LOWERY & WHITEMAN If Fireworks MX can do it, you can do it too . . . From vector drawing and bitmap editing to animations and JavaScript output, Fireworks MX puts all the Web graphics tools you need into a single cohesive package. Packed with time-saving tips and real-world examples — including 16 pages of color illustrations — this comprehensive guide shows you how to make the most of Fireworks, whether you’re looking for an in-depth tutorial on program fundamentals or the lowdown on the new interface or new options for transparent gradients, text editing, and pop-up menus. Inside, you’ll find complete coverage of Fireworks MX • Master the basics, from object creation to full-blown photo manipulation • Enhance your images with sophisticated fills, filters, xtras, layers, and Live Effects • Build in interactivity using hotspots, slices, and JavaScript behaviors — no coding required • Speed up production with styles, libraries, and round-trip workflow features • Make the most of sliced file auto-checkout, XHTML support, and other new tools for Dreamweaver integration • Get up to speed fast on GIF animation and create state-of-the-art banner ads Shelving Category: Web Development/Fireworks Reader Level: Beginning to Advanced System Requirements: PC running Windows 98 SE/2000/Me/XP, Windows NT 4 SP6; Power Macintosh running System 9.1 or higher/ OSX 10.1 or higher. See the “What’s on the CD-ROM” appendix for details and complete system requirements. ISBN 0-7645-3662-1 $44.99 USA $67.99 Canada £33.50 UK incl. VAT Fireworks MX Fireworks MX Create traffic- stopping vector or bitmap Web graphics and animations Build eye-catching effects using layers, rollovers, frames, and slices Master the new interface and improved graphics and Web connectivity tools F ireworks MX Joseph W. Lowery, bestselling author of Dreamweaver MX Bible and Derren Whiteman “Joseph Lowery and Derren Whiteman provide details and examples essential for the Web graphics professional.” David Morris, Fireworks Product Manager, Macromedia ,!7IA7G4-fdggcf!:P;o;O;t;t Fireworks tools and more on CD-ROM BONUS CD-ROM! Fireworks tools plus Fireworks MX trial version and more www.wiley.com/compbooks/ 100% ONE HUNDRED PERCENT COMPREHENSIVE AUTHORITATIVE WHAT YOU NEED ONE HUNDRED PERCENT Apply Photoshop-compatible Filters and Live Effects, or adjust opacity, to give your work a whole new look. Bonus CD-ROM • Fireworks commands, templates, textures, gradients, strokes, and images • Macromedia Flash MX, Dreamweaver MX, Fireworks MX, and FreeHand trial versions • Splat!, Eye Candy 4000, and Xenofex demo versions by Alien Skin Software F ireworks MX Bible Includes 16 pages of full-color examples *85555-BAFCBi 100% COMPREHENSIVE Foreword by David Morris, Fireworks Product Manager, Macromedia ® ® ® ® The Touchup tools in Fireworks MX make bitmap manipulation much simpler by putting Blur, Sharpen, Dodge, Burn, and Smudge right at your fingertips. 536621 cover 7/25/02 9:36 AM Page 1 Fireworks ® MX Bible 013662-1 FM.F 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page i 013662-1 FM.F 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page ii Fireworks ® MX Bible Joseph W. Lowery and Derren Whiteman Best-Selling Books • Digital Downloads • e-Books • Answer Networks • e-Newsletters • Branded Web Sites • e-Learning 013662-1 FM.F 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page iii LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: WHILE THE PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR HAVE USED THEIR BEST EFFORTS IN PREPARING THIS BOOK, THEY MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES REPRESENTATIVES OR WRITTEN SALES MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR SITUATION. YOU SHOULD CONSULT WITH A PROFESSIONAL WHERE APPROPRIATE. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR OTHER DAMAGES. Fireworks ® MX Bible Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 909 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2002 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Library of Congress Control Number: 2002107897 ISBN: 0-7645-3662-1 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1B/SS/QY/QS/IN Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 750-4744. