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I've been using Fireworks for years, back to Macromedia Fireworks 4. It's much better/faster than Photoshop for web design (rounded square corners come to mind)

by jvzr 13y ago

I've been using Fireworks for years, back to Macromedia Fireworks 4. It's much better/faster than Photoshop for web design (rounded square corners come to mind). If you work on a Mac, consider Sketch by Bohemian Coding : http://www.bohemiancoding.com/sketch/ http://www.bohemiancoding.com/sketch/ It's a great app, is updated very frequently and has come a very long way and could almost be seen as already superior to Fireworks CS6 in most ways.

neovive 13y ago
Sketch looks nice, but seems like more of an Illustrator competitor than a Fireworks or PS replacement. Also, how does it handle PSD import. PSD is pretty much the standard for layered image sharing and FW opens PSD's near-perfectly.
- pionar 13y ago
  I think the OP was talking about replacing Fireworks' excellent vector editing abilities.
- jvzr 13y ago
  It's definitely a Fireworks replacement: slices export, CSS export, etc. It functions like Illustrator in the way that it uses a board (group of assets) rather than a limited canvas (a single asset), but it is not a software for doing illustrations or whatever you call what Illustrator does (not native speaker here, obv). Edit: it does @2x automated exports too, for instance. Quite handy for iOS coding or responsive design. I've never had to open PSDs with Sketch, so I can't tell. If you have any question, feel free to tweet their account on twitter: I hear they are reactive and very friendly. And definitely close to developers and designers: a lot of the features added this year have come from user suggestions. Can't tell the same story with Adobe...
- dubcanada 13y ago
  Sketch doesn't yet support PSD. PSD format is a little bit of a complex format to support. However they have made it clear that it is a very high priority on their list several times. So it will come eventually. It's more of a Fireworks or Illustrator replacement then a PS replacement. It doesn't come with all the lovely filters and stuff PS has. It also doesn't have the complexities of Illustrator. But if you are a web developer, it has some of the best tools for that specific development. Icon design, web design, buttons, etc. are all a snap to create.
ChrisLTD 13y ago
The best way I've found to make rounded corners in Photoshop is by using the round rectangle vector tool. It's relatively new, so you may not have tried it.
- jvzr 13y ago
  Indeed. For years we had to use workarounds and various cheats. Having different radii was a pain in the ass in PS, but a breeze in FW.
  - coldtea 13y ago
    It's a breeze in PS now too. Well, that's if you fork for the latest Creative Cloud subscription, or wait for the next boxed version. The upcoming Creative Cloud version, called Photoshop CC (Creative Cloud), finally offers re-adjustable radii (for all corners). See more here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Bs6UJ70jMAI# http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=B...!
    - jvzr 13y ago
      "now" is decidedly premature. Adobe's announcement yesterday happened after this conversation, and I don't recall them making the new Photoshop available right now. And, seriously, if they have to make it one of the primary features highlighted during their keynote, it's only telling that it's coming very, very late.
- crazygringo 13y ago
  I can't tell if you're being snarky, or just don't have experience. It's not the creation of rounded rectangles. It's being able to change the radius afterwards (which Photoshop can't do). Also, if you want to change the size of the rectangle later in Photoshop, without distorting the corners, it's not easy -- you have to subselect specific control points, and then move them. It's not impossible in Photoshop, it's just that modifying rounded rectangles is a huge pain.
  - 13y ago
porker 13y ago
Old now, but in 2010 Jon Hicks reviewed a bunch of Fireworks alternatives: http://hicksdesign.co.uk/journal/fireworks-alternatives-on-trial-acorn-drawit-and-opacity http://hicksdesign.co.uk/journal/fireworks-alternatives-on-t... Well worth a read. It reignited on Twitter last week: https://twitter.com/Hicksdesign/status/329882707507154944 https://twitter.com/Hicksdesign/status/329882707507154944 https://twitter.com/Hicksdesign/status/329882861337464832 https://twitter.com/Hicksdesign/status/329882861337464832
felixthehat 13y ago
Just use a plugin to enable round corner editing, like http://photoshopscripts.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/corner-editor-photoshop-script/ http://photoshopscripts.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/corner-edit...

