Fireworks or photoshop ?

[aboustayyef]

well, this question go me puzzled for a while, I am and still are a photoshop user, I always thought: what is it that firework does and photoshop doesn't ?
I mean they're both graphic creation packages and have very similar interfaces right ?
well, fireworks understands that you're working on the WEB, as a matter of fact, fireworks works only @ 72 dpi resolution and in RGB mode,so you cannot use it for print.
fireworks offer web features like slicing, optimizing and a very easy transition to dreamweaver. now unless you work on go-live (which you probably don't) photoshop doesn't offer the easiness in editability that fireworks provides.
Fireworks is vector/image base. so you can deal with every element on your canvas as an element and not as a layer. an element that you can easilly change the fill/stroke/transparency. Imagine for example,, trying to chage the gradient fill of a complexe shape in photoshop.
well, if you're working for web, I recommend fireworks.
don't get me wrong, photoshop is still the master of print, but regarding the web, adobe needs to learn a lot from macromedia !!

tell me was it useful ? do you want more of this sort of long tips ?

 

[natedeia]

well as a matter of fact, a web designer friend of mine says that he would prefer the Photo Shop w/ImageReady 3.0 over Fireworks. I enjoy using Fireworks for my graphics but have not really been able to afford the time to study on Photo Shop even though I own a copy of it. But this passage sheds a little light, at least getting someone elses opinion whether i should hurry up and learn to use Photo Shop better.

 

[bra1niac]

Both, if you can.

Frankly, PhotoShop 6.0 is getting close to an all around excellent tool. The wish list of features to be added is getting smaller... There is even web support, but Adobe will never openly admit it.

Image Ready is a little awkward for me and switching btw the two is sometimes unstable. I have crashed many a time while trying to send a file to IR from PS.

Another thing about PS is that it's so sophisticated... Using it for the web is, well, almost wasting your money. It can do so much more..

Fireworks, on the other hand, is much cheaper. Integrated well with DreamWeaver (recommended!) and chock full of goodies. The earlier versions of fireworks had features that PS is just now getting around to adding. Fireworks is configurable so you can create your own macros and for someone who works with a LOT of thumbnails and watermarks, that's a good thing.

I use PS to edit images, straight up. I also design logos in Illustrator, Freehand or Xara X and import into PS to wrap textures around them, etc.

Fireworks is quick and dirty for just about everything else.

If you have the money or the time, check out all the graphix apps you can. Compare them to what you are trying to accomplish and which fits your style. Unfortunately, I need certain things from each of the above, and it gets a little pricey. I dream of the day when I can have one app that has all I need... "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission." - Rear Admiral Dr. Grace Hopper

 

[etu1972]

Hi and thanks. I was driving myself nuts as to why I couldn't get a decent print resolution with Fireworks - your comment about the 72 dpi resolution not being fit for print gave me an answer, albeit I guess it means I need to go get Photoshop now. C'est la vie. Should I stay or should I go? Thanks & Goodbye, Joe.

 

[blueark]

The whole 72dpi thing amuses me. See, that's just an abstract notion that makes it easier to import things into page layout packages and so on. If you have an image that's, say, 640x480 pixels, that could be 72dpi. It could just as easily be 300dpi, 1200dpi, 12.34dpi.... it's just a matter of perspective.

Ok, so your software says it is definately 72dpi. Print it out at half size (ie 50% enlargement) and it's suddenly 144dpi! 25%, and it's 288dpi, a little short of 'real' print quality, but good enough for most purposes.

So, if you only have the one package, don't feel you must get photoshop to get over the 72dpi thing. Just make your images four and bit times bigger and print at a reduced size. The RGB issue is a little more relevant though, but most places get files in RGB every day and are used to converting for you.

BTW, I've used Photoshop for years and I love it. I didn't think Fireworks would offer me anything better, but now I couldn't imagine doing web graphics without it! I guess both packages have their strengths, but you can usually coax one into doing the job of the other with a little imagination.

 

[tana]

I don't know what version of Fireworks you are using, but I can adjust my dpi resolution and if you export using the export wizard, it asks where you are going to use the graphic; the web, image editing, desktop publishing or Dreamweaver and exports in the recommended best format. I haven't used Photoshop much yet, as Fireworks does everything I need to do right now.

 

[vjonesgo]

See this v.interesting fact re dpi and web:

http://www.grumblebee.com/Waste/dpi/dpi.html