This user guide is protected under copyright law, furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a
commitment by Adobe Systems Incorporated. Adobe Systems Incorporated assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear
in the informational content contained in this guide.
This user guide is licensed for use under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 License. This License allows users to copy,
distribute, and transmit the user guide for noncommercial purposes only so long as (1) proper attribution to Adobe is given as the owner of the user guide; and
(2) any reuse or distribution of the user guide contains a notice that use of the user guide is governed by these terms. The best way to provide notice is to include
the following link. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Adobe, the Adobe logo, Adobe AIR, Acrobat, ActionScript, Creative Suite, Director, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash, Flex, Flex Builder, Freehand, GoLive,
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Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.
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either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
Updated Information/Additional Third Party Code Information available at http://www.adobe.com/go/thirdparty.
This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).
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MPEG Layer-3 audio coding technology licensed from Fraunhofer IIS and Thomson.
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Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, CA 95110-2704, USA. For U.S. Government End Users, Adobe agrees to comply with all applicable
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Chapter 1: Resources
Adobe® Fireworks® delivers an efficient design environment for rapidly prototyping websites and user interfaces, and
for creating and optimizing images for the web. Fireworks offers the flexibility to edit both vector and bitmap images,
a common library of prebuilt assets, and time-saving integration with Adobe Photoshop®, Adobe Illustrator®, Adobe
Dreamweaver®, and Adobe Flash® Professional software.
Activation and registration
Help with installation
For help with installation issues, see the Installation Support Center at www.adobe.com/go/cs4install.
License activation
During the installation process, your Adobe software contacts Adobe to complete the license activation process. No
personal data is transmitted. For more information on product activation, visit the Adobe website at
www.adobe.com/go/activation.
1
A single-user retail license activation supports two computers. For example, you can install the product on a desktop
computer at work and on a laptop computer at home. If you want to install the software on a third computer, first
deactivate it on one of the other two computers. Choose Help
> Deactivate.
Register
Register your product to receive complimentary installation support, notifications of updates, and other services.
❖ To register, follow the on-screen instructions in the Registration dialog box, which appears after you install the
software.
If you postpone registration, you can register at any time by choosing Help > Registration.
Adobe Product Improvement Program
After you have used your Adobe software a certain number of times, a dialog box appears, asking whether you want
to participate in the Adobe Product Improvement Program.
If you choose to participate, data about your use of Adobe software is sent to Adobe. No personal information is
recorded or sent. The Adobe Product Improvement Program only collects information about the features and tools
that you use in the software and how often you use them.
You can opt in to or opt out of the program at any time:
• To participate, choose Help > Adobe Product Improvement Program and click Yes, Participate.
• To stop participating, choose Help > Adobe Product Improvement Program and click No, Thank You.
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ReadMe
A ReadMe file for your software is available on-line and on the installation disc. Open the file to read important
information about topics such as the following:
• System requirements
• Installation (including uninstalling the software)
• Activation and registration
• Font installation
• Troubleshooting
• Customer support
• Legal notices
Help and support
Community Help
Community Help is an integrated environment on Adobe.com that gives you access to community-generated content
moderated by Adobe and industry experts. Comments from users help guide you to an answer.
2
Community Help draws on a number of resources, including:
• Videos, tutorials, tips and techniques, blogs, articles, and examples for designers and developers.
• Complete on-line product Help, which is updated regularly by the Adobe documentation team.
• All other content on Adobe.com, including knowledgebase articles, downloads and updates, Developer
Connection, and more.
Choose Help > product name Help in the application to access the Help and Support page, the portal to all of the
Community Help content for your product. You can also use the Help search field in some Creative Suite 4
applications, or press F1 (Windows), to access Community Help for your product.
The sites searched by the default Community Help search engine are hand-selected and reviewed for quality by Adobe
and Adobe Community Experts. Adobe experts also work to ensure that the top search results include a mixture of
different kinds of content, including results from on-line product Help.
For more information on using Community Help, see http://help.adobe.com/en_US/CommunityHelp/.
For a video overview of Community Help, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4117_xp.
For frequently asked questions about Community Help, see http://community.adobe.com/help/profile/faq.html
Product Help
Adobe provides a comprehensive user guide for each product in several formats, including on-line product Help, PDF,
and printed book. Results from on-line product Help are included in your results whenever you search Community Help.
If you’re connected to the Internet, the Help menu within the product opens the product Help and Support page by
default. This page is a portal to all of the Community Help content for the product. If you want to consult or search
on-line product Help only, you can access it by clicking the product Help link in the upper-right corner of the Help
and Support page. Be sure to select the This Help System Only option before you do your search.
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If you’re not connected to the Internet, the Help menu within the product opens local Help, a subset of the content
available in on-line product Help. Because local Help is not as complete or up-to-date as on-line product Help, Adobe
recommends that you use the PDF version of product Help if you want to stay offline. A downloadable PDF of
complete product Help is available from two places:
• The product’s Help and Support page (upper-right corner of the page)
• Local and web Help (top of the Help interface)
For more information on accessing product help, see http://help.adobe.com/en_US/CommunityHelp/.