by jvzr 13y ago

neovive 13y ago

Sketch looks nice, but seems like more of an Illustrator competitor than a Fireworks or PS replacement. Also, how does it handle PSD import. PSD is pretty much the standard for layered image sharing and FW opens PSD's near-perfectly.

pionar 13y ago
I think the OP was talking about replacing Fireworks' excellent vector editing abilities.
jvzr 13y ago
It's definitely a Fireworks replacement: slices export, CSS export, etc. It functions like Illustrator in the way that it uses a board (group of assets) rather than a limited canvas (a single asset), but it is not a software for doing illustrations or whatever you call what Illustrator does (not native speaker here, obv). Edit: it does @2x automated exports too, for instance. Quite handy for iOS coding or responsive design. I've never had to open PSDs with Sketch, so I can't tell. If you have any question, feel free to tweet their account on twitter: I hear they are reactive and very friendly. And definitely close to developers and designers: a lot of the features added this year have come from user suggestions. Can't tell the same story with Adobe...
dubcanada 13y ago
Sketch doesn't yet support PSD. PSD format is a little bit of a complex format to support. However they have made it clear that it is a very high priority on their list several times. So it will come eventually. It's more of a Fireworks or Illustrator replacement then a PS replacement. It doesn't come with all the lovely filters and stuff PS has. It also doesn't have the complexities of Illustrator. But if you are a web developer, it has some of the best tools for that specific development. Icon design, web design, buttons, etc. are all a snap to create.

ChrisLTD 13y ago

The best way I've found to make rounded corners in Photoshop is by using the round rectangle vector tool. It's relatively new, so you may not have tried it.

jvzr 13y ago
Indeed. For years we had to use workarounds and various cheats. Having different radii was a pain in the ass in PS, but a breeze in FW.
- coldtea 13y ago
  It's a breeze in PS now too. Well, that's if you fork for the latest Creative Cloud subscription, or wait for the next boxed version. The upcoming Creative Cloud version, called Photoshop CC (Creative Cloud), finally offers re-adjustable radii (for all corners). See more here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Bs6UJ70jMAI# http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=B...!
  - jvzr 13y ago
    "now" is decidedly premature. Adobe's announcement yesterday happened after this conversation, and I don't recall them making the new Photoshop available right now. And, seriously, if they have to make it one of the primary features highlighted during their keynote, it's only telling that it's coming very, very late.
crazygringo 13y ago
I can't tell if you're being snarky, or just don't have experience. It's not the creation of rounded rectangles. It's being able to change the radius afterwards (which Photoshop can't do). Also, if you want to change the size of the rectangle later in Photoshop, without distorting the corners, it's not easy -- you have to subselect specific control points, and then move them. It's not impossible in Photoshop, it's just that modifying rounded rectangles is a huge pain.
- 13y ago

porker 13y ago

Old now, but in 2010 Jon Hicks reviewed a bunch of Fireworks alternatives: http://hicksdesign.co.uk/journal/fireworks-alternatives-on-trial-acorn-drawit-and-opacity http://hicksdesign.co.uk/journal/fireworks-alternatives-on-t... Well worth a read. It reignited on Twitter last week: https://twitter.com/Hicksdesign/status/329882707507154944 https://twitter.com/Hicksdesign/status/329882707507154944 https://twitter.com/Hicksdesign/status/329882861337464832 https://twitter.com/Hicksdesign/status/329882861337464832

felixthehat 13y ago

Just use a plugin to enable round corner editing, like http://photoshopscripts.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/corner-editor-photoshop-script/ http://photoshopscripts.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/corner-edit...