Taking a Tour of the Fireworks MX 2004 Interface

The Fireworks interface is set up to make accessing the tools quick and intuitive. When you start Fireworks, you'll notice that it doesn't create a new document automatically — instead, you see something

• Open a Recent Item: Just click the filename, or click the Open folder and browse to a file to open the image in Fireworks.

• Create New: Click the Fireworks File link to open a new, blank image.

• Extend: Click the Fireworks Exchange link to browse to a part of the Macromedia Web site that includes lots of free, downloadable cool tools and graphical elements created by users like you.

• Tutorials: Click the Take a Quick Tour of Fireworks link or the Take a Fireworks Tutorial link to go through a tutorial.

If you don't want the Start Page to show up every time you launch Fireworks, click the Don't Show Again check box at the bottom-left corner of the page.

To create a new Fireworks file (called a PNG file), just follow these steps:

1. Choose File --> New, or click the Fireworks File link on the Start Page.

The New Document dialog box appears.

2. Choose the canvas size for your document.

The default width and height are 500 pixels, and the default resolution is 72 pixels per inch. You can enter your own size in the fields provided and change the unit of measurement by selecting one from the drop-down list. You should leave the resolution at 72 pixels per inch unless you're designing for some medium other than the Web, like print.