If you are working in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Fireworks, or Dreamweaver, and you want to turn
off Community Help so that local Help opens by default, do the following:
1 Open the Connections panel (Window > Extensions > Connections).
2 From the Connections panel menu , select Offline Options.
3 Select Keep Me Offline and click OK.
Note: When you disable web services from the Connections panel, all other web services (such as Adobe Kuler and Adobe
ConnectNow) are also disabled.
Printed resources
Printed versions of the complete on-line product Help are available for the cost of shipping and handling at
www.adobe.com/go/store.
3
Support resources
Visit the Adobe Support website at www.adobe.com/support to learn about free and paid technical support options.
Services, downloads, and extras
You can enhance your product by integrating a variety of services, plug-ins, and extensions in your product. You can
also download samples and other assets to help you get your work done.
Adobe creative on-line services
Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 includes new on-line features that bring the power of the web to your desktop. Use these
features to connect with the community, collaborate, and get more from your Adobe tools. Powerful creative on-line
services let you complete tasks ranging from color matching to data conferencing. The services seamlessly integrate
with desktop applications so you can quickly enhance existing workflows. Some services offer full or partial
functionality when you’re offline too.
Visit Adobe.com to learn more about available services. Some Creative Suite 4 applications include these initial
offerings:
Kuler™ panel Quickly create, share, and explore color themes on-line.
Adobe® ConnectNow Collaborate with dispersed working teams over the web, sharing voice, data, and multimedia.
Resource Central Instantly access tutorials, sample files, and extensions for Adobe digital video applications.
For information on managing your services, see the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/go/learn_creativeservices_en.
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Adobe Exchange
Visit the Adobe Exchange at www.adobe.com/go/exchange to download samples as well as thousands of plug-ins and
extensions from Adobe and third-party developers. The plug-ins and extensions can help you automate tasks,
customize workflows, create specialized professional effects, and more.
Adobe downloads
Visit www.adobe.com/go/downloads to find free updates, tryouts, and other useful software.
Adobe Labs
Adobe Labs at www.adobe.com/go/labs gives you the opportunity to experience and evaluate new and emerging
technologies and products from Adobe. At Adobe Labs, you have access to resources such as these:
• Prerelease software and technologies
• Code samples and best practices to accelerate your learning
• Early versions of product and technical documentation
• Forums, wiki-based content, and other collaborative resources to help you interact with like-minded users.
Adobe Labs fosters a collaborative software development process. In this environment, customers quickly become
productive with new products and technologies. Adobe Labs is also a forum for early feedback. The Adobe
development teams use this feedback to create software that meets the needs and expectations of the community.
4
Adobe TV
Visit Adobe TV at http://tv.adobe.com to view instructional and inspirational videos.
Extras
The installation disc contains a variety of extras to help you make the most of your Adobe software. Some extras are
installed on your computer during the setup process; others are located on the disc.
To view the extras installed during the setup process, navigate to the application folder on your computer.
• Mac OS®: [startup drive]/Applications/[Adobe application]
To view the extras on the disc, navigate to the Goodies folder in your language folder on the disc. Example:
• /English/Goodies/
What's new in Fireworks CS4
Improved performance, stability
Work faster, smarter with Fireworks overall performance enhancements from file open and save, to symbol update
and intensive bitmap and vector operations.
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New user interface
Switch from other Creative Suite applications—like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Flash—with the ease and familiarity of
universal user interface design.
CSS based layouts
Design complete Web pages in Fireworks’ robust graphic environment and then export web standards compliant,
CSS-based layouts, complete with external style sheets in one step. Start with one of the six most common layouts and
integrate foreground and background graphics with automatic margin and padding detection. Drop HTML rich
symbols on your Fireworks layouts to specify headings, links, and form properties for precise CSS control.
PDF Export
Generate high-fidelity, interactive, secure PDF documents from your Fireworks design comps for enhanced client
communication.
Adobe Type Engine
Produce superior type designs with the enhanced typesetting capabilities of the Adobe Type Engine, familiar to users
of Photoshop and Illustrator, and now in Fireworks. Import or copy/paste double-byte characters from Adobe
Illustrator or Photoshop without loss of fidelity. Float text inside a path for high impact text logos.
5
Live styles
Take a Fireworks object or text with professionally designed styles or your own custom collection. Update applied
effects, colors, and text attributes by modifying a single style source.
Workspace improvements
Smart Guides for swift, accurate positioning and measurement of guides and elements on the canvas: heads-up display
lets you know where you are on the canvas as you drag guides in place. In-place symbol editing for precise symbol
refinement in context with the rest of your design; expansive 9-slice scaling tool now applies to any object on the
canvas, not just symbols.
Adobe AIR authoring
Create your Adobe AIR prototype directly within Fireworks as a click-through mock-up, ready to be deployed to
HTML and CSS, Flex, or SWF.
