Fireworks Forever!

[bikeman]

Is Fireworks falling from favour?

I know Adobe have repositioned it as a rapid prototyping tool but I am not sure clients really need to see interactivity to my mockups. And I know that lots of designers who know and love Photoshop are now getting into web design and sticking with what they know rather than trying out Fireworks.

But Fireworks was specifically created for website design; it does the job brilliantly without the bloat of Photoshop. Photoshop is for Photographers, heck even Illustrator is probably better than it for web design.

To me Fireworks is designed for the job. Fireworks is much easier to use than Photoshop; every time I have tried Photoshop I give up in frustration - simple things like resizing an image within an image are just not intuitive in Photoshop.

Of course I could just accept that I am a Photoshop dummy and stick to what I know but I can't... every job I see want's Photoshop skills so I have to crack it.

But what concerns me more is that everyone else uses Photoshop and I am a lone voice. Look at the top line of this forum; Photoshop, Illustrator... where's Fireworks? Some web magazines don't even mention Fireworks at all anymore!

I am worried that too many designers are coming into web design with Photoshop experience and don't realise that Fireworks is better suited for web design. And that means less new users for Fireworks and that worries me.

If Adobe don't share my view that Fireworks is the best tool for the job of designing websites then what of the future. Will this excellent app get dropped from the Adobe lineup and will I be condemned to struggle with Photoshop -

[eugenetyson]

What makes you think it's getting dropped? I was at an Adobe conference last year where they demonstrated Fireworks and Photoshop side by side and how Fireworks made much smaller jpegs than Photoshop.

There's no indication or reports I've heard that say Fireworks is being dropped?

[joeparis]

I hope to see it continue (and I too have no reason to think it won't). I have only dipped my toe in but it does look very useful indeed. Those familiar with PS and Illustrator would still enjoy using it, I'm sure, and would discover that it does do a great deal of things better than those two apps.

[lilyofthefield]

The problem I had with Fireworks, when it showed up in my CS4 Creative Suite, was that I couldn't find an adequate explanation on the Adobe site of what it is and what it does and why I would need it when I already have and know how to use PS and AI.

I just happened to come across discussions like yours where people happened to be talking about it. I haven't used it yet, but I will certainly give it a try next job.

[GarySped]

CS3 and CS4 gets some nice coverage over at Lynda.com. As far as I can tell that would be the best source for anyone wanting to get fully to speed with Fireworks.

[lilyofthefield]

Is it indispensible?

[GarySped]

I currently have no major use for it though I explored and liked some on the complimentary features (to PS ans Ai). So I cannot comment on it from an indispensibility viewpoint. Others can comment on this?

[lilyofthefield]

I've always used PS and AI for everything, too.

[dyrer]

I use Fireworks for all web design needs. I don't need PS with CS4 I can do all my work