I want to open this post to everyone to have a discussion regarding the role that Fireworks plays in your individual or team workflows.
Over the years Fireworks has been a tool that visual designers, developers, interaction designers, art directors, and production artists have relied on to design, prototype and produce amazing designs for the screen.
Through it’s original partnership with Dreamweaver in its first few versions as the premiere tool to build graphics for web sites it had significant integration within the web design workflow. The product then grew becoming a design partner for Flash animations and applications.
As the complexity and scope of web sites and applications grew, there became a clear need to prototype and share designs and interaction concepts with clients and partners before significant time went into final production. This key role is what Fireworks focused on in the most recent version, increasing rapid-prototyping capabilities and output options including PDF and AIR.
With this expanding role of Fireworks, I want to kick off this discussion with these questions:
What role does Fireworks play in your workflow?
Where do you find the value of Fireworks and it’s integration with Creative Suite and other Adobe design and development tools?
{ 65 comments… read them below or add one }
Honestly, it’s my primary image editing tool. While I do use it for mock-ups, it’s primary role is to do what it was deigned to do in its 1.0 version, that is, to make pretty pictures for use on the Web and in Flash.
I simply don’t have the time nor the interest in learning Photoshop, as I do not need most of the features it offers.
In terms how my team operates. most use PS, so an easy way to move between PS and FW (and Flash, etc) would be ideal. Also, Thermo needs to support FW too, not just PS.
I’m probably not the person to start the discussion, but I’m going to say this anyway. Fireworks doesn’t play a role in my workflow. I only know a few people who use it, and I’m not sure why they use it instead of Photoshop. I am commenting because I am interested in hearing ways that people use it, because it would be nice to get use out of software that I’ve purchased. As far as I’ve ever known, the only thing I could get from Fireworks was quickly optimized cut up designs and layouts that were built with tables and spacer gifs. Granted, I haven’t used the newest version, so maybe those things are changed.
Please fill me in.
Q: What role does Fireworks play in your workflow?
A: Fireworks is the only tool I use for developing, sharing and presenting wireframes to proposed designs for both websites and applications.
Q: Where do you find the value of Fireworks and it’s integration with Creative Suite and other Adobe design and development tools?
A: I just upgraded to CS4 and understand that there are new features that support this I’m looking forward to setting aside some time to investigate.
I only use Fireworks for slicing images for pages and .gif files. This is basically what I used ImageReady for in the past. Without ImageReady, Fireworks has filled that void.
I use Fireworks everyday and have done for the past 10 years or so. It’s always been my weapon of choice for web graphics and more recently, mocking up UI and layouts for my mobile content. Integration with Flash is the main workflow that I would use, but really now it needs to integrate with Device Central CS4, just like PS and AI. And what will be even more useful will be an extension of the way it works with AIR, as AIR moves onto the mobile platform.
Cheers.
Dale | http://www.moket.com
What role does Fireworks play in your workflow?
None. The only time I ever opened FW in the past was because some files were associated with it by default.
Where do you find the value of Fireworks and it’s integration with Creative Suite and other Adobe design and development tools?
Have yet to upgrade to CS4 and although I’ve seen FW CS4 in action and like what it can do, it will be hard to break the shell of what I’m use to using in my normal design processes.
I love Photoshop however I find myself using Fireworks for quick edits and web design concepts. its just much easier to use. Tasks in Photoshop take an extra 10 steps. However Photoshop is so much more powerful and most of the integrations between other application e.g Dreamweaver and smart objects etc is all with Photoshop not Fireworks.
Photoshop = photo editing, logos and complex designs
Fireworks = most web based work,quick editing, web concepts, logos
I re-discover Fireworks in last release when I start to create RIA and Desktop Applications wireframe.
In few hours you can make an AIR demo, an HTML demo and so on.
It’s amazing because in few steps you have everything you need, I suggest it to other companies also and they appreciate a lots
We have been working to try and get our designers on using Fireworks for creating the actual final comp files. Our developers prefer to use Fireworks for creating slices and if pages and symbols are used, I believe Fireworks files can be much better organized. This is not to say that Photoshop is not used, it is, but it should be used for creating images that are then imported into Fireworks for final placement.
