Fireworks 2 PC MAC CD create vector flash multimedia software development tool Type: Application Platform: Windows/Mac Publisher: Macromedia Released: 1999 Media: CD Macromedia Fireworks 2 Macromedia is working hard to be the media toolmaker for the web. They just announced that an independent research firm determined 77Ͽf Web users can see Flash, the Director/Shockwave combination was recently upgraded, and now they've upgraded Fireworks, their graphics preparation tool. Fireworks combines bitmap editing tools, vector based drawing tools, simple animation capabilities, compression previews and a slicing tool in one feature rich package. Firworks 2 offers an impressive set of graphics tools. Whenever reviewing new tools it's always difficult to tell whether they'll replace tools you're already using, or whether you'll revert to the one you know. When I looked at Adobe ImageReady I was excited by the export preview function, but time proved that it wasn't enough to force a switch from Photoshop. Fireworks offers features that make it a useful auxiliary to Photoshop even if I still use Photoshop for image editing. The most compelling tools in Fireworks arsenal are the slicing tool and the automated rollover functions. These alone are enough to justify buying this tool. While the bit-mapped editing tools are adequate, the object editing tools are also a strong selling point for some graphic work. Fireworks 2 costs US $199. For Windows/Mac (Power Macintosh) [*Please review compatibility/platform sections in 'What You Get']