Reviews for Fireworks for Windows and Macintosh (Visual QuickStart Guides)

1. Completely overrated. Save $$, buy the Fireworks PDF manual

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, April 12th, 1999

   I was psyched to get a book about fireworks to figure out all those things that you can't from the program itself. I've been very disappointed with this book. It gives the exact same information as the Fireworks PDF manual does. Just repeating the basics is NOT why a person should write a book about a program. I've only used fireworks for a little while and there are some great things about the program. Unfortunately, this book did not give me the added info that I was looking for. It also doesn't even mention some very confusing things that take place when using the program. It does a poor job at describing why certain things happen... like simple Javascript rollovers. You can create 4 states for a rollover and have the option of including all or just one on your webpage. Unfortunately, the book doesn't go into detail about HOW to have the 3rd and 4th states show up on your webpage. When I emailed the author, Sandee Cohen, she gave me the same terse, incomprehensible answer as her book does about this. Another weird thing is when you export Javascript rollover images, it automatically creates a one pixel gif image that it inserts into the HTML table it creates for the rollovers, supposedly for "proper alignment" of the table. The program says nothing about this. I only noticed because this GIF isn't transparent and was creating these tiny black dots on my page. Not only does the book not even bother mentioning this, but when I emailed the author, she claimed that using this gif was ESSENTIAL for properly aligning images in a table. Frankly, in 2 1/2 yrs of studying web design, I've never heard nor read anything about this. No instructor or book that I've run across has even mentioned it. If it's so important as the author states, why doesn't the book address it?? I just took these annoying gifs out of my code... and the rollovers/images are just fine. So much for the ESSENTIALNESS of these gifs.

   Another example is that in the section on ImageMaps, the book doesn't mention that ImageMaps and Sliced object are exported slightly differently.... and doesn't even SAY in the ImageMap section, the information you need to know to export one!

   I could go on about the difficulties I encountered attempting to use this book.... but if you buy the book, you'll find out for yourself. Amazing how just a little book of only 250 pages can be so confusing to find what your'e looking for. Don't waste your $$. Just download the Fireworks PDF manual or use the one that came with the program until someone finally writes a comprehensive book about a pretty good program.

2. At chap.18 the author forgot to include Windows instructions

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, April 12th, 1999

   This book was good until Chapter 18 - which is where the How-to of creating rollovers begins. Beginning in Chapter 18, the author forgot she was writting for a Windows and Mac book and only wrote Mac instructions which are of course, very different from Windows. I had to use the tutorial which came with my Fireworks software to figure out how to do a rollover - so in effect, I wasted my time & money with this book. My advice is to look elsewhere for a Fireworks book.

3. Exponentially better than Macromedia's User manual

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 1999

   You'll be elated with this book's Complete coverage of Fireworks. It's abundantly clear the author intensely researched Fireworks, then painstakingly wrote, re-wrote, organized, and laid out this easy to follow tutorial and thorough reference.

   But don't take my word for it, take Lynda Weinman's. AFTER learning Fireworks and producing a video about Fireworks, Lynda Weinman (no slouch, herself) next read this book. She had this to say, "...many hidden aspects of Fireworks were revealed to me..."

   Buy it. You'll like it.

   Good coverage of rollovers and animations, handy visual appendixes of all textures, patterns, gradients, effects and brushes, thorough index, tremendous illustrations...sorry to gush, but this is a fine piece of work on Fireworks.

4. Book helped but not comprehensive enough

   Rated 1 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 1999

   I was very excited to receive this book as the fireworks program is really great. The book is confusing because they mix PC & Mac directions together. Being fluent on both systems it confused me more and more. On key functions like cropping it left you hanging in dispair. I probably wouldn't buy again, although the price was right!

5. A excellent book for learning Fireworks

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 1999

   I think the Visual QuickStart Guide for Fireworks is a excellent book for those people who need learning a good program for web graphics. Fireworks is that program, and this book is the book you need. Is concise, very good distributed in chapters and ther is a lot of techniques for improve the work with Fireworks. The Visual QuickStart Guide are not the most complete reference for learning all posible, but if you have not any problem for discover the secrets of a software, i recomend this book. Easy to read and easy to find the solution for the trouble in wich you are.