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Chapter 2: Fireworks basics
About working in Fireworks
Adobe® Fireworks® is a versatile program for creating, editing, and optimizing web graphics. You can create and edit
both bitmap and vector images, design web effects such as rollovers and pop-up menus, crop and optimize graphics
to reduce their file size, and save time by automating repetitive tasks. You can export or save a document as a JPEG
file, GIF file, or file of another format. These files can be saved along with HTML files containing HTML tables and
JavaScript code so you can use them on the web.
For a video tutorial that introduces Fireworks basics, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4032_fw.
Draw and edit vector and bitmap objects
The Fireworks Tools panel includes distinct sections containing tools for drawing and editing vectors and bitmaps.
The tool you select determines whether the object you create is a vector or a bitmap. After drawing an object or text,
you can use a wide array of tools, effects, commands, and techniques to enhance your graphics or to create interactive
navigation buttons.
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You can also import and edit graphics in JPEG, GIF, PNG, PSD, and many other file formats.
Add interactivity to graphics
Slices and hotspots are web objects that specify interactive areas in a web graphic. Slices cut an image into exportable
sections to which you can apply rollover behaviors, animation, and Uniform Resource Locator (URL) links. On a web
page, each slice appears in a table cell.
Use the drag-and-drop rollover handles on slices and hotspots to quickly assign swap image and rollover behaviors to
graphics. Use the Fireworks Button Editor and Pop-up Menu Editor to build special interactive graphics for navigating
websites.
Optimize and export graphics
Use the powerful optimization features of Fireworks to achieve the right balance between file size and acceptable visual
quality for exported graphics. The type of optimization you choose depends on the needs of your users and the content.
After you optimize your graphics, the next step is to export them for use on the web. From your Fireworks source PNG
document, you can export files of a number of types, including JPEG, GIF, animated GIF, and HTML tables containing
sliced images in multiple file types.
Vector and bitmap graphics
Computers display graphics in either vector or bitmap format. Understanding the difference between the two formats
helps you understand Fireworks, which contains both vector and bitmap tools and is capable of opening or importing
both formats.
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About vector graphics
Vector graphics render images using lines and curves (vectors) that include color and position information. For
example, the image of a leaf can be defined by a series of points that describe the outline of the leaf. The color of the
leaf is determined by the color of its outline (the stroke) and the color of the area enclosed by the outline (the fill).
Vector graphics are resolution-independent. That means the quality of a vector graphic's appearance won't change
when you change its color; move, resize, or reshape it; or when the resolution of the output device changes.
About bitmap graphics
Bitmap graphics are composed of dots (pixels) arranged in a grid. Your computer screen is a large grid of pixels. In a
bitmap version of the leaf, the image is determined by the location and color value of each pixel in the grid. Each pixel
is assigned a color. When viewed at the correct resolution, the dots fit together like tiles in a mosaic.
7
When you edit a bitmap graphic, you modify pixels rather than lines and curves. These bitmap graphics are resolutiondependent, which means that the data describing the image is fixed to a grid of a particular size. Enlarging a bitmap
graphic redistributes the pixels in the grid, which can make the edges of the image appear ragged. Displaying a bitmap
graphic on an output device with a lower resolution than the image itself can also degrade the image's quality.
Creating a new Fireworks document
New documents in Fireworks are saved as Portable Network Graphic (PNG) documents. PNG is the native file format
for Fireworks.
Graphics created in Fireworks can be exported to or saved in several web and graphic formats. Regardless of the
optimization and export settings you select, the original Fireworks PNG file is preserved to allow easy editing later.
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Create a new document
1 Select File > New.
The New Document dialog box opens.
2 Enter document settings and click OK.
Note: Use the Custom color box pop-up window to select a custom canvas color.
8
Create a new document the same size as an object on the Clipboard
1 Copy an object to the Clipboard from another Fireworks document, a web browser, or from any application that is
acceptable for pasting.
2 Select File > New.
The New Document dialog box opens with the width and height dimensions of the object on the Clipboard.
3 Set the resolution and canvas color, and click OK.
4 Select Edit > Paste to paste the object from the Clipboard into the new document.
Opening and importing files
Note: When you import a file from Adobe Dreamweaver®, Fireworks preserves many, but not all JavaScript behaviors. If
Fireworks supports a particular behavior, it recognizes that behavior and maintains it when you move a file back to
Dreamweaver.
Open a Fireworks document
❖ Select File > Open and select the file.
To open a file without overwriting the previous version, select Open As Untitled, and then save the file using a different
name.
Open a recently closed file
1 Select File > Open Recent.
2 Select a file from the submenu.
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Open a recently closed file when no files are open
❖ Click the file name on the Start page.
Open graphics created in other applications
You can open files created in other applications or file formats, including Photoshop®, Adobe FreeHand®, Adobe
Illustrator®, WBMP, EPS, JPEG, GIF, and animated GIF files.
When you open a file format other than PNG using File > Open, you create a new Fireworks PNG document based on
the file you open. You can use all of the features of Fireworks to edit the image. You can then either select Save As to
save your work as a new Fireworks PNG file or as another file format.
In some cases, you can save the file in its original format. If you do this, the image flattens to a single layer, and you
will be unable to edit the Fireworks-specific features you added to the image.
