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The freshly released Macromedia Fireworks 8 remains the tool of choice for designers who need to think like engineers and engineers who think like designers.

Fireworks 8 features subtle as well as obvious enhancements to optimization, workflow, and creativity. Its powerful editing capabilities allow changes in one Macromedia Studio application to be reflected in other programs in the suite. It is the fastest, most flexible raster, vector, Web image, and code creation application available, and it is well worth upgrading from MX 2004.

Fireworks 8 can now import additional file formats including, QuickTime Image, MacPaint, SGI, and JPEG 2000. Fireworks’ new ability to handle bitmap formats such as GIF, JPEG, and TIFF signals a greater integration with print file formats. A new Image Editing panel contains most tools and commands you need for working with bitmaps, expanding on MX 2004’s limited bitmap functionality.

Fireworks 8 incorporates some additional conveniences: text layers are automatically named by the text you type into them and a new Special Characters panel lets you insert non-Roman letters and symbols directly into text blocks. In previous versions, when you locked a layer, all the objects in that layer would lock; in Fireworks 8, you can lock on a per-object basis—a welcome feature.

Pros: Can now reshape text on a path; Perspective Shadow command makes it easier to produce graphics; new blend modes are preserved between Fireworks and Flash; new object library facilitates mobile phone design; greater bitmap support; improved batch processing features.

Cons: Live Marquee selection does not work predictably; JavaScript pop-up menu code is not totally aligned with Dreamweaver’s pop-up menu code; not all Fireworks blend modes are supported in Flash.

OS Compatibility: OS X 10.3, OS X 10.4

Via: Macworld