar 197Selecting none 198Selecting inverse 198Feathering an existing selection 198Expanding or contracting a marquee 199Adding a border 199Using the Smooth command 199Saving and restoring selections 200Converting a Vector into a Bitmap 200

Chapter 7: Managing Color 203

Working with Color on the Web 203Examining bit depth 204Understanding hexadecimal colors 205Exploring Websafe colors 206Looking at platform differences 207Working with color management 208

Mixing Colors 209Using the Color Mixer 209Choosing a color 210Accessing the color models 211Selecting Swatches of Color 215Choosing from the color wells 215Using the Eyedropper 217Accessing the system color picker(s) 217Opting for no color 219Using the Swatches panel 219Accessing the Color Table 223Fireworks Technique: Converting Pantone Colors to Websafe Colors 224Using ColorWeb Pro for Windows 225Using ColorWeb Pro for Macintosh 226

Chapter 8: Choosing Strokes 229

Using the Stroke Settings 229Stroke categories and types 231Stroke edge and size 232Stroke texture 233Working with the Built-in Strokes 234Pencil 235Basic 237Air Brush 238Calligraphy 239Charcoal 240Crayon 241Felt Tip 242Oil 242Watercolor 244Random 245Unnatural 246Creating New Strokes 247Managing your strokes 247Editing the stroke 250Fireworks Technique: Making Dotted Lines 260Orienting the Stroke 263

Chapter 9: Structuring Paths 267

Transforming Objects Visually 268Using scaling 268Examining skewing 270Discovering distorting 271Understanding rotating 271Transforming Objects Numerically 273

Managing Points and Paths 276Moving points with the Subselection tool 276Adding and removing points 277Closing an open path 279Working with multiple paths 280Editing Paths 281Redrawing a path 281Examining the Freeform and Reshape Area tools 282Discovering the Path Scrubber 287Discerning path operations 289

Chapter 10: Composing with Text 297

Working with Text 297Using the Text Editor 299Enabling Text Editor options 301Choosing basic font characteristics 301Discovering paragraph spacing 303Adjusting text spacing 303Re-Editing Text 308Preserving Look or Editing Text 309Importing Text 310Checking Your Spelling 311Transforming Text 314Adding strokes 314Enhancing fills 316Using the transform tools 317Converting text to paths 318Converting text to an image 318Fireworks Technique: Cookie-Cutter Text 318Using the Text on a Path Command 320Fireworks Technique: Masking Images with Text 323

Part III: Achieving Effects 327 Chapter 11: Using Fills and Textures 329

Using Built-in Fills 329Turning off an object’s fill 330Using a Solid fill 330Using the Web Dither fill 332Managing Gradients 335Applying a Gradient fill 335Altering gradients 336

Using Patterns 341Adding new Patterns 342Adding Patterns to a document 344Altering Patterns 344Fireworks Technique: Creating Seamless Patterns 346Adding Texture to Your Fills 351Adding new textures 353Converting a color image to grayscale 353Assigning an additional textures folder 354Adding textures to a document 354Filling with the Paint Bucket Tool 354

Chapter 12: Creating Live Effects and Filters 359

Understanding Fireworks Effects 360Using Effects in the Property inspector 360Applying Live Effects 361Examining the Filters menu 363Working with Included Live Effects 364Adjusting color 366Adjusting tonal range 366Using three dimensions with Bevel and Emboss 373Adding depth with blurring 377Learning holdover effects 378Examining Shadow and Glow 379Sharpening to bring out detail 382Fireworks Technique: Making Perspective Shadows 383Managing Live Effects 386Storing a customized effect 387Grasping missing effects 388Reading All About Filters 388Using vector objects 389Examining bitmap objects 389Identifying pixel selections in a bitmap object 390Checking out false pixel selections 390Evaluating multiple objects 391Using Third-Party, Photoshop-Compatible Filters 392Installing third-party filter packages 392Using filters with multiple applications 393Using shortcuts (aliases) to plug-in folders 394Exploring Alien Skin Eye Candy 394Investigating Kai’s Power Tools 399

Chapter 13: Arranging and Compositing Objects 407

Using Layers 407Adding a layer 409Naming a layer 409

Deleting a layer 410Changing stacking order 410Editing layer by layer 410Using the Selection column 411Opening layers 411Examining the Web Layer 414Aligning and Distributing Objects 414Using a theoretical rectangle 415Aligning to the canvas 418Looking at Layout Assistance 420Using rulers 420Working with guides 422Exploring the grid 425Grouping Objects 426Working with Alpha Masks 428Creating vector masks 430Applying bitmap masks 431Editing masks 436Masking suggestions 439Fireworks technique: Quick photo edges 439Examining Opacity and Blending 441Controlling opacity 442Using blending modes 442Investigating blending modes 444Fireworks technique: Simulating a light source

with blending modes 446Fireworks Technique: Feathering Selections 448Fireworks Technique: Applied Compositing 449