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4447, E-Mail: permcoordinator@wiley.com. For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993 or fax 317-572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of Wiley Publishing, Inc., in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. PANTONE and other Pantone, Inc. trademarks are the property of Pantone, Inc. FreeHand 10 and Macromedia Flash MX Copyright © 1995-2000. Macromedia, Inc. 600 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 USA. All Rights Reserved. Macromedia, Flash, Fireworks and FreeHand are trademarks or registered trademarks of Macromedia, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. 3662-1 FM.F 8/5/02 2:35 PM Page iv About the Authors Joseph Lowery has been writing about computers and new technology since 1981. He is the author of the current and previous editions of Dreamweaver Bible and Fireworks Bible as well as Buying Online For Dummies (all from Wiley Publishing, formerly Hungry Minds, Inc.). He recently co-wrote a book on Flash with designer Hillman Curtis and has also written books on HTML and using the Internet for business. His books are international best-sellers, having sold over 300,000 copies worldwide in ten different languages. Joseph is also a consultant and trainer and has presented at Seybold in both Boston and San Francisco, Macromedia UCON in the U.S. and Europe, and at ThunderLizard’s Web World. As a partner in Deva Associates, Ltd., Joseph developed the Deva Tools for Dreamweaver set of naviga- tional extensions. Joseph and his wife, dancer/choreographer Debra Wanner, have a daughter, Margot. Derren Whiteman’s online life began before the invention of the World Wide Web, when data moved across the Internet, and online communities were based around electronic bulletin board systems (BBS). He built Web sites “by hand” in the early days of the World Wide Web — because that was how you made them in those days — and later took up modern tools after joining Mediafear, a San Francisco- based Web design shop where he spent three years building dynamic Web sites for artists and musicians. Derren has also served as an information technology consultant and computer instructor, enabling individuals and small businesses to use technology to their greatest advantage. Derren spends much of his time in technical publishing, helping to make today’s Web-building tools accessible to everyone. He served as Technical Editor for versions 3 and 4 of Joseph Lowery’s Fireworks Bible (Hungry Minds, Inc.) and Dreamweaver 4 Bible (Hungry Minds, Inc.). Other books that Derren worked on include Mastering Dreamweaver 4 and Fireworks MX (Sybex, Inc.), Look & Learn Dreamweaver 4 (Hungry Minds, Inc.), and From FrontPage to Dreamweaver (Sams Publishing). Derren is a Macromedia Certified Dreamweaver 4 Developer and a volunteer mem- ber of Team Macromedia for Fireworks ( http://www.macromedia.com/go/team). He maintains a number of Web sites, including FrancinePaul.com, Konis.com, and of course, Derren.com. He makes his home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 013662-1 FM.F 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page v Credits Acquisitions Editor Michael Roney Project Editor Martin V. Minner Technical Editor Kleanthis Economou Copy Editors Roxane Marini Nancy Rapoport Editorial Manager Rev Mengle Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Richard Swadley Vice President and Executive Publisher Bob Ipsen Executive Editorial Director Mary Bednarek Project Coordinator Ryan Steffen Graphics and Production Specialists Beth Brooks, Melanie DesJardins, Joyce Haughey, Clint Lahnen, Kristin McMullan, Barry Offringa, Brent Savage, Jeremey Unger Quality Control Technicians John Greenough, Susan Moritz Permissions Editor Laura Moss Media Development Specialist Angela Denny Proofreading and Indexing TECHBOOKS Production Services Cover Image Anthony Stuart 013662-1 FM.F 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page vi To Doris Cutler — doing business in our family as Aunt Doree — thanks for all the love and support you offered us from afar and for keeping my Dad in his place as only an older sister could. —JL For Phyllis and Chris, your support has always gone above and beyond. And for Rob Houston, proof that a great teacher really does teach. —DW 013662-1 FM.F 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page vii 013662-1 FM.F 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page viii [...]