However we have a couple things that have slowed the migration. Fireworks tends to crash more often and also seems to create corrupted files, even if you are currently working in the file and just want to save. I know this is slightly off topic, but we are also attempting to integrate Version Cue CS4 into our work flow and are having may issues there too, especially with Fireworks and the corrupt file issue. We are on Macs and it seems Adobe programs, especially Fireworks, don’t like to work over a network. Thing is currently Im not working over the network, its actually just the Adobe Drive server which is then treated like a network drive even though is located on the same computer. Anyway, I’m sorta venting a bit now…I hope I answered your question.
I use Fireworks as the primary image tool. It is so quick and easy to use for resizing, pulling snapshots from the desktop to manipulate, annotate and any icon/thumbnail building that we do.
We are still using an older version (from the MX suite) since there is nothing that it doesn’t do for us. I would love to get my team CS4, but the price point is way too high.
We are a shop with more than 8 CF licenses, 3 Flex Builder and a Connect Pro set of 5 users, so we are very Adobe. FW does what we need at this point quite well.
I was using Fireworks a lot 3-5 years ago, when doing mostly freelance work.
:)
But when i start working for companies : designers all work in photoshop, so being flash developer I should use photoshop on every project – working with design, getting required artwork to implement in flash. For web layouts fireworks is Definitely faster , but for complicated artwork , digital imaging photoshop is no1. Most designers are using photoshop in companies I guess, if not all
Q: What role does Fireworks play in your workflow?
A: I’ve been using FW since v3 and after years in my own development with FW and fluency in both Photoshop and Fireworks, simply put Fireworks is the ideal tool for designing websites and Photoshop is the ideal tool for editing photos in my workflow (you only discover this once you’ve mastered both, otherwise it’s pretty apparent by the comments here and nearly every developer I’ve spoken and worked with you favor one tool or the other, which works but is extremely inefficient). Using both extensively and nearly daily for many years now I can’t figure out why anyone would limit themselves to just the one tool. Both are invaluable for the tasks they’re designed to perform. I’ve begun to play with FW CS4 for some AIR designs, but have yet to implement anything… hopefully this will be added to my workflow of FW in addition to web design.
Q: Where do you find the value of Fireworks and it’s integration with Creative Suite and other Adobe design and development tools?
A: I kind of answered this above, but in terms of value I like how FW has pretty much always played nice with Dreamweaver and Flash, and since the Macrobe merge the Photoshop and Illustrator integration has been nice as well. I love the addition of the AIR support, but would like to see this more streamlined with Flex [and possibly Thermo] in the future despite the fact Flex is not [yet] (although it needs to be) in the creative suite.
I have to say that if Fireworks disappeared it wouldn’t affect my workflow as a web designer at all.
Nothing against the program, I just have no need for it. All my coding is done by hand in Coda or TextMate, and all of my mocks/graphics are done in PS.
We use Fireworks CS4 for prototyping sites. I especially like the interactive PDF features, which we recently used to mockup changes to a site. The interactive PDF was then used as a demo to show how the final development changes would affect the site. We use Photoshop for the final graphics, but often rough things out quickly in Fireworks. I started on Photoshop years ago, so I’ve struggled to fit Fireworks into my workflow; however Fireworks CS4 has some nifty prototyping features that will make it an essential part of my new workflow and the blended interface with other Adobe apps is a nice update.
In the future, I’d like Fireworks to become entirely focused on prototyping, as step one in any RIA project, with more prototyping tools and features (see Balsamiq Mockups http://www.balsamiq.com/products/mockups) — leave the final graphics up to Photoshop or Flash.
everyday image editing tool for web design, batch processing, site mockups, logo design, edit PSDs, etc…
I’ve been using Fireworks since I purchased MM’s first ‘Studio’ bundle, can’t remember the version, anyway, many years.
Fireworks is my primary graphics tool and although I now have PS as part of my current CS (CS3), I rarely use it.
I use FW in my workflows as follows:
Web image (and very occasional print) prep. I tend to keep each image source, along with all derivatives (different sized versions to export as jpegs for display, monochromes, thumbs of various sizes, etc) in PNG files. I overlay all exportable images with named slices and when I require a version of the image, simply right click on the appropriate slice and export directly to the path required.
