Macromedia created Fireworks as a complete graphics applications aimed towards Web designers.It offers more advanced image control than existing packages, such as Photoshop or CorelDraw, for work that specifically relates to the Internet. Fireworks enables web designers to produce high quality images, export them in a variety of file formats while retaining excellent file size compression.

Fireworks surpasses other rivals as it also enables you to edit text, graphics and effects at any stage during production. Fireworks also simplifies the process of making JavaScript buttons with mouseover effects, all combined with automatic HTML generation.

This products is obviously aimed squarely at web designers who are currently restricted by the limitations of Photoshop and the endless workarounds that are necessary to convert images accurately to the web.


The combination of excellent vectors and bit-map tools, exporting capabilities and powerful Web-specific features ensure its success with Web designers. Though its interface suffers from a mass of palettes and toolbars, like Macromedia’s other product Dreamweaver, this can be easily forgiven considering the remarkable features that it offers.

Fireworks 8 lets you balance maximum image quality with minimum compression size as you create, edit and optimize images for the web with precise control. Create animated rollovers and pop-up menus with Fireworks 8’s intuitive visual tools, and utilize round-trip editing capabilities with Dreamweaver 8 and Flash Professional 8 for greater efficiency. Fireworks 8 new features include effects like blends and shadows, more file formats supported for importing, pop-up menus in CSS format, and new image editing, autoshape properties and special characters panels for a better user experience.

System requirements:

* 800 MHz Intel Pentium III processor (or equivalent) and later
* Windows 2000, Windows XP
* 256 MB RAM (1 GB recommended to run more than one Studio 8 product simultaneously)
* 1024 x 768, 16-bit display (32-bit recommended)
* 880 MB available disk space