Fireworks Panels
At first glance, the panels system used in
Fireworks (and the other development applications in the Studio)
can be a bit overwhelming. After you get used to the system,
however, it's just a matter of finding the right panel and you have
all the tools you need grouped together. Let's take a look at some
of the most commonly used panels.
Optimize Panel
The Optimize panel (see Figure 3.48) enables you
to choose from the various compression options that are available
for use when your image is exported. From the panel, you can choose
between the various file types,
color
depths, and file quality.
Layers
Panel
The Layers panel (see Figure 3.49) overlays each
of the objects that exist within the document. Using the Layers
panel, you can adjust the grouping order and choose which layers
should be displayed and which should be hidden. You get a more
extensive
look at the Layers panel in Chapter 4, "Developing
Graphics and Animations."
Assets Panel
The Assets panel provides access to reusable
objects such as shading styles, recently used URLs, custom objects,
and various
shapes
. Using the elements stored in any of the
subpanels is as easy as dragging them into your workspace.
Styles Tab
The Styles tab (see Figure 3.50) enables you to
easily apply custom fills, gradients, and coloring to your
Fireworks objects. To apply a style, simply select your object and
click the style you would like applied to it.
URL Tab
Typing in the same URL over and over can become
a
tedious
task when developing web objects within Fireworks.
Luckily, Fireworks 8 remembers the URLs that you have used in the
past and stores them in the URL tab (see Figure 3.51). To apply a
URL, simply choose a hotspot or slice and select the URL from the
drop-down list. You can even create your own custom URL libraries
that contain URLs for different uses.
Library Tab
The Library tab (see Figure 3.52) saves
information about symbols that are stored in the current document.
Each symbol has a name and a type, and can be reused if you drag it
from the panel onto the canvas. The objects in the Library can be
sorted by
name
or by type if you click on the appropriate column
header and click the Toggle Sorting button.
Shapes Tab
The Shapes tab (see Figure 3.53) stores the Auto
Shapes that supplement those available with the Auto Shape tools.
You can download additional Auto Shapes by clicking the menu on the
Shapes tab and choosing Get More Auto Shapes.
Frames
and History Panel
The Frames and History panel enables you to
track the animation frames that you have created and to also view
the actions you have taken in developing your images.
Frames Tab
The Frames tab (see Figure 3.54) displays
information about the frames you have created toward animating your
images. For a complete overview of how frames can be used to
develop animations, check out Chapter 7, "Putting It All Together:
The Images and Page Layout for Retro's Cycles."
History Tab
The History tab (see Figure 3.55) enables you to
review the steps you have taken in developing your images. The
number of steps that are stored is based on the preferences you set
for Fireworks in the Preferences dialog box (Edit, Preferences). By
default, Fireworks 8 stores 20 steps, and you can move through the
steps and see them replayed by moving the slider on the left side
up or down. If you want to replay a set of steps, select them and
click the Replay button. You can also save and reuse steps at a
later time by selecting the steps and clicking the Save Steps As
Command icon.
|