The following file formats can be saved directly from Fireworks: Fireworks PNG, GIF, animated GIF, JPEG, BMP,
WBMP, TIFF, SWF, AI, PSD, and PICT (Mac only).
Note: Fireworks saves 16-bit TIFF images at 24-bit color depth.
Animated GIFs
• Import an animated GIF as an animation symbol and then edit and move all the elements of the animation as a
single unit. Use the Document Library panel to create new instances of the symbol.
Note: When you import an animated GIF, the state delay setting defaults to 0.07 seconds. If necessary, use the States
panel to restore the original timing.
9
• Open an animated GIF as you would open a normal GIF file. Each element of the GIF is placed as a separate image
in its own Fireworks state. You can convert the graphic to an animation symbol in Fireworks.
EPS files
Fireworks opens most EPS files as flattened bitmap images in which all objects are combined on a single layer. Some
EPS files exported from Adobe Illustrator retain their vector information.
PSD files
Fireworks can open PSD files created in Photoshop and preserve most PSD features, including hierarchical layers,
layer effects, and commonly used blend modes.
WBMP files
Fireworks can open WBMP files, which are 1-bit (monochrome) files optimized for mobile computing devices. This
format is for use on Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) pages.
You can use the Import Multiple Files extension to import multiple selected files into new pages of a Fireworks PNG
file. This utility helps you aggregate your project files created in earlier versions of Fireworks. You can also import
flattened PNG file, PSD, AI, BMP, Freehand, GIF, animated GIF, JPEG, PICT, and TIFF formats. You can download this
extension from
Fireworks can open and import HTML content created in other applications that contain basic HTML table elements.
Open all tables of an HTML file
1 Select File > Reconstitute Table.
2 Select the HTML file that contains the tables you want to open, and click Open.
Each of the tables opens in its own document window.
Open only the first table of an HTML file
1 Select File > Open.
2 Select the HTML file that contains the table you want to open, and click Open.
The first table in the HTML file opens in a new document window.
Import the first table of an HTML file into an open Fireworks document
1 Select File > Import.
2 Select the HTML file you want to import from, and click Open.
3 Click to place the insertion point where you want the imported table to appear.
Note: Fireworks can import documents that use UTF-8 encoding and those that are written in XHTML.
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Insert objects into a Fireworks document
Drag an image or text into Fireworks
You can drag vector objects, bitmap images, or text from any application that supports dragging.
❖ From the other application, drag the object or text into Fireworks.
Paste into Fireworks
Pasting an object copied from another application into Fireworks places the object in the center of the active
document.
Text or objects in any of these formats can be pasted from the Clipboard:
• Adobe FreeHand 7 or later
• Adobe Illustrator
• PNG
• PICT (Mac OS)
• DIB (Windows)
• BMP (Windows)
• ASCII text
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• EPS
• WBMP
• TXT
• RTF
1 In the other application, copy the object or text that you want to paste.
2 In Fireworks, paste the object or text into your document.
Location of pasted objects
The placement of the pasted object depends on what is selected:
• If at least one object on a single layer is selected, the pasted object is placed in front of (stacked directly above) the
selected object on the same layer.
• If the layer itself is selected and either no objects or all objects are selected, the pasted object is placed in front of
(stacked directly above) the topmost object on the same layer.
• If two or more objects on more than one layer are selected, the pasted object is placed in front of (stacked directly
above) the topmost object in the topmost layer.
• If the Web Layer or an object on the Web Layer is selected, the pasted object is placed in front of (stacked above)
all other objects on the bottommost layer.
Note: The Web Layer is a special layer that contains all web objects. It always remains at the top of the Layers panel.
11
Resample pasted objects
Resampling adds pixels to or subtracts pixels from a resized bitmap to match the appearance of the original bitmap as
closely as possible. Resampling a bitmap to a higher resolution typically causes little loss of quality. Resampling to a
lower resolution always causes data loss and usually results in a drop in quality.
Resample a bitmap object by pasting
1 Copy the bitmap to the Clipboard in Fireworks or another program.
2 Select Edit > Paste in Fireworks.
3 If the bitmap image on the Clipboard has a different resolution than the current document does, choose a resample
option.
Resample Maintains the original width and height of the pasted bitmap, adding, or subtracting pixels as necessary.
Don't Resample Maintains all the original pixels, which may make the relative size of the pasted image larger or
smaller than expected.
Import a PNG file into a Fireworks document layer
When you import Fireworks PNG files into the current layer of the active Fireworks document, hotspot objects and
slice objects are placed on the document's Web Layer. Fireworks retains the proportions of the imported image.
1 In the Layers panel, select the layer into which you want to import the file.
2 Select File > Import to open the Import dialog box.
3 Navigate to the file you want to import and click Open.
4 On the canvas, position the import pointer where you want to place the upper left corner of the image.
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5 Do one of the following:
• Click to import the full-size image.
• Drag the import pointer to resize the image as you import.
Import from a digital camera or scanner
You can import images from a digital camera or scanner only if it is TWAIN compliant (Windows) or uses built-in
Image Capture capability (Mac OS). Images imported into Fireworks from a digital camera or scanner open as new
documents.
