I started using Fireworks since CS4. At first I didn't understand how it was different than say Photoshop or Illustrator for web design. Then as soon as I started mocking and designing UIs for actual web applications, or applications, Fireworks showed it's strength. (Heck I sometimes use it to make logos, http://www.ptizo.com/media/preview/brand/ptizo-logo-alpha.pn...)
The number one reason I prefer Fireworks it's that the file itself can be viewed as normal PNG (and still retain editable features). The second is the mix of vector/pixel objects (all you want from vectors but as pixels).
If you have to design for the web I would recommend you to use Fireworks over Photoshop as your design tool (please stop with the shadows and gradient madness, they make the page rendering slow and scrolling crappy).
Firework's preference for objects over layers is what is key here. It drastically increases my productivity and allows graphics to be much more mutable than Photoshop.
I'm with you there. If I need any Photoshopping for personal projects, I have my GF do it. She's a painter, photographer, and Photoshop heavyweight. In return I do the dishes, which I find much more satisfying.
I have thought about making video tutorials on how to use Photoshop to create practical design elements. Ie, how to make a button or how to design a header. Something every programmer making their own webapp could use that doesn't really require much Photoshop knowledge.
Don't underestimate the value of layer styles. In fact I would say that for most UI design 80% of the "visual style" can be achieved via layer styles.
Just make sure to Name and Group your layers, otherwise you can end up with 100s of layers named Layer N with undecipherable thumbnails. Also it's nice to save your most commonly used layer styles to swatches.
Absolutely. I'd also recommend the tutorials at Lynda.com for really in-depth overviews - they have a whole set of tutorials focused on web design with CS5: http://www.lynda.com/home/ViewCourses.aspx?lpk0=116
That said, Lynda.com is subscription-based and tends to be lengthy. A short set of tutorials on key techniques would be a great resource.
I would be interested in a set of tutorials on buttons, drop shadows, torn paper effects, header design, logo design text effects - all of the stuff that I use or need to use Photoshop for.
The Photoshop basics get me around for casual UI mocking -- layers, blending options, gradients, free transforms -- but I haven't mastered the shapes or pen tool in PS.
Illustrator is where I head for scalable vector stuff (duh). Despite having seen some crazy, crazy awesome wizardry with the Photoshop pen tool, in AI the pen tool is much more manageable and powerful IMHO, especially in conjunction with the all-powerful Pathfinder.
For web design, I find myself using Illustrator for rough mockups since it's much better at Photoshop at text editing and rapidly mocking stuff up (and making quick copies of everything for side by side comparison).
Voted "I know the basics but want to learn more", but a more accurate answer would be "I know the basics and that's all I need to know, and all I want to know".
What do you mean a different computer? This was a copy that was never installed. I bought it from one of those online OEM shops. It wasn't zipzoomfly.com, but something like that.
OEM is to be installed on new equipment from manufacturers that have an OEM agreement with Adobe per the license. It doesn't matter that nobody else has used that copy. Just speaking from my experience searching in vain for legitimately cheap copies of CS.
My flow is Balsamiq for rough mocks / usability testing, Fireworks for design comps, and Photoshop only for actual image processing (mainly as a hobby). Balsamiq is awesome once you learn some of the hotkeys, and many of the commands overlap with those provided by Fireworks. The founder of Balsamiq was a Sr. Software Engineer at Adobe, and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
I learned photoshop before I learned to program, because I was really interested in art when I was young so I wanted to learn how to color my drawings in it after I scanned them in. My interests took a large shift since then, but I still can use it quite well.
The biggest problem I face is that in the time it takes me to do a single page mock up a pro could have done 15 different one. It is not quite a matter of software knowledge at this point, it is more of a "this is the only thing I can think of doing" thing.
Can anyone ever know Photoshop? I've been a Photoshop user since version 2.5.1 (1994), and even though I use Photoshop daily, I feel I've barely scratched the surface of its power. Photoshop is the main reason why I keep my Lynda.com subscription.
Last week, Dan Benjamin and Jeffrey Zeldman interviewed Adobe's John Nack for 'The Big Web Show'. John Nack himself admitted to not knowing everything about Photoshop, even though he used to be Adobe's Photoshop Senior Product Manager.
I interpret mastery not by knowing its complete bloated feature set, but instead by saying that for any effect or purpose that I turn to Photoshop to solve, the challenge is completely in the design of the effect, not ambiguity about the use of the tool.
Actually, for simple mockups which seem to be what most people here are talking about, I most often use PowerPoint...
Obviously it's a long way behind Photoshop for general sketching, let alone the far more sophsticated stuff Photoshop can do, but when we just need a quick overview of an interface concept, it works fine. It's relatively easy to use and the whole office already has it and largely knows the basics.
Plus, because it forces you into a very primitive sketch, no-one starts debating fonts and colourschemes, or whether things should line up slightly differently. Focus on that later, get the general concept out there and sorted first.
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[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 74.8 ms ] threadThe number one reason I prefer Fireworks it's that the file itself can be viewed as normal PNG (and still retain editable features). The second is the mix of vector/pixel objects (all you want from vectors but as pixels).
If you have to design for the web I would recommend you to use Fireworks over Photoshop as your design tool (please stop with the shadows and gradient madness, they make the page rendering slow and scrolling crappy).
http://www.mydamnchannel.com/You_Suck_at_Photoshop/Season_1/...
Would there be any interest?
I recently discovered that I could create reasonably decent looking UI elements using only layer styles. I assume there are better ways to do it.
I actually built a small business around them: http://photoshoplayerstyles.com/
Just make sure to Name and Group your layers, otherwise you can end up with 100s of layers named Layer N with undecipherable thumbnails. Also it's nice to save your most commonly used layer styles to swatches.
That said, Lynda.com is subscription-based and tends to be lengthy. A short set of tutorials on key techniques would be a great resource.
Illustrator is where I head for scalable vector stuff (duh). Despite having seen some crazy, crazy awesome wizardry with the Photoshop pen tool, in AI the pen tool is much more manageable and powerful IMHO, especially in conjunction with the all-powerful Pathfinder.
How do I make X in Photoshop?
X is any physical object you can think of.
This will return relevant results for all valid values of X.
Examples for X:
1) X=Earth: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8...
2) X=Sand: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8...
3) X=Monkey: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8...
4) X=Pyramid: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8...
I don't fee like I need any more skills in Photoshop.
Can anyone ever know Photoshop? I've been a Photoshop user since version 2.5.1 (1994), and even though I use Photoshop daily, I feel I've barely scratched the surface of its power. Photoshop is the main reason why I keep my Lynda.com subscription.
Last week, Dan Benjamin and Jeffrey Zeldman interviewed Adobe's John Nack for 'The Big Web Show'. John Nack himself admitted to not knowing everything about Photoshop, even though he used to be Adobe's Photoshop Senior Product Manager.
http://5by5.tv/bigwebshow/37
But then, you never stop learning.
Actually, for simple mockups which seem to be what most people here are talking about, I most often use PowerPoint...
Obviously it's a long way behind Photoshop for general sketching, let alone the far more sophsticated stuff Photoshop can do, but when we just need a quick overview of an interface concept, it works fine. It's relatively easy to use and the whole office already has it and largely knows the basics.
Plus, because it forces you into a very primitive sketch, no-one starts debating fonts and colourschemes, or whether things should line up slightly differently. Focus on that later, get the general concept out there and sorted first.