Dreamweaver 4 & Fireworks 4 Studio Mac

• Platform:   Macintosh
• Media: CD-ROM
• Item Quantity: 1

The heart of Dreamweaver is the page designer with its floating tool palettes and drag-and-drop insertions. The Assets panel makes it easy to reuse images, links, animations and other elements, with the added benefit that editing a library item changes it automatically wherever it is used. Though a very capable editor, two features really make it shine. The first is its integration with external editors such as Macromedia's own Fireworks 4 for web graphics and Flash 5 for vector-based animations. The other killer feature is expandability, with thousands of free add-ons available from Macromedia's site.

Existing users will find Dreamweaver 4.0 a great upgrade. Along with the improved code editor, it boasts an excellent Java-based script debugger, integrated access to O'Reilly reference material on CSS, HTML and JavaScript, built-in Flash buttons and text effects, a table-based layout view and a team development tool in Visual SourceSafe. If that wasn't enough, there's also the option to incorporate Ultradev 4 for dynamic database access. --Tim Anderson

Fireworks 4.0: Fireworks is a dedicated web graphics application. You can create both vector and bitmap images, optimise them for web pages, and add numerous special effects for export to HTML.

The starting point is a familiar range of drawing and painting tools--shapes, lines, brushes, pens and selection tools. In the default vector mode these create editable, scaleable objects, and in bitmap mode they paint pixels. Fireworks supports layers and masks, overlaid virtual surfaces you can edit independently, enabling a wide range of stunning effects. There is also a library panel where you can store graphic elements for reuse.

A key feature for web designers is optimisation. Fireworks 4.0 offers optimal control over the trade-off between quality and size with "2-up" and "4-up" views permitting original and altered versions to be compared. There is also strong support for GIF, JPEG and PNG image formats, and for hotspots and slices--techniques for mapping or dividing an image to accommodate HTML features. Integration with Macromedia's Dreamweaver 4 is better than ever: Designers can export to Dreamweaver, or alternatively launch Fireworks from Dreamweaver, edit the image then save it back with all Fireworks-specific details preserved. --Tim Anderson

Manufacturer's Description
Integrate Web graphics design and Web site development with this Studio. Create, edit, and animate graphics and menus in Fireworks, then export them into Dreamweaver. Use familiar page layout tools or the hand-coding environment to finish up. The shared Macromedia User Interface makes it easy.Enhanced integration between Macromedia Dreamweaver and Macromedia Fireworks offers a complete Web development solution. Familiar user interface enables designers to work smoothly in any Macromedia Web design application. Add interactivity without writing code. Visually create and edit pop-up menus, create complex rollovers by simply dragging and dropping from one slice to another, and create interactive buttons in a step-by-step button interface. Navigate and edit files easily using the Layers panel, which offers both expanded thumbnails of each layer's objects and advanced masking capabilities. Edit and update HTML and JavaScript code and graphics from Dreamweaver while maintaining edits to your table. Access the integrated Text Editor, or use the Split View to see both Code and Design views simultaneously. The Code View's live syntax coloring, tag balancing, and auto indenting make coding a snap. Watch JavaScript execute in Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. Debug your code by setting breakpoints and then watching your variables update as you step through the code. The unique Layout View lets you create clean tables that work in all browsers. Draw directly on a page, drag cells, or group cells to create complex tables easily. The new features enable you to create editable vector graphics directly in Dreamweaver - work with Macromedia Flash designers to create new button styles, or download free styles from the Macromedia Exchange.

• Software > Programming & Web Development > Web Site Creation & Management