Part IV: Coordinating Workflow 455 Chapter 14: Capturing and Importing 457

Introducing Image Captures 457Examining TWAIN-compliant devices 458Installing Photoshop Acquire plug-ins (Macintosh only) 459Scanning Pages 460Examining the Scanning Process 461Selecting a scan resolution 462Choosing a color depth 464Setting other options 465Scanning directly into Fireworks 465Looking at Digital Cameras 466Capturing images for use in Fireworks 466Exploring digital camcorders 468

Inserting Objects from Other Applications 468Copying and pasting 469Dragging and dropping 470Importing External Files 471Grasping bitmap image files 471Discovering vector art files 477Digging into text files 482Looking at common problems 482Rebuilding Imported Web Pages 484Making Screen Captures 486Exploring built-in screenshot tools 486Delving into specialized applications 487Opening Animations 488Importing multiple files as a new animation 488Importing Flash animations 489

Chapter 15: Exporting and Optimizing 493

Exploring Optimization Features 493Optimize panel 495Optimize panel’s Color Table 496Workspace preview 497Frame controls 502Exporting Indexed Color 503Color palette 505Number of colors 506Matte 509Lossy GIF compression 510Dither 511Transparency 511Remove unused colors 515Interlaced 515Saved settings 516Fireworks technique: Creating GIF-friendly images 516Exporting Photographic Images 518JPEG 520PNG 32 and 24 525Other formats 526Sending Images to Other Programs 526Integrating Fireworks with FrontPage 527Working in the Export Preview 529Cropping 530Scaling exported images 532Using the Export Wizards 533Examining Additional Export Options 535Exporting as CSS layers 536Exporting for Director 538

Exporting as Image Wells 540Exporting vectors 541Exporting Photoshop documents 543

Chapter 16: Working with Fireworks Styles 547

Understanding Styles 548Applying Styles 549Creating New Styles 550Managing Styles 552Fireworks Technique: Isolating Patterns and Textures from Styles 555

Chapter 17: Using Symbols and Libraries 559

Understanding Symbols and Instances 559Introducing the Library Panel 563Making and Modifying Symbols 564Creating a symbol 564Modifying symbols 567Creating Instances 569Modifying Instances 570Working with Buttons 571Making and modifying Button Symbols 571Using Button Instances 573Instance Level Button Properties 574Managing Libraries 575Importing a Library 576Exporting and sharing Libraries 578

Chapter 18: Updating and Maintaining Web Graphics 581

Using Preview in Browser 581Managing Links with the URL Panel 585Accessing the URL History list 586Adding URLs to the URL Library 587Managing URL Libraries 589Updating Graphics with Find and Replace 591Searching and replacing text 594Searching with Regular Expressions 595Altering font characteristics 599Changing colors throughout a site 601Snapping colors to Websafe 602Updating URLs 603Working with the Project Log 604Batch Processing Graphics Files 606Grasping the basic procedure 606Running scriptlets 609

Chapter 19: Automating Workflow 611

Running Built-in Commands 612Examining the Creative commands 612Data-Driven Graphics Wizard 620Examining the Document submenu 625Using Panel Layout Sets 627Storing Custom Panel Layouts 628Using the Reset Warning dialog boxes 628Examining the Web submenu 629Enhancing Productivity with the History Panel 630Using Undo and Redo 631Building commands without coding 632Copying steps to the clipboard 636Managing Commands 637Managing saved commands 638Managing Flash commands 640

Part V: Entering the Web 643 Chapter 20: Mastering Image Maps and Slices 645

Understanding Image Maps and Hotspots 646Using the Hotspot Tools 647Examining the rectangle hotspot 648Examining the circle hotspot 649Examining the polygon hotspot 650Assigning links to hotspots 651Covering an object with a hotspot 653Exporting Image Map Code 653Choosing an HTML style 653Inserting image map code in a Web page 656Understanding Slices 660Slicing Images in Fireworks 662Looking at rectangle slices 662Looking at polygon slices 663Working with slice guides 664Copying an image to a slice 668Setting URLs in slices 668Exporting Slices 671Exporting slices as different image types 671Setting the Export options 671Inserting slices in a Web page 672Exporting single slices 675Fireworks Technique: Exporting Dreamweaver Library Items 676Fireworks Technique: Animating a Slice 678