General. image processing, de-screening photos, retouch, scaling, applying all types of filters for enhancement, etc.
Web objects. I often use FW to generate buttons and rollovers. I also use layers a lot when applying differing text over a single base image such as banner or other visual feature. I can keep all of the different versions ready for export by switching the text layers on and off as I use a slice to facilitate the export.
I would like to explore the automation features when I get time and also need to get my head around the prototyping capabilities..
CS Integration:
I don’t leverage these features very much but do appreciate being able to work seamlessly with PS source I get from our designer and being able to pull png files directly into the Flash library, for example. Also, nice to be able to use Photoshop Live Effects from within FW.
I love FW. I use it daily to resize images, edit photos and even open our graphic designers PSDs with it when slicing a site. It is definitely been my choice over the years, and I consider Photoshop as overkill for the daily needs of a web developer. True, PS is better for the designer, but I’m a coder and need something much simpler to quickly get the task done. Love it!
I use fireworks for for the “final” version saves of web graphics since it does a much nicer & better job of it (esp with jpgs) than PS does, I also use it for batch photo resizing. However, I am growing ever fonder of using Pixelmator for saving the final images since it has some really nice sharpening functions that that are super easy to use and get great results.
I personally use Fireworks for all of my RIA designs. I find that working with the exact pixel dimensions makes it a lot easier to port my designs across to both Websites and the Flash Platform. I believe that Photoshop’s role is for Photo’s and not RIA design and that Adobe should promote Fireworks more as being the perfect tool for designing web and flash applications.
I’m currently using CS3 so I’m not sure if this has been updated or not, but it would be useful if the filters in Fireworks worked the same as those in Flash. I design everything in Fireworks and then have to play around with filter settings in Flash to get the same result.
I don’t currently leverage the integration with other Adobe products as much as I could but I think that will change once I get a copy of Thermo.
To be honest it’s only since CS4 that my interest in Fireworks began to grow. In the past I used it now and then, but never as a starting point to develop my websites or applications (often I even designed my websites in Illustrator).
But the addition of Masterpages in FW CS4 is tha bomb. This is an advantage FW has over it’s colleagues. To my opinion there never was a really good program to mock-up, wireframe and finalize webdesigns. But now this has changed.
Also the integration between DW en FW has dramatically improved and even the code generated by FW isn’t mambo-jambo anymore.
Though I see a big problem for the future … CATALYST … Catalyst will have everything an application designer will ever need. With Catalyst he will be able to mock-up layouts in PS, AI of FL without any problem.
The prototyping will thus be done in Catalyst and a lot of designers will never touch FW again, because it isn’t a real “design”-tool.
Fireworks is my primary editing tool for photos. To be honest, I have it set as my default application for images because it loads faster, and I’m never running only the image editor. The batch tool is easier to use and the user interface is faster because it does not have more options that I need 99% of the time. Did I mention it was faster?
I use it as my primary means of doing web graphics for two reasons: 1) I really like it’s simplistic interface and find Photoshop’s a little too complex for my tastes, and 2) It was cheaper to get bundles with Fireworks then Photoshop. Being a developer, Fireworks gives me just enough power to feel like I can do web graphics and if I really need help with something, that’s when I’ll go talk to my designer friends who live in PS.
I use Fireworks for any and all things PNG. I love it! I import images into flash from fireworks and use the “edit in Fireworks” option from flash to toggle back and forth.
Its just easier for me I guess.
I create all of my interface design, graphics, icons and headers in FW and it is my primary (read: ONLY) graphics/mockup utility. I’ve been using it since the Fireworks 4/Dreamweaver 4 days. In my mind, FW, FL and DW have always shared a common “platform” for user interface and that’s extremely valuable to a coder.
Keep FW alive!!! It’s 100% essential to my workflow!
I’m not really a graphics person, but the things I do are much easier to complete in Fireworks over PS. They may not be the most optimized or the best they can be, but they are created quicker and easier because FW has a much easier interface. I’ve taught myself the basics of both FW and PS, and it was much easier to pick up FW and start using it – everything seemed to make sense from the beginning from resizing to changing colors to image editing. PS is probably more powerful, but for a non-designer/image editor, FW is just easier.
