Fireworks MX: A Beginner's Guide

I picked this book up even though I had used Fireworks in the past and was (I thought) pretty good with the program. I'd read some of the author's tutorials and figured it was worth a shot and I might learn something new.I'm really glad I did. Even though the book is a "start at the very beginning" kind of book, I learned lots of new techniques and short-cuts that I wasn't aware of. The author writes in a very easy to understand style, and never whips out new jargon without explaining what it means first.Even though the title says this is a beginner;s book I think you can learn a bunch from it even if you've used the program before.

As a non-artist web programmer, I was looking for a Fireworks teaching tool that didn't assume I was a graphics expert ... The Osborn series of "Beginner's Guides" seems to nicely fit a niche between "Dummies" books and "Complete Reference" type books, and this one is no exception. I learned a lot about Fireworks MX without either wading through fluff or suffering torture-by-encyclopedia. Use this book to learn the basic techniques, then add a more advanced book such as "Using Fireworks MX" for when you need more in-depth information.

...to all those mysterious graphics, rollbars, filtered photos and other effects you saw on the web and wondered: how the heck did they do that? And as with many such things the answers are fairly simple, but so many textbook writers just deepen the mystery rather than explain it. Not Kim Cavanaugh. She *makes* it simple, thorough and logical. If you're like me and have tried a half dozen free web tutorials, usenet articles, etc. and just ended up more puzzled than when you started, this book will be a revelation.Don't get me wrong: learning is not instantaneous. Prepare to spend a few hours but after each chapter you will have a warm feeling of accomplishment and be chomping on the bit to learn more. Great work, Kim et al!

Kim does a wonderful job of explaining concepts in a way that is easy to understand. This book is laid out in a logical order and flows well. All the major tools and features of Fireworks are covered. This book will teach you everything you need to know to get proficient at using Fireworks. I like how Kim explains things prior to doing them so you know why you are about to do something as well as learning how to.

I purchased the author's previous book on Fireworks and Dreamweaver and was really impressed at how easy it was to follow the instructions. This book certainly falls into the same category--easy to follow, plenty of fun exercises to complete, and a very thorough look at the software. It seems like so many computer books jump around from topic to topic and the reader ends up missing important steps along the way. I like the way this author starts at the beginning and works through a complete exploration of the tools and uses of the software. I felt like I was taking a course when I worked through the exercises because of the way the topics were covered. Highly recommended for anyone new to Fireworks or who wants to learn more about Fireworks MX!