What is Fireworks?

The advent of Fireworks freed Web designers from having to jump back and forth among as many as a dozen task-specific applications. Its non-destructive Live Effects eliminate the frustration of having to recreate Web graphics from scratch after any simple edit. Fireworks generates JavaScript, making rollovers easy to create. Its optimization features shrink the file size of Web graphics without sacrificing quality.

Here are some of the things you can do in Fireworks:

	You can create graphics using some of the best features of both vector and bitmap graphic applications in a single application. You can edit with vector-object flexibility and apply bitmap effects—including bevels, glows, drop shadows, and now Photoshop filters—that redraw as you edit.
	You can optimize Web graphics in Fireworks to minimize file size, resulting in fast-loading Web sites.
	In Fireworks you can add interactivity to your Web graphics to create image maps, JavaScript rollover buttons, animated banner ads, and even entire Web pages.
	You can save lots of time throughout the Web design process with batch processing, saveable styles and export settings, optimization in the workspace, command-sequence scripting, and compatibility with Macromedia Dreamweaver and other Web design software.
	Fireworks is primarily a design application for screen graphics. However, with the ability to export to applications such as FreeHand and Illustrator, you can reuse graphics designed in Fireworks for print purposes.