Q: What role does Fireworks play in your workflow? As mentioned above by many people, FW is great for a quick and dirty layout/wireframe. You can mock up the basic layout of a site in little to no time at all. PS is a better image creation and editing tool, but FW is where I go when I need to start the design process for a new site.
Q: Where do you find the value of Fireworks and it’s integration with Creative Suite and other Adobe design and development tools? Personally I don’t use much of the FW integration aspects, although after reading the rest of the comments I am going to look into some things.
Where do you find the value of Fireworks and it’s integration with Creative Suite and other Adobe design and development tools?
I am not ashamed to say I prefer FW over Photoshop for quick graphics editing and basic image functions. Maybe it’s because I didn’t “grow up” on PS.
I don’t use the direct integration that much, but having a UI that is consistent with DW helps me tremendously. When I just want to set a consistent width/height for a picture, I know right where to look in FW.
Several years ago, I was excited about the FW tools for creating dropdown menus, but I abandoned this, as the JavaScript was outdated and wonky in many browsers. Of course, now better dropdowns are done with pure CSS and other tools, so who knows what FW does nowadays.
I would love integrated PS filter and effects to be in FW.
Data-driven graphics and batch processing are nice in FW, but PS does batch stuff just as well. Graphics acceleration in PS CS4 is nice, so there are fewer speed issues now between the latest FW and PS versions.
Fireworks is simple and makes my graphics tasks easier than attempting the same thing in PS. Of course I’m a developer so I probably only use about 1% of what Fireworks offers.
Coming from the Macromedia side of the CS suite, I’ve always used Macromedia Studio MX and above. I never got the hang of photoshop, and I was used to the Macromedia style of applications so Fireworks does the trick for me.
I create design examples for clients and internal designs with fireworks. Export all the bits and pieces to jpg’s png’s, gifs and etc and put everything together in dreamweaver of Flex Builder.
For me Fireworks is THE tool for a non designer like me (CF/Flex developer). It has all the stuff I need in a simple way I understand (like flash, dreamweaver and other former Macromedia tools).
Since I have been working with adobe conulting quite a bit I have of course been using FW quite a lot.
The only problem I have with using FW extensively is that doing skins for flex normally for me means doing vectors so it’s more a combination of Flash and Illustrator. If only I could export vector shapes as vector shapes it would be my primary tool.
Also with Catalyst coming it annoys me that I can’t just use FW as my main creative tool.
Fireworks is, and always will be my primary design tool. It’s so quick and extensible, that I can do practically anything I want with it.
I use it for everything from wireframing, prototyping, mockups, & full-designs.
However, I do need to use Photoshop for some design work, especially where text is involved. I was looking forward to CS4 implementing the Adobe Type Engine, but it is buggy, and lacking the full featue-set of PS, so for the time being, I’ll need to continue using PS.
Sadly, the quality of the export is also better in PS, so I find myself having to use that more than I’d like too.
In my current position, I’m regularly required to take the Creative Director’s PS designs to tweak, design additional components for, export, and build in XHTML/CSS. The Photoshop import isn’t perfect, but I can usually get away with it – as long as I also importing a flattened version.
The integration between the suite and Fireworks still has a long way to go in my opinion. Smart Objects from PS and Illustrator would be a huge win, and refining, and consolidating some of the tools is also necessary.
I’ve only recently come to rely on Fireworks as my primary design tool, though there are a few reasons for this.
I’ve had Fireworks since I purchased my first Macromedia Web Bundle (with Flash and Dreamweaver), save for the brief time when it was not part of CS Design Premium edition, but only used it occasionally, usually for slicing or optimizing when Photoshop wasn’t doing a good job.
However when I started my current job, CS4 was just a few weeks away and the Fireworks Beta was out, so I and used it until CS4 shipped and then ordered the suite. Admittedly it was a tough switch from Photoshop, I felt handicapped in a lot of ways, but I started to really appreciate a lot of the rapid prototyping capabilities. The other shift was that my job went from all purpose web/print design, to 100% web/ux design. I now find myself voluntarily opening Fireworks more than Photoshop.
The mockup symbols that come with it; the multiple pages and master pages feature, and being able to apply styles to text are the big things that make me prefer Fireworks over Photoshop for UI design tasks. I think it still has a long way to go before it truly feels like a robust UI design tool, but it’s getting there and so far it’s the best thing I’ve found.
