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First published in New Zealand Macguide Magazine - Issue 25

Note that this review covers the three programs in Studio 8 that are new to Macromedia and does not cover Contribute and FlashPaper, which were also included in the software bundle.

Review
Installation & Documentation
Ease of use
Value for money
Price approx.	$1,580.00 + GST
Software/Hardware Requirements	600 MHz PowerPC G3+ Mac OS X 10.3+ 256 MB RAM 1024 x 768 1.2 GB disk space
Available from	Buyers Guide

Fireworks 8
I'm going to start with the program I admitted last issue I use the least. Fireworks is a program that many people enjoy using and has some nice integrated features. But because I'm often working in Photoshop, I've always just found it easier to switch from there to ImageReady as opposed to Fireworks.

I still find Fireworks an unusual application in that it has many features that you may or may not choose to use and it seems to want to be many things for many people. It's not an image manipulation program but it is an image optimisation program; You can create CSS styles in it, but most likely you'd use Dreamweaver; You've been able to create Flash buttons but for most, you'd use Flash. So these extra are either really helpful for those that don't want to own other applications, or like me, add-ons you'll not make much use of from within the program at all.

Fireworks 8 really is on a path to becoming more and more like Photoshop, but with both products about to be owned by the same company, it seems a case of leaving these changes a little too late. The new blend modes, auto-shape features and filters are all very welcome additions but not something that we haven't seen elsewhere. I really like the way in which you can work with text attached to a path that can be easily altered and the Image Editing" panel is a handy short-cut panel as it includes a combination of commonly used tools, commands and menu options, all there for easy access. More programs should have something like it.

So just as I get comfortable with Fireworks, I feel slightly uneasy again, as I see it allows for the development of screen interfaces that can then be exported in Flash for use with mobile phones. Something that Flash itself also allows and just seems odd in Fireworks.

So for those of you who enjoy Fireworks there's no doubt that this is a very useful upgrade. Others like me will certainly be able to make use of the tools, but keep in mind that there are many applications out there, some that come in the Studio bundle in fact, that can carry out these tasks already.

Dreamweaver 8
Changes to Dreamweaver are more 'under the hood' than a drastic change of working in the application, although refinements to the interface are noticeable once you start to use it more. Dreamweaver continues to work and function as you'd expect. This shows that the program has matured to the point that it is the most widely used web-authoring product out there and that user find the program meets their needs well.

The most pleasing aspect to be improved with this version is the CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) functionality, both in the way in which Dreamweaver displays a page that has a linked or embedded CSS file, as well as the improved way to access CSS values for the area of the page in which you are working.

In the previous version of DW, it was common to load pages that had a complex CSS file attached and find a mess of text and boxes located all over the screen. It wasn't until you previewed the page that you really could check out how the design of your page was going.

The new version is a big leap forward and not only do pages with CSS display well, Macromedia are so confident in the display accuracy that they have introduced a magnifying tool to perform precision inspection of CSS alignment, as well as guides that indicate pixel position accurately. I've always found using CSS hard in DW as you're always trying to interpret just where you are in the midst of your tags and which CSS values are being applied. DW8 solves that superbly with a new panel that allows you to check tags on your page, view the associated CSS values and parent values being passed to your design. Being able to alter the CSS values via this panel is also exceptionally handy during design and coding.

Synchronisation of websites now runs in the background, which has put an end to coffee breaks and excuses of not being able to work, but I still feel that synchronisation has slowed down over the past couple of versions of DW. The visual aid tool that allows you to apply background colours to show different areas of your layout or dotted lines to represent boundaries of tables, <DIV> tags and more is just superb. Those wanting to develop websites that include functionality to display different versions for mobile phones or print versions of sites will find the CSS media toggle system a godsend.

This is very much a version where the refinements impress more than any dramatic change in working. From improved drag and drop integration of FLV files to refinements with the coding screen and associated toolbar and collapsible codes feature, Dreamweaver 8 has taken a solid base and built on it superbly.

Having recently done some work with FLV files, I found Flash frustrating in how confined you were during FLV creation in comparison to products like Sorenson Squeeze or Compression Master. At the same time, considering the FLVs were being produced by Flash, it was frustrating to find that some FLVs would be produced that were missing inbuilt cue points, hidden signals to your Flash project that you wanted something to happen. The new Macromedia Flash 8 Video Encoder, a separate application that allows you to batch process video files not only allows for greater control over optimisation, bit rate and cropping, it has a superb and easy to use feature to add in cue points before the exporting of FLVs occurs. This can also be done within Flash also via the video import wizard that allows you to skin your video with different styled players.

Add to this the ability to create alpha channels, masks and more, many of which are rendered at run time by the Flash player (therefore not impacting on file size too much), not only has the video aspects of the program improved, but simple graphics work has been advanced.

A new feature for those that find the Flash drawing process slightly unique is the ability to draw shapes as objects. Those that don't use Flash will not appreciate the significance of this, but these changes, the ability to adjust velocity speed on animations (called custom easing) and the new Flash Type that renders small text remarkably crisper than previous versions are all great enhancements.

The mobile phone content emulator is superb for those wanting to develop for WAP and mobile content and the refinements to the panel layout and interface are also exceptionally useful.

And for the future?
We've mentioned before that Macromedia is being purchased by Adobe, but most people agree that many of the applications in the Macromedia stable will remain once the merger concludes. Even as Flash 8 was being released, Macromedia announced details of the Flash 8.5 player and beta's of software related to future content development. It was obviously a strategic move but also a good indication that many of these programs have a strong and solid future.

Pros

• Interface tweaks are welcome and practical
• New video codec in Flash superb
• CSS improvements in Dreamweaver welcome

Cons

• Fireworks is useful but may not survive Adobe takeover
• Contribute and FlashPaper are of limited use
• No FreeHand update whatsoever

Published by kind permission NZ Macguide - © Parkside Media

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