Before you try to import images into Fireworks, install all required software drivers, modules, and plug-ins for the
camera or scanner.
The Plug-ins folder is located inside the Fireworks application folder. In Mac OS, Fireworks automatically looks for
Photoshop Acquire plug-ins in that folder.
Direct Fireworks to Photoshop Acquire plug-ins
1 In Fireworks, select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Fireworks > Preferences (Mac OS).
2 Click the Plug-ins category.
3 Select Photoshop Plug-Ins and navigate to the folder containing the plug-ins.
If the Select The Photoshop Plug-ins Folder (Windows) or Choose A Folder (Mac OS) dialog box doesn't open
automatically, browse to the folder.
12
Import an image from a digital camera (Windows)
1 Connect the camera to your computer.
2 In Fireworks, select File > Scan, and then select either Twain Acquire or Twain Select.
3 Select the source for the images and the images you want to import.
The user interface for your camera software appears.
4 Follow the instructions to apply settings.
Import an image from a digital camera (Mac OS)
1 Connect the camera to your computer.
2 In Fireworks, select File > Acquire, and then select either Camera Acquire or Camera Select.
3 Select the camera and the images you want to import.
4 Follow the instructions to apply settings.
Import an image from a scanner
1 Connect the scanner to your computer.
2 Install the software that accompanies the scanner if you have not already done so.
3 Do one of the following:
• (Windows) In Fireworks, select File > Scan, and then select either Twain Acquire or Twain Select.
• (Mac OS) In Fireworks, select File > Acquire, and then select either Twain Acquire or Twain Select.
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Note: For most TWAIN modules or Photoshop Acquire plug-ins, additional dialog boxes prompt you to set other
options.
4 Follow the instructions to apply settings.
Saving Fireworks files
When you create a document or open files in formats like PSD or HTML, the File > Save command creates a Fireworks
PNG file. Fireworks PNG files have the following advantages:
• The source PNG file is always editable. You can go back and make additional changes even after you export the file
for use on the web.
• You can slice complex graphics into pieces in the PNG file and export them as multiple files with different file
formats and various optimization settings.
If Fireworks takes time to save a complex document, you can edit other open documents while the save operation
completes.
Save a Fireworks PNG file for use in an earlier version
1 Select File > Export.
2 Browse to the location where you want to save the file.
3 If the Fireworks file has more than one page, select Pages To Files in the Export pop-up menu.
4 Select either Images or Fireworks PNG in the Export As pop-up menu. If you select Images, each page is saved in
the default file format. This file format can be set using the Optimize panel. For more information see
and exporting” on page 212.
All objects on the top-level layers are saved in the export. Items on sublayers are not exported.
“Optimizing
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Save all open documents
You can save all open documents even while continuing to work on them and specify filenames for any unnamed
documents. Documents that have changed since the last save appear with an asterisk (*) against the filename on the
document tab.
❖ Select Commands > Save All.
Note: You can use the Fireworks Auto Backup utility to automatically back up all open Fireworks documents. Download
the utility from Adobe AIR Marketplace at
If you use File > Open to open a file in a format other than PNG, you can later select File > Save As to save your work
as a new Fireworks PNG file, or you can select a different format.
For the following file types, you can choose File > Save to save the document in its original format: Fireworks PNG,
GIF, animated GIF, JPEG, BMP, WBMP, TIFF, SWF, AI, PSD, and PICT (Mac OS only). Fireworks saves 16-bit TIFF
images at 24-bit color depth.
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Note: If you save a PNG file as a bitmap file such as a GIF or JPEG, the graphic objects you manipulated in the PNG are
no longer available in the bitmap file. To revise the image, edit the source PNG file and then export it again.
Add a picture frame
1 Select Commands > Creative > Add Picture Frame.
2 Select a pattern and set the frame size.
3 Click OK.
Reset warning messages
If you have disabled warning messages from reappearing, you can re-enable the messages.
❖ Select Commands > Reset Warning Dialogs.
Take screenshot (Windows only)
1 Select Commands > Take Screenshot.
2 Switch to the window you want to take a screenshot of.
3 Click OK and then drag to select the area of the window.
4 Paste the clipboard contents on to the canvas or any image editing application.
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Chapter 3: Workspace
Workspace basics
Fireworks workspace overview
When you open a document in Adobe® Fireworks® for the first time, the workspace includes the Tools panel, Property
inspector, menus, and other panels. The Tools panel, on the left of the screen, contains labeled categories, including
bitmap, vector, and web tool groups. The Property inspector appears along the bottom of the document by default and
initially displays document properties. It then changes to display properties for a newly selected tool or currently
selected object as you work in the document. The panels are initially docked in groups along the right side of the screen.
The document window appears in the center of the program.
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The Start page
When you start Fireworks without opening a document, the Fireworks Start page appears in the work environment.
The Start page gives you quick access to Fireworks tutorials, recent files, and Fireworks Exchange, where you can add
new capabilities to some Fireworks features. To disable the start page, click Don't Show Again when the Start page
opens.