I’d like to see better master page features (multiple masters, master overrides), much better annotation features (I do a lot of wireframes with FW and annotating in FW is either manual, or really kludgy with the built in annotation symbol), and overall better stability (the whole text box shift bug is really annoying – as a designer the last thing you want to see is your layout break itself!). But it really has come a long way and it’s clear that its purpose has shifted. Symbols could be better too, smart object type functionality would be useful. Also historically I’ve preferred Fireworks’ optimized output to Photoshop, but lately it seems like that depends on what you’re exporting, it’s not always the case. Oh well, if I’m not happy with what I see from Fireworks, I try it in Photoshop!
My workflow is usually to create a wireframe in Fireworks (though sometimes I use InDesign, depends on the content), then create the design as a separate file. Going from wireframe to mockup with the same file doesn’t work in my workflow, there are usually too many changes in the way the elemnts are composed to really save any time in editing the same file. When the design is finalized I’ll create a copy from which I make some slices (I do this because I may end up showing/hiding layers to do this), for other elements I copy the contents into a whole new file to create the final production version. I end up with a couple master design files (multiple pages) and several supporting resources like a button template, a text/title template, navigation, and so forth. I never produce HTML or CSS with Fireworks (I think I just prefer to manually write the code, then I understand it better and know what’s there, nothing sneaks in without me seeing it!) or any other visual slicing tool.
I have done Flex development but I used Flash to skin it rather than Fireworks.
Hope that’s helpful!
I have used FW for half a decade (maybe more) for processing images for web use and basic design mockups. I use it probably 10 times for every time i open PS.
Fireworks has a lot of competition these days – mayhaps from the likes of Photoshop.
Yet I like using FW because it is familiar. Loads fairly fast (compared to PS) which is useful when you have programs like Dreamweaver and SQL Server Management Studio etc open at the same time.
It is more feature rich than ever (CS4) and still familiar an comfortable to use.
In fact I rarely bother opening PS since upgrading to the CS4 range. As a web developer and not a profesional photographer FW is fine by me. For everything else (batch renaming for example) I use Corel Paint Shop Pro X12.
And the CS4 products seem much more responsive under the Windows 7 beta too.
Fireworks is, and has been for a long time, my primary image editor. Quite frankly, when I open Photoshop, I don’t even know where to start. With Fireworks, it seems to guide me along. My main use is image editing for Flash/Flex/HTML user interfaces, especially geared towards data-centric applications.
I use Fireworks to create wireframes, mockups, icons and full site designs but also e-mail newsletters and logos. I use the multi page feature to keep record of earlier designs. But when the file gets too big, I save it using a version number and start with a new file. This technique makes it possible to see where a design is coming from and where it is going to.
For smaller sites I use the multi page feature to design each webpage. For larger sites I have one file for each webpage containing multiple versions of that page.
When dealing with an HTML site I define the slices in Fireworks and export the images. I built the HTML code by hand.
For Flash sites I didn’t find the right workflow yet because it seems impossible to export vector stuff to a vector format. So Firework designs for Flash sites often need to be redrawn in Flash.
For picture editing I prefer Lightroom or Photoshop. But for minor editing of a picture as part of a larger design I use Fireworks.
I like the fact that Fireworks uses vectors and that everything is pixel perfect. Also the font and object antialiasing and smoothing features are great! I only wished there was an export feature for Illustrator.
Some of the work I designed purely with Fireworks:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bartclaeys/1455132316/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bartclaeys/1454317177/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bartclaeys/2962955946/
…
I love this application!
What role does Fireworks play in your workflow?
If my content is going to the screen, I can guarantee I am in Fireworks. It’s my application of choice for creating web/screen graphics and web page designs (not web *sites*). I create graphics, edit photos, build interfaces – you name it.
If I am working on high-resolution or print projects, I use Photoshop for my graphics editing.
The application is intuitive, easy to use and well, it’s FUN!
Where do you find the value of Fireworks and it’s integration with Creative Suite and other Adobe design and development tools?
I receive Photoshop designs that need to be converted to web graphics, so PS integration is really important to me. We’ve now got the Adobe Type engine as part of FW, but as has been noted, there are some issues with this new addition.
