Accelerate web design and development with Adobe Fireworks software, the ideal tool for creating and optimizing images for the web and rapidly prototyping websites and web applications.

Fireworks offers the flexibility to edit both vector and bitmap images, a common library of prebuilt assets, and timesaving integration with Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Flash software.

Mock up designs quickly in Fireworks, or leverage other assets from Illustrator, Photoshop, and Flash. Then move directly into Dreamweaver CS3 for easy development and deployment.

Here are some key features of "Adobe FireWorks CS4":

Design and optimize with ease

Create and edit both vector and bitmap images, and easily optimize bitmaps for web use. Apply a range of industry-standard effects and blend modes.

Comprehensive design tools

· Styles
Choose from dozens of styles to quickly change the aesthetics of any object. Options include chrome, stone, ice, reflective, glass, plastic, and more.
· Blend modes
Use dozens of blend modes to customize the appearance of your objects and interface elements.
· Adobe Photoshop blend modes
Customize the appearance of your images with seven popular blend modes from Adobe Photoshop: dissolve, linear burn, linear dodge, vivid light, linear light, pin light, and hard mix.
· Filter effects
Apply lighting effects, shadow effects, styles, and blend modes, including seven new blend modes from Photoshop, to add depth and character to text and symbols.
· Auto Shapes
Use Auto Shapes to rapidly create and modify objects, including complex shape types such as a star, arrow, and smart polygon. Use the new Inspire Auto Shape to randomly generate a new vector shape; click until you see one that fits your design requirements.
· Text on a path
Customize the shape and curve of text by attaching it to a path and then moving path points to bend, realign, and reshape the text. The text remains editable.
· Color Palette panel
Create customized color palettes with the new Color Palette panel. Pick colors from anywhere onscreen, blend colors based on tint, and generate a full color table from a few colors. Share palettes with other Adobe applications.

Accelerated workflow

· Automatic slicing
Automatically insert polygon slices when a selected object is a polygon path.
· Batch processing
Batch process your images to rapidly establish consistent size, format, quality, and naming across a series of images based on a single image.
· Saved commands
Save a series of editing actions in the History panel as a single command that can be repeated as needed on any image or document in Adobe Fireworks CS3.
· Extensible functionality
Customize the functionality of Fireworks with saved commands and plug-ins available from other users in the Adobe community, or create your own using the extensible Fireworks API.

Optimization and scaling

· Image optimization
Optimize graphics for virtually any delivery scenario with preview, cross-platform gamma preview, selective JPEG compression, and a wide range of export controls.
· Intelligent scaling
Intelligently scale buttons and graphic symbols (in vector or bitmap) with 9-slice scaling. Combine 9-slice scaling with the new Auto Shape library to accelerate website and application prototyping.

Flexible workflow

· New Macintosh and Windows OS support
Design and develop on the platform of your choice. Fireworks CS3 is available for PowerPC and Intel based Macintosh computers as well as Windows XP and Windows Vista systems.
· Vector and bitmap editing
Create and edit vector and bitmap images, and import and edit native Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator files.
· Tablet support
Use your tablet to design in Fireworks. New tablet support enables users to make aesthetic adjustments by applying stroke pressure and using path scrubber tools.

Prototype your vision

Create interactive, hyperlinked website prototypes to save time and accurately share your vision with colleagues and clients.

Customizable assets

· Common library
Jump-start your prototyping with a common library of graphic symbols, text symbols, and animations frequently used in web applications, forms, interfaces, and websites.
· Predesigned components
Get started quickly with predesigned assets including OS-level controls, buttons, animations, themes, and bullets. All predesigned assets are part of the common library that is accessible across projects.
· Symbol Properties panel
Use the new Symbol Properties panel to easily customize the attributes of any symbol.

Sophisticated prototyping

· RIA layout prototyping
Prototype layouts for rich Internet applications in Fireworks, and then export them directly to Adobe Flex while retaining absolute positioning and styling.
· Multipage support
Use the new Pages panel to create multiple pages in a single document (PNG file), and share layers across multiple pages. Each page can contain its own slices, layers, frames, animations, and canvas settings, making it easy to simulate website flow in a prototype.
· Multilayer support
Include multiple web layers within a single Fireworks (PNG) file. Share a common web layer across all pages, or be selective about which pages include the web layer. Edit a single layer and then apply the change globally.
· Hierarchical layer organization
Organize and manage your prototypes with a new hierarchical layer structure - similar to the one in Adobe Photoshop - that enables you to easily organize web layers and pages.

Enjoy intelligent integration

Enjoy impressive integration with other Adobe creative software. Exchange designs, assets, and code between applications without compromising fidelity.

Efficient Photoshop and Illustrator integration

· Adobe Photoshop integration
Import Adobe Photoshop (PSD) files while retaining hierarchical layers, layer effects, and blend modes. Save Fireworks (PNG) files back into Photoshop (PSD) format.
· Adobe Illustrator import
Import Adobe Illustrator (AI) files while retaining graphic integrity, including layer, group, and color information.

Streamlined Dreamweaver and Flash integration

· Dreamweaver CS3 copy and paste
Copy any object created in Fireworks CS3 and paste it directly into HTML documents in Adobe Dreamweaver CS3.
· Improved CSS pop-up menus
Create pop-up menus that can be saved as pure CSS and HTML for easy integration into websites.
· Improved CSS layers
Automatically save CSS at the document head, instead of inline, for cleaner code.
· Flash CS3 export
Export Fireworks (PNG) files directly to Adobe Flash CS3 Professional while maintaining vectors, bitmaps, animations, and button multistates, and then edit the files using Flash CS3.

Additional features

· Font import support
Maintain the fonts defined in other creative applications when importing text into Fireworks.
· Adobe Bridge integration
Enjoy a more efficient workflow with Adobe Bridge CS3, which offers central access to project files and batch processing that can include multiple Adobe applications.

Requirements:

· PowerPC, G5, or Intel-based Mac
· 1GB of RAM
· 1.8GB of available hard-disk space
· 1,024x768 screen resolution
· CD-ROM drive

Limitations:

· 2 days trial period.

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· Greatly improves stability for users running Fireworks CS4 on both Mac OS and Windows.
· A number of issues have been addressed in this release, including bugs that caused text to shift.
· Several bugs that occurred when copying and pasting text from Microsoft Office (2007/2008) applications have also been fixed.