With quick lessons in how to accomplish creative wonders, Fireworks 2 for Windows and Macintosh offers more than the usual product propaganda. Graphic designers and Web content creators will get quick lessons in how to accomplish creative wonders with this book's "Learn by the Numbers" approach for Fireworks. Every page is packed with annotated screen shots and includes color plates to illustrate special color, blend, and compression examples.

The book uses a solution-based approach, with each chapter comprising a series of how-to examples such as "Create a curved path segment" and "Change the object transparency." Readers will get explanations of key topics such as color palettes and compression algorithm basics. The book addresses both Macintosh and Windows versions of Fireworks with careful attention to the subtle differences between the two flavors.

All of the key Fireworks operations are covered in this book, from basic vector graphic design to exporting HTML files that include event-driven effects. Appendices show various styles and list useful keyboard shortcuts. This guide provides a quick taste of Fireworks and is a handy lookup tool for frequent users. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered: Macintosh and Windows color sets, vector graphic design, object manipulation, text formatting, importing and exporting, slices, animations, and behaviors.


Book News, Inc.
Using screenshots and numbered step-by-step instructions, this tutorial guide demonstrates the tools and techniques for creating graphics for Web sites from within the latest version of Fireworks. -- Copyright © 1999 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR All rights reserved


Book Description
Macromedia Fireworks 2 is an all-inclusive tool for producing Web graphics and animations. Fireworks offers users the ability to create a graphic and add text, optimize the color palette for the Web, animate the graphic, create links and image maps, and finally preview the completed graphic. Now shipping with Director 7, Fireworks 2 promises to take the Web graphics world by storm with features like a powerful graphics tool set, HTML linking and Live Effects, which update automatically.Fireworks 2 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide introduces novice and experienced Web designers to this powerful technology, using a practical, step-by-step approach that makes it easy to get started. Clear explanations and plenty of screenshots guide the reader to Web graphics profiency, and cross-platform coverage makes this an essential reference for all Web graphics producers.Fireworks ships with Macromedia Director 7, now reaching a whole new audienceRevised edition covers all new Fireworks features.Powerful, omnibus creative tool designed to address the entire Web-graphic production processPractical, step-by-step tasks get users up and running quickly with this comprehensive program


Book Info
Provides instruction using a visual approach to teach Fireworks 2, using pictures to guide you through the software and show you what to do. Softcover.


From the Back Cover
an all-in-one tool for producing graphics and animations. Version 2, which ships with Director 7, introduces a new interface, exceptional automation tools, and enhanced versions of the program's most popular features. If you want to get up to speed quickly, there's no better place to start than Fireworks 2 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide.Novices and experienced designers alike will appreciate the book's practical, step-by-step instructions and easy-to-navigate format. Clear explanations and hundreds of screenshots help you quickly master topics such as optimizing an image's colors for the Web, animating graphics, and creating links and image maps. This guide's cross-platform approach makes it an essential reference for everyone who creates graphics for the Web.