Continued work on the CSS export option is also very important. This is a major step in CS4 and I’d like to see it further fleshed out.
I’d like to see better export integration with Illustrator, more flexibility in how slices can be added or used in an interactive design, native integration with some – or all – of the PS filters for both Mac and PC.
I’d also like to see better integration with Device Central; seeing as FW is a screen-based graphics editor, this just makes sense.
Funny, I did a blog about this recently. So, my answer would be:
Wireframe to html and PDF for client approval,
Design of vector logos that will be used on the web.
Drawing of headers and other graphics
Design of backgrounds for print and web use.
Site mockups after the client has approved the wireframe.
Some, but minimal image color correction
Graphics only for CSS based sites
Export to CSS via Matt Stow’s export file.
Optimizing of web graphics.
Interface design
Flex interface design and component creation
Come on, Fireworks is the Swiss Army knife of web creation.
Q:What role does Fireworks play in your workflow?
A:I use Fireworks for
Logo designing
Wireframing sites
Exporting out the PDF for review process
Batch processing of files
I have scripts which do automation for me like resizing and watermarking the photos
Optimizing images for file size
Q:Where do you find the value of Fireworks and it’s integration with Creative Suite and other Adobe design and development tools?
A:
Fireworks usage with Dreamweaver and Flash.
Skinning Flex components in Fireworks and directly using it in Flex.
A comment about integration with Device Central is an interesting one.
A. I rarely use FW. If someone would remove it from my computer without telling me about it, it would be months, of not years, before I realized it.
B. Most of the work I do ends up being repurposed for all kinds of output. Illustrator is my hub because I can start there and go anywhere. If I start in FW, then there’s no print workflow. Which would mean I’d just need to recreate my artwork again — not a big fan of that. If I really wanted to constantly redo artwork and struggle to make adjustments, I’d do all my design work in Photoshop instead
Seriously though, there were a few times I tried FW — I’ll start in AI and then try to bring that content into FW — but FW CS4 seems very unstable and keep crashing when I do so. Even with all the workarounds I need employ with Illustrator when it comes to web graphics, I still find it easier and more beneficial to stay in Illustrator.
The only thing I miss is the HTML component library and the advanced CSS export from FW. Put those in Illustrator and I’m a happy clam. But I don’t see any way I’d ever start using FW in earnest.
I use Fireworks mainly for basic image editing and for creating basic screen/web graphics for sites I work on.
For any heavy graphic design/production and layouts I always do in Photoshop CS4.
Fireworks fills the gap between Photoshop, and very basic software. I would be completly stuck without it, and its ease of use for simple tasks is a great time saver.
Harry Northover.
About 4 years ago I switched from Photoshop to Fireworks for all my webdesign and interactive work and I’ve never looked back. I use FW from early mockups to finished layouts. Mainly because the way Fireworks lets me edit and move objects “freely” (as in Illustrator as opposed to Photoshop), I can work so much faster and more effective. That said, there is a lot that could be improved in FW, a lot..
What role does Fireworks play in your workflow?
Primmary webdesign application.
Where do you find the value of Fireworks and it’s integration with Creative Suite and other Adobe design and development tools?
Invaluable:
- Core output deals with design media for the web without the hassle of color profiles and print specifications.
- The latest .psd compatibility (Import/Export) features is top notch as it fills the void in the case clients/colleuges still relying on PS.
- The latest CSS (export) compatibility feature is a step in the right direction and is comparable to working with DW templates.
- The .pdf media output offers a great (quick) delivery method to the client and by-passes cases of having to deal with a number of html files.
- A mingle of Vector and Bitmap workflow – intuitive to work with if you are already familiar with Ps or Ill.
- A variety of Component library (assets), Rich Symbols, and Symbol (Editing) workflow make it easy to manage design elements.
- Streamlined States, Layers and Pages (Master Pages), when used properly with symbols and other assests, can create manageble/lighweight files. I don’t have to create separate files for each page, the Master Page/ Pages feature takes care of this for me.
- If I am designing from an Illustrator spec, a quick copy/and paste of styled type elements is preserved nicely. Otherwise, I can resort to Fw import .ai/.eps option to bring in the entire spec. The option to choose from an Illustrator Artboard is a handy one at times as well.
