Welcome to Macromedia Fireworks 2, the solution for professional web graphics design and production.
Use these resources to learn Fireworks quickly:
The Fireworks HTML Help Pages provide comprehensive information about all Fireworks features. For the best experience, we strongly suggest that you use one of these browsers:
Installers for recent versions of these web browsers are included on the Fireworks CD-ROM.
The Fireworks HTML Help Pages make extensive use of JavaScript. Make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your browser. If you plan to use the Search feature, make sure that Java is enabled as well.
The Fireworks HTML Help Pages make extensive use of the Flash Player. If you have not installed the Flash Player for your default web browser, download it from http://www.macromedia.com/software/downloads/ and install it, or install it from the Fireworks CD-ROM.
Use the table of contents to see all information organized by subject. Click top-level entries to view subtopics.
Use the index as you would a traditional printed index to find important terms and go to related topics.
Use Search to find any character string in all topic text. Search requires a 4.0 browser with Java enabled.
Click the Help button in any dialog box or the question mark icon in inspectors, windows, and panels to open a relevant help topic. Alternatively, press F1 on Windows or press the Help key on Macintosh to display a relevant help topic.
When installing Fireworks on the Macintosh, it is recommended that you turn extensions off. Before installing, restart your Macintosh and hold down Shift as your computer starts up.
Click the down arrow next to any color well to display a pop-up set of color
swatches, and choose a color to apply to that color well and any selected objects.
This set of color swatches contain the same colors currently in the Fireworks
Swatches panel.
|
To
|
Do this
|
|---|---|
| Sample a color from anywhere on the screen | Click the Eyedropper button, and then click anywhere on the
screen. (The technique is slightly different on Windows; see note below.) |
| Get a color from the system color picker | Click the Color Picker button, and then choose a color from
the system color picker. |
| Apply transparency | Click the transparency button. |
Use the Shift key in conjunction with the pop-up swatches' Eyedropper tool to shift the sampled color to the nearest web-safe color.
Note for Windows users: To sample colors outside the Fireworks application on Windows, point to the Eyedropper button and then press and hold the mouse button. Continue to hold the mouse button as you drag outside the Fireworks window. Release the mouse button to sample a color. Set your Windows display properties to 32-bit True Color for the best color accuracy.
Fireworks 2 can create image wells for use with Lotus Domino Designer R5. Image wells are GIF or JPEG images that contain up to four states of an image, separated by a single pixel-wide space.
1. Create a Fireworks document with each state of a button as a separate frame, placed underneath a slice object.
2. Choose File > Export Special > Export as Image Well.
3. In the Export dialog box, choose Slice Objects from the Files from pop-up.
Fireworks exports an image well file in the chosen file format, either GIF or JPEG.
To use Photoshop plug-ins within Fireworks: … Add them to the Fireworks\Settings\Xtras folder, or … Create a shortcut (Windows) or alias (Macintosh) to your Photoshop plug-ins in the Fireworks\Settings\Xtras folder, or … Use the Folders > "Additional Materials" preference to target an additional folder to your Photoshop plug-ins. Check Photoshop Plug-Ins, then click the ellipsis button to browse for the Photoshop folder. After any of these options, relaunch Fireworks and choose the Xtras menu to view the commands for available Photoshop plug-ins. Some plug-ins that ship with Photoshop require a DLL in order to be recognized by Fireworks. To enable these plug-ins, copy the file Plugin.DLL from the Photoshop application folder into the Fireworks application folder and relaunch Fireworks.
To disable specific Photoshop plug-ins for Fireworks, add those plug-in names to the Disabled Plug-ins file in the Fireworks\Settings\Xtras folder. When entering a plug-in name, use the name of the actual command as it appears in the Fireworks Xtras menu. To enable a disabled plug-in, remove its name from the Disabled Plug-Ins file, and relaunch Fireworks.
Incompatibilities can arise between Norton Utilities NT and Netware. If you use the Norton Protected Recycle Bin, it may prevent you from saving to Netware shared volumes. We recommend disabling Norton Protected Recycle Bin if you are using Fireworks, Netware, and Norton Utilities NT together.
The Fireworks Preferences file is located in the Fireworks application folder (Windows) or the Preferences folder in your System folder (Macintosh). To use default Preferences, quit Fireworks, delete the Preferences file, and relaunch Fireworks. To reset the configuration of all toolbars on Windows, quit Fireworks, delete the Fireworks.ini file from the Fireworks application folder, and relaunch Fireworks.
Fireworks can generate HTML targeted to a specific HTML editor. Included in this installation are templates for Macromedia Dreamweaver, Microsoft FrontPage, and Generic HTML. HTML output styles may eventually be updated and new ones may become available. To download updated or additional template files, visit http://www.macromedia.com/support/fireworks
The Fireworks clipart has been cataloged for you using Extensis Portfolio 4.0. View it using the free read-only Portfolio browser, which is included in the Goodies folder on the CD-ROM. Run the browser and open the file named Fireworks 2 Clipart.fdb to view the entire clipart collection.
A 30-day trial of the fully functional version of Portfolio is included on the CD-ROM. The full version of Portfolio lets you view, organize, manage, select, and share content with others across networks and platforms. For more information, visit www.extensis.com.
Take a moment to browse through the Goodies folder on the Fireworks 2 CD-ROM. In addition to the clipart, Fireworks styles, textures, patterns, and sample files are provided. The styles are categorized in various ways, such as by color, type, etc.
Open the appropriate FDB file in the Portfolio browser to view thumbnails of the textures, patterns, and sample files. If you did not receive the CD-ROM, download the styles at http://www.macromedia.com/software/fireworks/download/styles
Also included on the CD-ROM are installers for Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Macromedia Flash Player, plus 30-day trial versions of various Macromedia products.
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Copyright © 1999 by Macromedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Fireworks is a registered trademark of Macromedia, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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The Macromedia Fireworks Team