Macromedia Fireworks MX

The first thing that strikes about this latest version is that it has been given the full MX make-over. All the previous floating palettes have been rationalized as panels that can be grouped and docked in the docking area down the right hand of the screen. An even more welcome change is the introduction of the new context-sensitive Properties panel at the bottom of the screen which has cut out the need for a whole swathe of former palettes such as Effects, Fill and Stroke. It wasn't bad in the past, but suddenly the Fireworks' environment seems far more productive.

Other interface enhancements include a new Zoom tool that is no longer limited to fix zoom levels and a revamp that splits the Toolbox into clearly marked vector and bitmap tools - though much of Fireworks' strength still comes from its ability to seamlessly mix the two technologies, for example to draw a charcoal-style brush stroke that can then be redrawn and given a new watercolour effect. Under the Toolbox's bitmap section you'll also find five new options - Blur, Sharpen, Burn, Dodge and Smudge - for applying local photo retouching. There's also a new interactive Gradient tool which can be used with bitmaps, vectors or text.

by Tom Arah, designer-info.com
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