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About Fireworks panels
Panels are floating controls that help you edit aspects of a selected object or elements of the document. Panels let you
work on states, layers, symbols, color swatches, and more. Each panel is draggable, so you can group panels in custom
arrangements.
Optimize panel Lets you manage the settings that control size and type of a file and work with the color palette of the
file or slice.
Layers panel Organizes the structure of a document and contains options for creating, deleting, and manipulating
layers.
Common Library panel Displays the contents of the Common Library folder, which contains symbols. You can easily
drag instances of these symbols from the Document Library panel to your document.
Pages panel Displays the pages in the current file and contains options for manipulating pages.
States panel Displays the states in the current file and includes options for creating animations.
History panel Lists commands you have recently used so that you can quickly undo and redo them. In addition, you
can select multiple actions, and then save and reuse them as commands.
Auto Shapes panel Contains Auto Shapes that are not displayed in the Tools panel.
Styles panel Lets you store and reuse combinations of object characteristics or select a stock style.
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Document Library panel Contains graphic symbols, button symbols, and animation symbols that are already in the
current Fireworks document. You can easily drag instances of these symbols from the Document Library panel to your
document. You can make global changes to all instances by modifying only the symbol.
URL panel Lets you create libraries containing frequently used URLs.
Color Mixer panel Lets you create new colors to add to the color palette of the current document or to apply to selected
objects.
Swatches panel Manages the color palette of the current document.
Info panel Provides information about the dimensions of selected objects and the exact coordinates of the pointer as
you move it across the canvas.
Behaviors panel Manages behaviors, which determine what hotspots and slices do in response to mouse movement.
Find panel Lets you search for and replace elements such as text, URLs, fonts, and colors in a document or multiple
documents.
Align panel Contains controls for aligning and distributing objects on the canvas.
Auto Shape Properties panel Lets you change the properties of an Auto Shape after you insert one into your
document.
Color Palette panel (Window > Others) Enables you to create and swap color palettes, export custom ACT color
swatches, explore various color schemes and access commonly used controls for choosing colors.
Image Editing (Window > Others) Organizes common tools and options used for bitmap editing into one panel.
Path panel (Window > Others) Provides quick access to many path-related commands.
Special Characters (Window > Others) Displays the special characters that can be used in text blocks.
Symbol Properties Manages the customizable properties of graphic symbols.
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Workspace overview
You create and manipulate your documents and files using various elements, such as panels, bars, and windows. Any
arrangement of these elements is called a workspace. The workspaces of the different applications in Adobe® Creative
Suite® 4 share the same appearance so that you can move between the applications easily. You can also adapt each
application to the way you work by selecting from several preset workspaces or by creating one of your own.
Although the default workspace layout varies in different products, you manipulate the elements much the same way
in all of them.
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A
E
F
BDC
G
H
Default Illustrator workspace
A. Tabbed Document windows B. Application bar C. Workspace switcher D. Panel title bar E. Control panel F. Tools panel G. Collapse To
Icons button H. Four panel groups in vertical dock
• The Application bar across the top contains a workspace switcher, menus (Windows only), and other application
controls. On the Mac for certain products, you can show or hide it using the Window menu.
• The Tools panel contains tools for creating and editing images, artwork, page elements, and so on. Related tools are
grouped.
• The Control panel displays options for the currently selected tool. The Control panel is also known as the options
bar in Photoshop. (Adobe Flash®, Adobe Dreamweaver®, and Adobe Fireworks® have no Control panel.)
• Flash, Dreamweaver, and Fireworks have a Property inspector that displays options for the currently selected
element or tool.
• The Document window displays the file you’re working on. Document windows can be tabbed and, in certain cases,
grouped and docked.
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• Panels help you monitor and modify your work. Examples include the Timeline in Flash, the Layers panel in Adobe
Photoshop®, and the CSS Styles panel in Dreamweaver. Panels can be grouped, stacked, or docked.
• On the Mac, the Application frame groups all the workspace elements in a single, integrated window that lets you
treat the application as a single unit. When you move or resize the Application frame or any of its elements, all the
elements within it respond to each other so none overlap. Panels don’t disappear when you switch applications or
when you accidentally click out of the application. If you work with two or more applications, you can position each
application side by side on the screen or on multiple monitors. If you prefer the traditional, free-form user interface
of the Mac, you can turn off the Application frame. In Adobe Illustrator®, for example, select Window > Application
Frame to toggle it on or off. (In Flash, the Application frame is on permanently. Dreamweaver does not use an
Application frame.)
Hide or show all panels
• (Illustrator, Adobe InCopy®, Adobe InDesign®, Photoshop, Fireworks)To hide or show all panels, including the
Tools panel and Control panel, press
• (Illustrator, InCopy, InDesign, Photoshop) To hide or show all panels except the Tools panel and Control panel,
press Shift+Tab.
You can temporarily display hidden panels if Auto-Show Hidden Panels is selected in Interface preferences. It’s
always on in Illustrator. Move the pointer to the edge of the application window (Windows®) or to the edge of the
monitor (Mac
OS®) and hover over the strip that appears.
