Krovnan's Blog

week 4

•September 22, 2009 • Leave a Comment

Videos: An Overview of Fireworks

Understanding Fireworks: View the video >>
Fireworks Interface: View the video >>
Importing and Exporting Images: View the video >>
Smart Guides and Tool Tips: View the video >>
Using Kuler Color Themes: View the video >>
Understanding Styles and Symbols: View the video >>

Fireworks Terminology

There are some basic terms that we’ll hear over and over again in FIREWORKS when referring to image creation:

Layers:

think of an onion and the layers of skin you peel off of it, one at a time;
layers of acetate used on a overhead project, that, when sitting on top of one another, create a collaborative piece;
layers can be moved and the order of items on a layer can be rearranged;

Frames:

controls the state of your image;
used in animation;
used in the creation of rollover graphics;

Guides:

guides help you divide up your image;
guides are invisible, except within the original program;
to show guides, show your Rulers, Ctrl-ALT-R or Cmd-OPT-R;
pull down guides from the ruler bar to divide up the layout into images / text;

Slices:

think of a knife, cutting through the image, dividing it up;
slices do just this, so that you can “chop” up an image ;
you later reassemble it with HTML;
NEVER slice and build a website entirely as graphics;
slices are stored in your raw file in Fireworks;
slices will not print, show in a browser or save in different formats;

Web Layer:

Fireworks creates a layer called Web Layer;
holds slice and hotspot information;
layer is added automatically when you create a slice;
is not editable through the Layers window;
it does appear in the listings as a layer.

Stock Photographs

Most websites will require some sort of photography or imagery when taking the design into consideration. You have a few options for producing imagery for a website:

client supplies already shot images, on disc, or for you to scan;
client hires a professional photographer, who will supply images to you;
client works with a printer who will supply images to you;
you will offer to take images for the client, for a fee;
you will purchase stock photos via a recognized agency for your client.

Stock photography consists of existing photographs that can be licensed for specific uses. Images are filed at an agency that negotiates licensing fees on the photographer’s behalf. Most stock images are available online, and are easily browsed in huge databases.

Stock images come in two primary flavors:

Rights managed = an individual licensing agreement negotiated for each use, with an option for exclusivity in an industry or for a period of time; price dependent on use and is often a more expensive option.
Royalty free = offers the ability to use an image in an unlimited number of ways for a single license fee, with no exclusivity; much cheaper option. This does not mean the image is FREE – it simply means there are no royalties attached. The user pays once to use the image in many ways.

Most sites offer low-resolution versions of images called comps, short for “comprehensives”; these are normally used in rough sketches or designs to show a client how a final piece might look. Some well known professional photography stock houses, offering individual licensing as well as entire cd’s of professional images:

Some Micro-stock houses that are gaining popularity, which recruit mostly amature photographers:

http://www.shutterstock.com/ (subscription based system)
http://www.istockphoto.com/ (micro-payment plan per image system)

ASSIGNMENT

Getty Images is one of the primary stock websites designers use for comps as well as to license images. Please review the website, and sign up for an account:

http://www.gettyimages.com
Click the small Register link (upper left of the homepage)
Fill out the Registration – use an email address you can check from anywhere
Make a note of your user name, email address and password – you will need this for next

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