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Photoshop vs. Fireworks - a practical guide

Oct 04, 2009 by maveco | No comments

For years, Photoshop has been the main tool for creating high-fidelity web design visual layouts. Photoshop has a variety of tools that are superb for a single-page treatment, but for large corporate sites with a large amount of common elements, templates and global styles, and the need for prototyping, Fireworks has some stunning features that not only make the process faster and easier, but also integrate more with the entire process.

Common Elements
If you are using an element, such as a panel, more than once in a layout, you can save it as a symbol in a library, and use it as many times as you like. Need to change the panel, you only have to change it once, and the change is appended throughout all instances of the design. Just like Flash.

Rapid Prototyping
You can assign actions and linkages between all pages and symbols in Fireworks, at whatever level (sketch, wireframe) and create a working prototype of just about any object in a website, link the whole thing together and export as a dynamic PDF, HTML/CSS or a multiple of other options including Adobe® AIR™, Adobe have a great tutorial video on this


Fireworks export dialog

Fireworks export panel has a ton of export options including exporting as HTML/CSS for a quick site prototype.


Compression
Fireworks can export stuff tighter and smaller in file size. Web Designer Wall have a great article on Fireworks vs Photoshop Compression

9-slice scaling
9-slice scaling lets you scale vector and bitmap objects without distorting their geometry, retaining the look of key elements like text or rounded corners. The following images are from the Adobe site, as part of this article


9 slice scaling

9-slice scaling guides positioned so that corners aren’t distorted when the button is resized.


9 slice scaling button

After applying 9-slice guides to a symbol, you can nest it in the protected regions of other 9-sliced symbols, creating complex objects that scale perfectly.

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