Chapter 21: Activating Fireworks with Behaviors 683

Understanding Behaviors 683Using the Behaviors Panel 684Attaching Behaviors 685Modifying a Behavior 686Deleting a Behavior 687Creating Rollovers 687Examining how rollovers work 687Learning rollover states 688Creating rollover images 689Applying the Simple Rollover Behavior 691Exporting Rollovers for the Web 692Exporting the code from Fireworks 693Inserting rollover code in your Web page 695Looking at Nav Bar Behavior 698Creating a Nav Bar 698Building buttons in the Button Editor 699Examining Advanced Rollover Techniques 702Making disjointed rollovers 702Creating external rollovers 703Working with hotspot rollovers 704Displaying a status bar message 706Working with Pop-up Menus 707Using Drag-and-Drop Behaviors 714Creating a simple rollover with drag and drop 715Creating disjoint rollovers with drag and drop 716Removing drag-and-drop Behaviors 718

Chapter 22: Integrating with Dreamweaver 719

Introducing Integration 719Optimizing Images from Dreamweaver 720Editing Images from Dreamweaver 722Setting Fireworks as the graphics editor in Dreamweaver 723Recognizing Design Notes in Dreamweaver 724Modifying sliced images 725Exporting Dreamweaver Code 726Working with Dreamweaver Libraries 727XHTML Support 730Quick Export 731Fireworks technique: Adding CSS layers to Dreamweaver 731Working with Image Placeholders from Dreamweaver 734Using Fireworks Behaviors in Dreamweaver 734Fireworks Technique: Creating a Web Photo Album 737Making Hybrid Commands 739

Part VI: Animation 743 Chapter 23: Applying Animation Techniques 745

Understanding Web Animation 745Getting a handle on bandwidth 746Making a statement 746Examining why to animate a GIF 747Using the Fireworks Animation Toolkit 749Managing frames 749Animating objects 754Using the VCR controls 757Setting frame delay timing 757Using Onion Skinning 759Examining export settings and options 761Examining Web Design with Animated GIF Images 765Animating background images 765Reusing animations 765Scaling an animation 765Using the browser’s background image 766Preloading an animation 766Using animated rollovers 767Slicing animations 768Tweening Graphic Symbols 768Fireworks technique: Tweening Filters 771Fireworks technique: Tweening depth 772Fireworks technique: Fading in and out 775Using Animation Symbols 777Creating animation symbols 777Editing an animation symbol 779

Chapter 24: Animating Banner Ads 783

Understanding Banner Ad Basics 783Examining size — IAB/CASIE standards 783Looking at weight 785Putting it in the page 785Advertising it 785Fireworks Technique: Creating a Banner Ad 786Step I: Set the stage 786Step II: Write the script 786Step III: Create the cast of characters 787Step IV: Direct the action 789Step V: Leave the excess on the cutting-room floor 793Fireworks Technique: Using Blur to Save Frames 793

Part VII: Programming with Fireworks 797 Chapter 25: Customizing Fireworks 799

Using the HTML and JavaScript Engine 799Examining the Configuration Folder 801Batch Code 803Command Panels 803Commands 803Extensions 804jsextensions 804Export Settings 804HTML code 804Libraries 805Nav Menu 806Patterns 806Styles 806Textures 807URL Libraries 807Plug-Ins 807Looking at the Fireworks MX Preferences File 808

Chapter 26: Building Fireworks Extensions 811

Building a User Interface in Flash 812Executing Fireworks functions 812Finishing a command 814Integrating Flash input 814Debugging Flash commands 814Storing Commands and Commands panels 816Fireworks API Overview 817Examining Nonstandard Data Types 817Colors 817File URLs 818Masks 818Matrices 819Points 819Rectangles 819Resolution 819Looking at Global Methods 820alert(message) 820confirm(message) 820fw.yesNoDialog(text) 821prompt(caption, text) 821WRITE_HTML(arg1[, arg2, , argN]) 822write(arg1[, arg2, , argN]) 823

Exploring the Fireworks Global Object 823

fw 823Document 829Errors 838Find 839Files 843Dissecting Hotspot Objects 846exportDoc 847Image maps 849Behaviors 851Looking at Slice Objects 853SliceInfo object 853Slices object 856Accessing the Fireworks API 858Document functions 858Fireworks functions 859History panel functions 860

Part VIII: Appendixes 863 Appendix A: A Web Primer 865 Appendix B: Keyboard Shortcuts 889 Appendix C: What’s on the CD-ROM 909

Index 915 End-User License Agreement 967