... want to expand their creative horizons Fireworks MX Bible talks to all those groups, offering solutions to everyday graphics problems, as well as providing a complete reference for the program 013662-1 FM.F xii 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page xii Fireworks MX Bible What Hardware and Software Do You Need? Fireworks MX Bible includes full coverage of Macromedia Fireworks MX If you don’t own a copy of the program,... definitely better for using Fireworks, especially in terms of RAM and processor speed How This Book Is Organized Fireworks MX Bible can take you from raw beginner to full-fledged professional if read cover to cover However, you’re more likely to read each section as needed, taking the necessary information and coming back later To facilitate this approach, Fireworks MX Bible is divided into seven major,... in Fireworks 4 was our pop-up menu creator We decided to ramp up the power on this feature and now in Fireworks MX you can make pop-up menus in either vertical or horizontal formats, with far greater control over positioning, appearance, and interactivity Another new power-user feature that’s getting rave reviews is the Data-Driven Graphics Wizard This command — actually created by Fireworks MX Bible. .. production roadblocks by combining Fireworks graphic templates with XML data files to output as many variations on a theme as required, with a fraction of the work 013662-1 FM.F x 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page x Fireworks MX Bible The Data-Driven Graphics Wizard is, quite literally, the tip of an open architecture powerhouse as big as a proverbial iceberg Starting in Fireworks MX, custom commands and panels can... explains the Fireworks methods for arranging and compositing multiple objects in order to achieve stunning results The Fireworks mask-group feature, in particular, is an especially creative and powerful tool that takes the hard work out of alpha channels Although Fireworks is a great drawing tool, it’s also adept at handling bitmap imagery xiii 013662-1 FM.F xiv 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page xiv Fireworks MX Bible. .. features Chapter 1 will be of special interest to users of previous versions of Fireworks; it’s a complete guide to all the newly added features in Fireworks MX Later chapters in Part I provide an overview of everything that Fireworks can do — this feature-rich program will often surprise you Part II: Mastering the Tools The Fireworks approach to graphics is fundamentally different from any other tool... Studio MX line, including Macromedia Flash MX and Dreamweaver MX — a significant ease-of-use factor in and of itself We tried to improve the workflow with other enhancements to the workspace One of the strengths of Fireworks is its ability to work both with vector-based and bitmap-based graphics; it hasn’t, however, always been easy to move from one mode to another To smooth out the workflow, Fireworks. .. Part VII: Programming with Fireworks One of the most amazing things about Fireworks MX is the way it can be controlled by scripts written in JavaScript, the most common scripting language for Web authoring Fireworks offers many ways to customize the way you work with the 013662-1 FM.F 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page xv Preface program We’ll look at each of them and discover the extensive Fireworks JavaScript API... an innovation introduced in Fireworks MX CrossReference Cross-Reference icons indicate places where you can find more information on a particular topic Caution The Caution icon is your warning of a potential problem or pitfall On the CD-ROM The On the CD-ROM icon indicates the CD-ROM contains a related file xvii 013662-1 FM.F xviii 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page xviii Fireworks MX Bible Further information You... several Web sites Macromedia’s own Fireworks Web site is the best place to start: http://www.macromedia.com/software /fireworks I heartily recommend that you visit and participate in the official Fireworks newsgroup: news://forums.macromedia.com/macromedia .fireworks You’re also invited to visit my Web site for book updates and new developments: http://www.idest.com /fireworks You can also e-mail me: mailto:jlowery@idest.com . program. 013662-1 FM.F 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page xi xii Fireworks MX Bible What Hardware and Software Do You Need? Fireworks MX Bible includes full coverage of Macromedia Fireworks MX. If you don’t own a copy of the. fingertips. 536621 cover 7/25/02 9:36 AM Page 1 Fireworks ® MX Bible 013662-1 FM.F 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page i 013662-1 FM.F 8/2/02 2:12 PM Page ii Fireworks ® MX Bible Joseph W. Lowery and Derren Whiteman Best-Selling. Software F ireworks MX Bible Includes 16 pages of full-color examples *85555-BAFCBi 100% COMPREHENSIVE Foreword by David Morris, Fireworks Product Manager, Macromedia ® ® ® ® The Touchup tools in Fireworks MX