- Fireworks to Dw merely involves incorporating sliced images, or incorporating a linked Fw asset file from within the Managed Site. Why PS got the Smart Object feature (in Dw) is beyond me? Extend this to all image types (source Fw and Ill) as SO.
H
I agree with a lot of other people here. Fireworks is best tool for creating web graphics. I use Photoshop once in a while if I need some fancy filter or effect, but the vector system in Fireworks surpasses Photoshop and allows for the creation of snazzy images that can be easily edited. Fireworks is this architect’s best friend.
We are strong advocates of Fireworks and use it all day at the studio for every kind of image creation. We rely from time to time on Photoshop’s immense photo editing features and Illustrator & indesign for print work but it is Fireworks’s easy vector and bitmap combination that make it so convenient, fast and a one stop do-it-all. I became a convert while working with another designer in 1999 and was astonished by his ability to work with and edit vector gradients and transparencies. Another pal of mine is convinced that, as a Fireworks user, I represent a fork in the branch of human software that will eventually mutate into something frightening and unrecognizable but I’m staying extremely busy and can meet lots tight deadlines with trusty FW!
Why hasn’t the text-box bug been fixed yet? My use of Fireworks is now zilch while this bug is still there – thanks for nothing Adobe
1 – I use FW everyday-it’s pretty much replaced PS for all my graphic work.
2 – I use it when i make info web page one offs. I love the slice tool and the ability to define the pieces as background css repeats. Which allows me to getting moving quickly in DW. I like how it figures out what graphic object i made can be switched to css for me-saves me time
(To the 2nd or third post person: fireworks now exports css postioning. I barely ever have tables in the generated code now.)
We use the tool to pass files around as we develop web widgets, pages, nav controls.
I like the png files for my flash work as well, it matches flash’s style of multiple objects on a layer rather than one layer per object. Just makes more sense to me. I’d like to see seamless copy and paste with effects between FW an ILLU though. PS is really just there for fine art work i do now.
I use it to whip up Flex skins and flex layouts as well. THen i tweak in Flex Builder. Looking foward to tight Flash Catalyst support via fxg.
> What role does Fireworks play in your workflow?
As a web/interactive design freelancer, I use Fireworks for wireframes, mockups, final comps, Flash design and skinning. I create a lot of full website designs which get handed to builders; generally speaking I’ve found builders to work better with Fireworks, regardless of whether or not they ever used it before I gave them a Fireworks PNG.
> Where do you find the value of Fireworks and it’s integration with Creative Suite and other Adobe design and development tools?
I find it to be a much faster, more efficient, more flexible web design application than PS or AI, and its greatest strength to me is the seamless integration of bitmap and vector, with pages and states — so that’s to say, I don’t integrate with those tools at all, Fireworks basically combines the most useful features and cuts the time in half by staying in one application. I used PS and AI until I got FW with Macromedia Studio MX. Today I pretty much only use PS and AI for print work. I use AI for the occasional vector illustration that can’t be done as easily in Fireworks, and in that regard AI vectors get imported into FW, and I find that process usually fine. I build a lot of Flash applications and motion graphics, and I find that Fireworks integration between Fireworks and Flash remains far better than PS or AI, though there are still some quirks that have been there since MX.
I do not use DW but rarely, and when I do there isn’t much interaction between FW and DW other than exporting slices from FW and importing them in FW.
I love fireworks. I use it for all my daily updates for the websites that I handle. I do a lot of image resizing, and it’s perfect for what I need. ( especially the batch processes ) I always think about switching to photoshop, but fireworks doesn’t really lack anything that I need, so I never made the jump.
I am UI developer and use fireworks daily. From mockups to final fit and finish. I have no desire to work with PSD. Our graphic designer uses PSD, illustrator, etc. FW seems to play well enough with those.
But it crashes every 15 minutes on the Mac (CS4). I am very used to saving often.
For feedback…. the Flex component browser on FW is terrible. As is browsing all other components. You have to click on each one? Allow keyboard nav and to move through the symbols. Also not all the Flex components are in there. I think integrating Flex/Air and FW is where Adobe should be going. I highly doubt catalyst will ever work as advertised.