VERDICT: Improved workflow integration, new symbol handling and multiple page support give Fireworks a new lease of life and new purpose.

When Adobe took over Macromedia there was considerable doubt over whether it would carry on developing the dedicated web graphics application Fireworks...

Without the new shared CS3 interface, and with some of its promised functionality still missing in the press beta under review, it certainly seems semi-detached and something of an afterthought, but the good news is that Fireworks is still here – and firing on all cylinders.
Fireworks offers a good mix of vector and bitmap editing capabilities, but naturally it can’t compete on all points with Adobe’s graphical flagships. Instead all three are now designed to work hand-in-hand thanks to Fireworks CS3’s new ability to open Photoshop PSD and Illustrator AI files. To enable this and to make the integration as smooth as possible Fireworks’ handling of layers has been reworked to support hierarchical groups and sub-groups – which also makes working with complex layouts more manageable.
In addition, Fireworks CS3 now supports Photoshop’s bitmap-based blend modes and layer effects such as bevels, glows and drop shadows and allows these to be applied as live effects. This isn’t the explosion of new creative power that it may seem as Fireworks already offered its own equivalents, and indeed still does for backwards compatibility. However being able to apply all effects from a single central dialog is more efficient and encourages experimentation and it also means that rich layered designs can be opened from, and now also saved to, PSD format.
The main advantage of Fireworks’ primarily vector approach is the speed and control with which designs can be built up. This efficiency is boosted in this latest release thanks to the new range of pre-provided building blocks. There are a number of new Auto Shapes with in-built editing intelligence that you can simply drag onto your layouts such as calendars, flowcharts and a new Inspire option which randomly generates a new shape each time you click on it. More significant are the new building blocks in the new Common Library palette: more flow chart symbols, graphical bullets and especially the new category of objects called “Flex Widgets” that are also shared with the latest Flash. These are pre-built user interface components, such as button, panel, buttonbar and combo box, that you can drag onto your layout to rapidly create an interface for a RIA (Rich Internet Application).

New rich symbols offer greater editability for rapid design