Fireworks 4 F/X and Design [With CDROM]

I must say that this book gave me more than my moneys worth!! How anyone can possibly compare it to a Quickstart guide escapes all logic. This book is intermediate as stated and assumes you know the basics. Which is exactly why I purchased it. I learned how to make complex shapes suitable for navigation. The techniques taught helped me implement my own designs. Another section I found very valuabe is the slicing and optimizing. How to best slice up a document and then how to optimize the individual slices for the fasted download times. A real usefull project was the one on deconstructing an animation. Not only can I now look at an animation and learn how someone else did something but I also learned how to look at any Fireworks source file and see what effects, fills, strokes and settings were used. All the files used in the book are included on the CD-ROM so if I was confused I would look at the file to see what I was missing. I did find a few "minor" errors which is to be expected, but nothing an intermediate user couldn't quickly identify. Plus most of the time all I had to do was check the Website for updates, watch one of the quick time movies or send an email to the author.Which by way answered any request the very same day. I learned tons of stuff about masking, how to mask an image without loosing pixels in the process, how to apply gradients and how to use gradients for lighting effects. The book is layed out in a logical format, even though it's intention is not to teach the programs basics, it still does a great job of teaching all the vital areas, such as how to fix those pesky pop-up menus problems and advanced features such as using Levels and photo restoration. If you are serious about using Fireworks for Web site design then you'll want to get this book. If you have a local bookstore pick up a copy to look at then come back and purchase it. I honestly don't think you'll be disappointed.

This f/x & Design book is a joy to read. Right from the outset you are drawn into the mesmerizing world of Fireworks. Learning and doing...learning and doing...with over 50 projects placed throughout the chapters. It's definitely an action packed ride with hardly a moment to catch your breath.The writing is is of the highest quality and I found myself reading every single paragraph with bated breath to see what was going to happen next. The projects and exercises are on par with the level of this book and Joyce even throws in 14 quicktime tutorial movies covering topics such as masking, gradients and the famous gel button. As a former Photoshop user, this book brings me to terms with the power and sheer brilliance that Fireworks is.With this being Joyce's first book, I can only imagine how amazing her future ones are going to be. Joyce, you just keep writing them and we will read. This is a sure fire winner and a must for everyones bookshelf. This book ROCKS!!! A unanimous 5 thumbs up.

This book is pretty thorough for a design book. It was easy to use but intermediate as well. I had no idea Fireworks could do so much. The designs are professional and the CD is packed with goodies. There is even a section on how to get Fireworks into Dreamweaver and a great gel button tutorial.

I've just gone through this book and am I impressed. Theres no technical jargon, nor does the author talk down to us, it's like she is sitting next to me and walking through every single step. The really helpful part is that there are many concepts that are not only explained "how" to do them but "why".When I saw there was a supporting Web site I decided to test it out and see if a real person responded. She did and was quite helpful and pleasant, this author does care about us.The CD, well.. one of the CDs that come with the book had some bonus movie tutorials included. I had to unzip them but hey that's no big deal. I'd rather do that than not get them at all because of CD space (explained in the readme). I've worked with the Bezier tool before but was real clumsy when it came to editing them. The beziercurves movie really helped me finally grasp the idea.Ok, so what's in the book? I did a quick count and there are over 50 different projects and exercises, and not your token scribbles to demonstrate a point, but real usable interfaces that I can reproduce myself. I liked the fact that I wasn't teased with a picture of a whole Web interface, and then only get the instructions for one small part of how to make it. Fireworks 4 f/x and Design includes many samples of the entire Web site or interface. There are even tips on how to place those pesky pop-up menus in Dreamweaver and how to edit them.This book helped me realize the degree of image editing I could really do in Fireworks. I had no idea how great it was for things like tonal control, the levels command and other color adjustments. You'll find collages made using masking techniques, plenty of navigation solutions, learn how to make your own commands and use special effects.The second CD has comping images for use in presentations to clients that you can use to demo an idea which really saves me a lot of time when I'm doing a quick mock up. I really dislike searching for a sample image.I appreciate the fact that prior to a project being taught the techniques to perform it has been previously shared. For being a design book, it's pretty comprehensive and is a no nonsense book without any of the gratuitous babble that is so often found. My overall impression is that this book is a rare find and there are plenty of ideas that will return my money to me many times.