Tab.
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• (Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks) To hide or show all panels, press F4.
Display panel options
❖ Click the panel menu icon in the upper-right corner of the panel.
You can open a panel menu even when the panel is minimized.
(Illustrator) Adjust panel brightness
❖ In User Interface preferences, move the Brightness slider. This control affects all panels, including the Control
panel.
Reconfigure the Tools panel
You can display the tools in the Tools panel in a single column, or side by side in two columns. (This feature is not
available in the Tools panel in Fireworks and Flash.)
In InDesign and InCopy, you also can switch from single-column to double-column (or single-row) display by setting
an option in Interface preferences.
❖ Click the double arrow at the top of the Tools panel.
Manage windows and panels
You can create a custom workspace by moving and manipulating Document windows and panels. You can also save
workspaces and switch among them.
Note: The following examples use Photoshop for demonstration purposes. The workspace behaves the same in all the
products.
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A
B
C
Narrow blue drop zone indicates Color panel will be docked on its own above the Layers panel group.
A. Title bar B. Tab C. Drop zone
In Photoshop, you can change the font size of the text in the Control panel, in the panels, and in tool tips. Choose a
size from the UI Font Size menu in Interface preferences.
Manage Document windows
When you open more than one file, the Document windows are tabbed.
• To rearrange the order of tabbed Document windows, drag a window’s tab to a new location in the group.
• To undock a Document window from a group of windows, drag the window’s tab out of the group.
• To dock a Document window to a separate group of Document windows, drag the window into the group.
Note: Dreamweaver does not support docking and undocking Document windows. Use the Document window’s
Minimize button to create floating windows.
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• To create groups of stacked or tiled documents, drag the window to one of the drop zones along the top, bottom, or
sides of another window. You can also select a layout for the group by using the Layout button on the Application bar.
Note: Some products do not support this functionality. However, your product may have Cascade and Tile commands
in the Window menu to help you lay out your documents.
• To switch to another document in a tabbed group when dragging a selection, drag the selection over the document’s
tab for a moment.
Note: Some products do not support this functionality.
Dock and undock panels
A dock is a collection of panels or panel groups displayed together, generally in a vertical orientation. You dock and
undock panels by moving them into and out of a dock.
Note: Docking is not the same as stacking. A stack is a collection of floating panels or panel groups, joined top to bottom.
• To dock a panel, drag it by its tab into the dock, at the top, bottom, or in between other panels.
• To dock a panel group, drag it by its title bar (the solid empty bar above the tabs) into the dock.
• To remove a panel or panel group, drag it out of the dock by its tab or title bar. You can drag it into another dock
or make it free-floating.
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Navigator panel being dragged out to new dock, indicated by blue vertical highlight
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Navigator panel now in its own dock
You can prevent panels from filling all the space in a dock. Drag the bottom edge of the dock up so it no longer meets
the edge of the workspace.
Move panels
As you move panels, you see blue highlighted drop zones, areas where you can move the panel. For example, you can
move a panel up or down in a dock by dragging it to the narrow blue drop zone above or below another panel. If you
drag to an area that is not a drop zone, the panel floats freely in the workspace.
• To move a panel, drag it by its tab.
• To move a panel group or a stack of floating panels, drag the title bar.
Press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) while moving a panel to prevent it from docking. Press Esc while
moving the panel to cancel the operation.
Note: The dock is stationary and can’t be moved. However, you can create panel groups or stacks and move them
anywhere.
Add and remove panels
If you remove all panels from a dock, the dock disappears. You can create a dock by moving panels to the right edge
of the workspace until a drop zone appears.
• To remove a panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) its tab and then select Close, or deselect it from
the Window menu.
• To add a panel, select it from the Window menu and dock it wherever you want.
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Manipulate panel groups
• To move a panel into a group, drag the panel’s tab to the highlighted drop zone in the group.
Adding a panel to a panel group
• To rearrange panels in a group, drag a panel’s tab to a new location in the group.
• To remove a panel from a group so that it floats freely, drag the panel by its tab outside the group.
• To move a group, drag the title bar (the area above the tabs).
Stack floating panels
When you drag a panel out of its dock but not into a drop zone, the panel floats freely. The floating panel allows you
to position it anywhere in the workspace. You can stack floating panels or panel groups so that they move as a unit
when you drag the topmost title bar. (Panels that are part of a dock cannot be stacked or moved as a unit in this way.)
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Free-floating stacked panels
• To stack floating panels, drag a panel by its tab to the drop zone at the bottom of another panel.
• To change the stacking order, drag a panel up or down by its tab.
Note: Be sure to release the tab over the narrow drop zone between panels, rather than the broad drop zone in a title bar.
• To remove a panel or panel group from the stack, so that it floats by itself, drag it out by its tab or title bar.
Resize panels
• To minimize or maximize a panel, panel group, or stack of panels, double-click a tab. You can also single-click the
tab area (the empty space next to the tabs).
• To resize a panel, drag any side of the panel. Some panels, such as the Color panel in Photoshop, cannot be resized
by dragging.
