Photoshop or Fireworks?

sk3pt1c

sk3pt1c

macrumors 6502a
i have long denied to learn Photoshop and have stuck with Fireworks 8, since it worked just fine for me and i could do all i wanted with it.
Nevertheless, since Photoshop is a requirement in most work ads, i decided to get some tutorials from Lynda.com and learn the application.
After the first 10 hours of tutorials i have realised that Photoshop does kick @ss and is soooo much more advanced than Fireworks.
I do still believe though that it's too much of a pro application to be used everyday by anyone other than graphic artists...
what do you think?
is it just a matter of Fireworks for web and Photoshop for, well, photos?
 
I used fireworks for a couple of years and then tries PS and it is so much more awesome. It is just as good, if not better, than fireworks for web design.
 
Adobe themselves market Fireworks for Web Graphics. Photoshop is suited to bitmap manipulation, while Fireworks has far superior Vector control.
 
Photoshop is 'more awesome' at some things, of course. But not web design. Why limit your workflow to one or the other? I use photoshop for complex image manipulation, color correction, etc. But I then bring these elements into Fireworks if I'm using them for the web.

Photoshop is built for 100 different 'advanced' things. Fireworks is built explicitely for designing for the web.

Fireworks allows for full bitmap and vector editing. This alone makes it the obvious choice. Pasting in and manipulating elements from Pshop and Illustrator at the same time. It's also frame-based, which is indispesible. Oh, and it exports better looking graphics at lower file sizes. (IMO)
 
decksnap said:
Photoshop is 'more awesome' at some things, of course. But not web design. Why limit your workflow to one or the other? I use photoshop for complex image manipulation, color correction, etc. But I then bring these elements into Fireworks if I'm using them for the web.

Photoshop is built for 100 different 'advanced' things. Fireworks is built explicitely for designing for the web.

Fireworks allows for full bitmap and vector editing. This alone makes it the obvious choice. Pasting in and manipulating elements from Pshop and Illustrator at the same time. It's also frame-based, which is indispesible. Oh, and it exports better looking graphics at lower file sizes. (IMO)
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I completely agree with this. I use CS3 and the improved Fireworks for prototyping is so much better and yes Fireworks does export better looking graphics at lower file sizes.
 
i guess I have only really used fireworks MX, so that is probably why I don't really know what is new.
 
Yep, I've been using Fireworks for years for prototyping. It's always been the best. Photoshop is great at what it does, but it drives me nuts when someone tries to use it as a layout tool. That's not what it's for! Fireworks or Illustrator are great for layout and prototyping work.
 
yep, i'll have to agree too
Fireworks does rock for web design!
cool, so photoshop for photos and fireworks for web then ;)
thanks guys :D
 
pengu said:
as much as it's a personal choice, you've got to be kidding.
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I agree. I used to be a Fireworks advocate years ago and while it is a great program, Photoshop just has so much more that makes it worth sticking in one application rather than jumping between two. Not to mention everyone I worked with hated when I sent them png files instead of psd. :D One thing I like about fireworks is that it is a bitmap program with vector editing capabilities. But photoshop is just much more powerful and provides a lot more control in the way you can get things done.
 
radiantm3 said:
I agree. I used to be a Fireworks advocate years ago and while it is a great program, Photoshop just has so much more that makes it worth sticking in one application rather than jumping between two. Not to mention everyone I worked with hated when I sent them png files instead of psd. :D One thing I like about fireworks is that it is a bitmap program with vector editing capabilities. But photoshop is just much more powerful and provides a lot more control in the way you can get things done.
Click to expand...

no, well actually you DONT agree, because as i said, Fireworks is DESIGNED for web design and prototyping. Photoshop is DESIGNED for, funnily enough, working with PHOTOS. Also, Fireworks is a VECTOR tool, with ample bitmap editing (and support for Photoshop as an external bitmap editor) while Photoshop is a BITMAP tool, with very basic vector support.

and while you're talking about two apps, who ever decided that using a PS and then a seperate app to "slice" was a good idea!?
 
radiantm3 said:
I agree. I used to be a Fireworks advocate years ago and while it is a great program, Photoshop just has so much more that makes it worth sticking in one application rather than jumping between two. Not to mention everyone I worked with hated when I sent them png files instead of psd. :D One thing I like about fireworks is that it is a bitmap program with vector editing capabilities. But photoshop is just much more powerful and provides a lot more control in the way you can get things done.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't think you do agree. To each their own. Photoshop is certainly capable, just not as targeted or tuned for the task.
 
pengu said:
no, well actually you DONT agree, because as i said, Fireworks is DESIGNED for web design and prototyping. Photoshop is DESIGNED for, funnily enough, working with PHOTOS. Also, Fireworks is a VECTOR tool, with ample bitmap editing (and support for Photoshop as an external bitmap editor) while Photoshop is a BITMAP tool, with very basic vector support.

and while you're talking about two apps, who ever decided that using a PS and then a seperate app to "slice" was a good idea!?
Click to expand...

For some reason I thought you were quoting nightelf. :p

Either way, I pretty much know the ins and out of fireworks (I used it since version 1.0 and for many years) and while it has some great tools, I have found it more limiting in my workflow and process compared to photoshop. The only things I like more about fireworks is the fact that it has powerful vector-like editing and shape selection.
 
no, well actually you DONT agree, because as i said, Fireworks is DESIGNED for web design and prototyping. Photoshop is DESIGNED for, funnily enough, working with PHOTOS. Also, Fireworks is a VECTOR tool, with ample bitmap editing (and support for Photoshop as an external bitmap editor) while Photoshop is a BITMAP tool, with very basic vector support.
Click to expand...

Photoshop was originally designed for photos, but has evolved an enormous amount. FW may have more of a web slant, but an expert in PS will produce the work no slower than in FW.
 
AlexisV said:
Photoshop was originally designed for photos, but has evolved an enormous amount. FW may have more of a web slant, but an expert in PS will produce the work no slower than in FW.
Click to expand...

Yep, and Quark and Illustrator also have built-in web features. Doesn't mean they're the best tool for the job.
 
I think ya'll have really helped my decision for purchasing, I was planning to make just such a thread when I saw this. Basically, I was deciding between getting CS3 Web Standard or just Photoshop CS3 and using a combination of Smultron and Yummy FTP to replace Dreamweaver (I hardly ever use the design view anyways, just the code view, but I love the organization and the code prompts in Dreamweaver), but after reading this, it looks like I'd be best off not worrying about Photoshop, since I only do web stuff, and getting the CS3 Web Standard. I'd get just Fireworks and save more, but my college has a licensing program where I can just get the media and the key, no packaging or anything, for $199 for the Web Standard or $169 for Photoshop CS3, but Fireworks isn't offered through that packaging method, which means I'd have to buy the boxed package, which is also $199 education pricing, which obviously wouldn't make sense. Looks like I'll probably be ordering CS3 Web Standard soon!

jW
 
Well, I've never built a site where I didn't at least use Photoshop and Illustrator in some way in conjunction with Fireworks. So I still think they are all invaluable to the design process.
 
I worked on web site layouts for years with nothing but Fireworks. If you know how to use it, you can do a lot of photo manipulation with it. You don't need Photoshop unless you're getting into really artsy stuff most of the time. I'm not arguing it's not more convenient than doing the odd photo manip in Fireworks, but if you're trying to save money and you want to do web layouts then definitely get Fireworks or Illustrator rather than Photoshop. If you run into an effect you just can't get to work in one of those two apps, then you can give it a pass in the Gimp. Either way, Photoshop isn't really necessary for any but the most artsy web designers.
 
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