What s New in Fireworks MX

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What's New in Fireworks MX

The interface change is a welcome addition to Fireworks but there are other features listed here that have made Fireworks even better and easier to use than ever.

Modeless vector and bitmap editing

Fireworks is capable of producing vector images (mathematical formula that calculates the curve of a path between two anchor points) and bitmap images (pixel based). In previous versions of Fireworks you'd frequently have to change from vector to bitmap mode. With Fireworks MX, you no longer have to be conscious of which mode you are working in. When you select a vector tool the mode changes and vice versa for bitmap.

Pop-up menu enhancements

Pop-up menus were first introduced to Fireworks 4. As great as they are, they also had problems, one of the biggest being the absolute positioning of the menus. In other words, when you designed the menu, it would stay in the position it was designed, regardless of the position of the button. If you put the navigation into a Dreamweaver fluid layout, the menus did not change position with the buttons. This has been resolved in Fireworks MX. There are other enhancements such as the ability to change border colors and bevels right from the Pop-Up menu editor, without having to edit the JavaScript.

Property inspector

The Property inspector is a welcome addition to Fireworks MX. If you've used Dreamweaver then this tool isn't new to you. It is open by default at the bottom of your document window. The Property inspector is context sensitive depending on the tool or object selected. It has replaced panels such as the Effects panel, Stroke panel, and Objects panel. You can now edit strokes, fills, and effects all from within the easy-to-use Property inspector.

Quick Export button

A new icon has been added to the top-right corner of the document window, which has shortcuts to export to different applications and file types. You can export for use in Dreamweaver (HTML) and you can even export as Update HTML for Dreamweaver. This way if you change a file that you've inserted into Dreamweaver it will update (if you've exported to the root folder). You can also export to Flash as SWF, or to FreeHand and Director.

Data-Driven Graphics Wizard

Now that Fireworks is extensible, a new command called the Data-Driven Graphics Wizard has been added. You can connect graphics files with XML files to automatically generate graphics.

Extensible

In Fireworks MX you can make custom commands as you could in previous versions, but now you can develop them using an SWF interface. There is also a growing list of commands/extensions available from the Macromedia Exchange. The Align menu, the Data-Driven Graphics Wizard, the Add Arrowheads, Twist and Fade, and Fade Image commands were all made using the extensibility features. You can find more at www.macromedia.com/support/fireworks/ extensibility.html.

Photoshop compatibility

In Fireworks MX you can open and edit Photoshop native PSD file and maintain layers, masks, and text properties. Many of the effects such as drop shadows and bevels are maintained as long as they are supported in Fireworks. You can also export to PSD from Fireworks.

Button symbols with text

You can now add text to a button symbol and change the text in the Property inspector without producing an entirely new symbol. This is a fantastic time-saver. In previous versions, each text change would produce a new symbol (unless you did a workaround method).



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Macromedia Studio MX Bible
Macromedia Studio MX Bible
ISBN: 0764525239
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 491

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