Excerpted from Fireworks 2 for Windows and MacIntosh (Visual Quickstart Guide) by Sandee Cohen. Copyright © 1999. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
Once you have launched Fireworks, you can begin work. You can start by creating a new Fireworks document or you can open an existing document. You can also open scanned images from other programs. Once you have a document open, there are various controls that affect how the document is displayed and how you work in the document. In this chapter you will learn how to Create a new document. Change the image size. Change the canvas size. Change the canvas color. Open existing documents as untitled. Display the document rulers. Change the zero point. Create guides. Position guides. Edit guides. View the document grid. Edit the document grid. Use the magnification commands. Use the Zoom tool. Change the display options. Use the Grabber tool. When you start a new document, you must make certain decisions about the document that affect the final output. To create a new document: 1. Choose File > New. This opens the New Document dialog box 1. 2. Use the height and width fields to set the size of the document. Tip Use the pop-up list to change the unit of measurement from pixels to inches or centimeters. 3. Use the resolution field to set the number of points per inch for the graphics of the document. Tip Most Web graphics are saved at 72 pixels per inch. Print graphics usually need higher resolutions. 4. Set the canvas color of the document, by choosing white, transparent, or custom. 5. If you choose custom, click the color well to open the color picker, where you can set your color. 6. Click OK to create the new document, which appears in an untitled document window 2. Tip Press the Document Info Display button to see a representation of the size of the document as well as a read-out of the documents size and resolution 3. Once you have created a document, you can change the size of the image. This stretches or compacts the pixels in the image. You can also resample or change the number of pixels per inch. To change the image size: 1. Choose Modify > Document > Image Size to open the Image Size dialog box 4. 2. Use the Pixel Dimensions height and width fields to change the absolute number of pixels in the document. Tip The Pixel Dimensions fields are not available if Resample Image is turned off. 3. Use the Print Size height and width fieds to change the display size of the image. Tip Press the pop-up control to change the size of the document by a percentage. 4. Use the Resolution field to change the image size by increasing or reducing the number of pixels per inch. Tip Scanned images may become slightly blurred if the resolution or size of the image is increased by more than 50%. (There is no problem reducing the size of the image or resolution.) If this is not acceptable, you may need to rescan the image at the higher resolution or larger size. (For more information on working with scanned images, see Chapter 12, "Working With Pixels.") You can keep the size of the image constant while changing the area of the background. This adds space to or deletes space from the canvas outside the image area. There are two ways to do this: numerically, using the Canvas Size dialog box; and visually, using the Crop tool. To change the canvas size numerically: 1. Choose Modify > Document > Canvas Size to open the Canvas Size dialog box 6. 2. Enter new amounts in the New Size height and width fields. Tip Use the current size as a reference. 3. Click the squares in the anchor area to determine where the canvas will be added to or subtracted from. 4. Click OK. Tip If you reduce the size of your document, objects in the clipped areas are not lost. Although they are not visible, you can move them back into the active area, where they reappear. To change the canvas size visually: 1. Choose the Crop tool from the toolbox 7. 2. Drag with the Crop tool to create the handles 8 that define the area that you want to crop. 3. Double-click inside the crop area to apply the crop. or Double-click outside the crop area or choose a new tool to continue without applying the crop. Tip The Crop handles can be extended outside the current canvas area to increase the size of the canvas. The canvas color is the color automatically applied behind all the images in a document. You can change the canvas color at any time while you work on a document. To change the canvas color: 1. Choose Modify > Document > Canvas Color to open the Canvas Color dialog box 9. 2. Click white, transparent, or custom. Tip The transparent background is designated by a gray-and-white checkerboard. 3. If you choose custom, click the Color Well to open the Swatches panel to choose a specific color. When you open an existing document, Fireworks lets you protect the original file by opening it as an untitled document. To open a document as untitled: 1. Choose File > Open and navigate to find the original version of the file. 2. Click Open as "Untitled" and then click Open. The document opens in an unsaved, untitled version. 3. Make any changes and save the document as you would any other file. If you want to work precisely in your document, you need to work with the rulers. To display the document rulers: Choose View > Rulers. The rulers appear at the top and left sides of the document. The rulers are displayed in the unit of pixels. Tip Two lines appear on the rulers that track your position as you move around the document. Fireworks uses the upper-left corner of a document as its zero point, or the point where the rulers start. You can change the zero point for a document. This can help you position items on the page. To change the zero point: 1. Drag the zero-point crosshairs onto the page. 2. Double-click the zero-point crosshairs in the corner of the document window to reset the zero point to the upper- left corner. The rulers also let you add guides that you can use to align objects. To create guides: 1. Drag from the left ruler to create a vertical guide. Release the mouse button to place the guide. 2. Drag from the top ruler to create a horizontal guide. Release the mouse button to place the guide. 3. Repeat to add as many horizontal or vertical guides as you need. To position guides: Drag an existing guide to move it to a new position. or Double-click the guide to open the Move Guide dialog box and enter the exact position of the guide. Tip Use View > Guide Options > Snap To Guides to have objects automatically snap, or align, to the guides. There are several ways you can edit or control the look of guides. To edit guides: 1. Choose View > Guide Options > Edit Guides to open the Guides dialog box. 2. Click the color box to open the color picker and choose a new color to make the guides look more or less obvious. 3. Click Show Guides to show or hide the guides. 4. Click Snap to Guides to turn on or off the snap-to-guides feature. 5. Click Lock Guides to keep the guides from being moved. Tip You can also lock the guides by choosing View > Guide Options > Lock Guides. 6. Click Clear All to delete all the guides from the document. 7. Click OK to apply the changes. Tip (Mac) Click the Grid tab to switch from editing the guides to editing the grid (see the steps below). In addition to guides, Fireworks has a grid, which you can use to align objects. To view the document grid: Choose View > Grid to display the document grid &. You can use the document grid to arrange your images into certain areas or to make sure objects are aligned or are the same size. Tip You can use View > Grid Options > Snap to Grid to have objects automatically snap, or align, to the grid. Tip When Snap to Grid is turned on, objects snap to the grid even if the grid is not visible. You can also change the size of the grid. This makes it easy to create objects all the same size or shape. To edit the document grid: 1. Choose View > Grid Options > Edit Grid to open the Grids and Guides dialog box. 2. Click the color box to open the color picker and choose a new color for the grid. 3. Use the horizontal control slider or type in the field to increase or decrease the horizontal spacing. 4. Use the vertical control slider or type in the field to increase or decrease the vertical spacing. 5. Click Snap to Grid to turn on or off the snap-to-grid feature. 6. Click Show Grid to show or hide the document grid. You may need to zoom in or out to see specific areas or the big picture. To use the magnification commands: To zoom to a specific magnification, use the magnification control. or Choose View > Magnification and then choose a specific magnification. or Choose View > Zoom In or View > Zoom Out to jump to a specific magnification. or Choose View > Fit Selection to display the object selected. or Choose View > Fit All to display the entire document. You can use the Zoom tool to jump to a specific magnification and position. To use the Zoom tool: 1. Click the Zoom tool in the Toolbox. 2. Click the Zoom tool on the area you want to zoom in on. Click as many times as you need to get as close as necessary to the area you want to see. or Drag the Zoom tool diagonally across the area you want to see. Release the mouse button to zoom in. Tip Press Command/Ctrl and Spacebar to access the Zoom tool without leaving the tool that is currently selected. Tip Press the Option/Alt key while in the Zoom tool to zoom out from objects. The icon changes from a plus sign (+) to a minus sign (). Fireworks lets you work in two different display modes. The Full Display mode shows all the objects in the document with their fills, brushes, and effects. The Draft Display mode shows only the paths for all the unselected objects. Only the selected object displays its fill, brush, or effect. To change the display options: 1. Press the Display mode control at the bottom of the document window . 2. Choose between Full Display or Draft Display. or Choose View > Full Display to switch beetween the two display modes.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

an all-in-one tool for producing graphics and animations. Version 2, which ships with Director 7, introduces a new interface, exceptional automation tools, and enhanced versions of the program's most popular features. If you want to get up to speed quickly, there's no better place to start than Fireworks 2 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide.

Novices and experienced designers alike will appreciate the book's practical, step-by-step instructions and easy-to-navigate format. Clear explanations and hundreds of screenshots help you quickly master topics such as optimizing an image's colors for the Web, animating graphics, and creating links and image maps. This guide's cross-platform approach makes it an essential reference for everyone who creates graphics for the Web.

FROM THE CRITICS

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