Manipulate panels collapsed to icons
You can collapse panels to icons to reduce clutter on the workspace. In some cases, panels are collapsed to icons in the
default workspace.
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Panels collapsed to icons
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Panels expanded from icons
• To collapse or expand all panel icons in a dock, click the double arrow at the top of the dock.
• To expand a single panel icon, click it.
• To resize panel icons so that you see only the icons (and not the labels), adjust the width of the dock until the text
disappears. To display the icon text again, make the dock wider.
• To collapse an expanded panel back to its icon, click its tab, its icon, or the double arrow in the panel’s title bar.
In some products, if you select Auto-Collapse Icon Panels from the Interface or User Interface Options preferences,
an expanded panel icon collapses automatically when you click away from it.
• To add a floating panel or panel group to an icon dock, drag it in by its tab or title bar. (Panels are automatically
collapsed to icons when added to an icon dock.)
• To move a panel icon (or panel icon group), drag the icon. You can drag panel icons up and down in the dock, into
other docks (where they appear in the panel style of that dock), or outside the dock (where they appear as floating,
expanded panels).
Restore the default workspace
• Select the default, Essentials workspace from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
In Adobe® Creative Suite® 4, the Connections panel lets you manage connections to web services and the locally
installed extensions that interact with them. The Connections panel itself is an extension. Additional extensions
installed with Creative Suite applications include the following:
Adobe ConnectNow Collaborate with dispersed working teams over the web, sharing voice, data, and multimedia.
Kuler™ panel Quickly create, share, and explore color themes online.
Search for Help In the upper-right corner of applications, enter search terms to access Community Help. Community
Help includes Adobe product Help, plus additional content from the design and production communities.
Visit www.adobe.com to learn about additional services and extensions.
Log into Adobe web services
Regardless of which application you use to access the Connections panel, logging in automatically connects you to
services such as ConnectNow meetings.
1 In Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Fireworks, or Dreamweaver, choose Window > Extensions >
Connections.
2 Enter your Adobe ID and password. (If you lack an ID or can’t remember it, click the appropriate link.)
3 (Optional) To remain logged in when you restart the computer, select Remember Me On This Computer.
4 Click Log In.
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Disable automatic extension updates
By default, the Connections panel automatically updates installed extensions. However, you can disable automatic
updates and instead check for them manually.
1 From the Connections panel menu , select Update Preferences.
2 Deselect Check For Updates Automatically.
3 Restart any open Adobe Creative Suite applications.
Manually check for updated extensions
❖ From the Connections panel menu , select Check For Updates.
Disable web services
If your work environment disallows online connections, you can disable web services. You can also use this option to
disable your product from accessing online Community Help. When you disable web services and search for help, the
product provides results from the local help system only.
Note: Local Help includes only a portion of the full version of online product Help.
1 From the Connections panel menu , select Offline Options.
2 Select Keep Me Offline.
To disable the Connections panel and web services only in Photoshop, deselect Allow Extensions To Connect in the
Plug-Ins section of the Preferences dialog box.
More Help topics
“Help and support” on page 2
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Workspace
Working with ConnectNow
Adobe® ConnectNow provides you with a secure, personal online meeting room where you can meet and collaborate
with others via the web in real time. With ConnectNow, you can share and annotate your computer screen, send chat
messages, and communicate using integrated audio. You can also broadcast live video, share files, capture meeting
notes, and control an attendee's computer.
You can access ConnectNow directly from the application interface.
1 Choose File > Share My Screen.
2 In the Share My Screen dialog box, enter your Adobe ID and password, and click Sign In. If you don’t have an
Adobe ID and password, click the Create a Free Adobe ID link at the top of the dialog box.
3 To share your screen, click the Share My Computer Screen button at the center of the ConnectNow application
window.
For complete instructions on using ConnectNow, see
For a video tutorial about using ConnectNow, see Using ConnectNow to share your screen (7:12). (This
demonstration is in Dreamweaver.)
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Save and switch workspaces
By saving the current size and position of panels as a named workspace, you can restore that workspace even if you
move or close a panel. The names of saved workspaces appear in the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
In Photoshop, the saved workspace can include a specific keyboard shortcut set and menu set.
Save a custom workspace
1 With the workspace in the configuration you want to save, do one of the following:
• (Photoshop, Illustrator) Choose Window > Workspace > Save Workspace.
• (InDesign, InCopy) Choose Window > Workspace > New Workspace.
• (Dreamweaver) Choose Window > Workspace Layout > New Workspace.
• (Flash) Choose New Workspace from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
• (Fireworks) Choose Save Current from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
2 Type a name for the workspace.
3 (Photoshop, InDesign) Under Capture, select one or more options:
Panel Locations Saves the current panel locations.
Keyboard shortcuts Saves the current set of keyboard shortcuts (Photoshop only).
Menus Saves the current set of menus.
4 Click OK or Save.
Display or switch workspaces
❖ Select a workspace from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.
In Photoshop, you can assign keyboard shortcuts to each workspace to navigate among them quickly.
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