Setting Image-Editing Preferences

As you create Web pages with Dreamweaver, you might find that you need to modify the images that you are using. For extensive editing you will need to open and adjust the image in an external image-editing program. Dreamweaver makes this process easy by providing a quick way for you to open the image in a program you specify.

1.	Choose Dreamweaver Preferences (Macintosh) or Edit > Preferences (Windows) and select File Types/Editors in the Category list of the Preferences dialog box. You can use this dialog box to assign different external programs as the default editors according to the file extensions. Note Production with Dreamweaver 8, Flash, and Fireworks can be integrated through what is known as roundtrip editing, a feature that makes it possible for file updates to be transferred between the programs. For this feature to function, Fireworks must be the default image editor.
2.	Select .gif in the Extensions list. Click the plus (+) button above the Editors list and select an image-editing program such as Fireworks. With the program selected in the application list, click the Make Primary button to set the program as the default editor for all GIF files. Tip To specify an editing program, be sure to use the buttons above the Editors list. The buttons above the Extensions list are for adding other extensions. If you do not have an image-editing program, you can skip this step. If you do have an image-editing program, you should repeat this step for JPEG and PNG files. Note A trial version of Fireworks is also provided on the CD-ROM.
3.	Select the yoga_sangha-title.jpg image.

The Property inspector for images features an Edit button (which looks like a Fireworks icon) in the top half and right side of the panel as well as an option to Optimize In Fireworks. The Edit option provides a quick way to open and modify your images in an external image editor, provided that you have defined a default image editor, as detailed in the previous step.