| Article Index |
|---|
| Review: Macromedia (Adobe) Studio 8 |
| Flash 8 |
| Fireworks/Contribute/FlashPaper |
| Conclusion |
| All Pages |
Fireworks 8
As an avid PhotoShop user I've always passed over Fireworks, not because it is inferior, but because PS did everything I needed, so there was no need to learn/use anything else. Plus as most of my source artwork is in PS there seemed little point in pulling it into a third party app that is aimed at the web market when PS has slicing and 'save for web'. The latest version benefits from improved CSS support akin to Dreamweaver, and has some impressive new effects, such as 25 new blend modes (burns, dodges etc) and shadowing. Fireworks also generates a great deal of JavaScript code automatically when designing user interfaces.
The interface hasn't really been breathed upon - more of a light kiss, as at first glance it looks exactly the same as its predecessor. A closer look unveils some subtle changes, such as the collabsible menus. Integration from within Dreamweaver is also tighter, with the ability to open graphics in Fireworks from within Dreamweaver.
Contribute 3
This is a slightly strange inclusion into the Studio suite, given that it will be aimed at the higher end user, however that doesn't detract from the power of this product. Contribute is best described as the daughter of Dreamweaver and a cross between Word and a Web browser. A site written by Dreamweaver can be enabled for 'Contribute compatibility'. Contribute users can then receive a key that allows them to browse their company's website and edit pages in a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) environment. While the application is simple enough to use it will have a massive impact for small businesses that previously subcontracted any changes to their website, often paying two or three figure sums each time. Version 3 has not seen a major change over v2, although startup time has improved considerably, and user management/roles is still one of its stronger points.
Flashpaper 2
While this is deemed an application in its own right, it is little more than a printer driver. You can create a Flashpaper document from any application simply by printing to the Flashpaper 'printer' or dragging a file onto the Flashpaper application window. This then creates a document that is small in size. You can also create PDFs (with security). One benefit of Flashpaper over a PDF file is that you can embed it into a part of a web page, rather than a PDF which would generally open in an entire browser window. Personally I cannot see the benefit of Flashpaper over PDF, although there is little that is negative about this product.