Adobe, please revive Fireworks!

Report · Mar 06, 2020

I know that this will be useless, but I need to put all my frustration here, so Adobe can ignore it... Because I know they will.

Hey Adobe, are you completely blind to the several people that still use Fireworks, including me? Don´t even try to tell me that Illustrator is the new Fireworks, because I don´t buy it. And the same goes to Photoshop that to me is for photos, you know: PHOTOshop, it wasn´t conceived for web at all. So stop to try to pull that type of Jury-rig on us.

What we really and simply want is Fireworks back! Everyone that uses it knows that is a wonderful tool for web image edition and creation, and nothing in Adobe today can fill that gap. It accelerates all my web related jobs in a way that Illustrator or Photoshop cannot even compare with.

So, please revive Fireworks!

Report · Mar 06, 2020

I agree with you, sadly I don't think Adobe will start putting resourcs into again. It was put into EOL status back in 2013, I just don't think Adobe understood how good Fireworks was/is and because some of its features cross over into Photoshop and illustrator they decided to kill it off ..... I still use Fireworks daily myself ...

Paul-M - Community Expert

Report · Mar 09, 2020

If I may ask, what kind of web related jobs do you do in Fireworks that other software has issues with?

I am aware of the unique preview tab option, but otherwise? What are the features which you feel are beyond other applications?

Report · Mar 09, 2020

I think the thing with Fireworks is, it doesn't have the learning curve of Illustrator or Photoshop yet it combines most of the frequently used bitmap/vector tools into one application and it's still good today for fast mockups and creating graphic elements.

Paul-M - Community Expert

Report · Mar 10, 2020

Isn´t the case that I have issues with other softwares. I can make everything that I do on Fireworks, on Photoshop or Illustrator. However, not with the same speed or best image quality/size ratio. Fireworks was developed with web in mind and this makes it excel the other tools (Photoshop and Illustrator).

I am using those tools since 1998, from the early versions, Photoshop 2, Illustrator 4, Fireworks since Macromedia, and for me it doesn´t make sense a tool that was created only for photo edition, to make everything (photo, painting, 3D, illustration, web, coffee and so on...). In order to reduce staff, Adobe simply put everything in one tool, making them crammed with functions that are used for some people, but not everyone. And in the end, we have big software that begins to fail and crash. Is almost unanimous with all graphic designers, illustrators or web designers that I know that Adobe screwed with every tool in Adobe CC after 2015 versions. I use them because my work don´t have the old licences anymore, but for me, is very far from the pleasant experience that I have with the older versions.

I can enumerate a few points that make Fireworks to stand very above Illustrator and Photoshop:

Fireworks has a much better image quality/size ratio. You can get images for web with more quality and less size.
PNG 8 transparent with perfect alpha, without serrated edges.
It has a mix of tools from Photoshop and Illustrator: it can handle vectors like Illustrator and images like Photoshop.
You can manipulate the elements more easily in the canvas, no need to go to the Layer panel to select elements or apply effects.
The properties panel is very handy, put all the tools that you need in your hand. Again, no need to navigate to several confusing panels to find a simple font size adjust, or apply a effect like transition.
Not to mention that the units are all specific for web: pixels and no more.
The transition tool in Fireworks is excelent and fast to use.
You can make several types of align and pathfinder modes that the other tools don´t have.
It generates web previews directly in the canvas, no need to go to the export tool.
It generates CSS sprites, great for optimize sites with lots of icons.
You can create sliced templates, with different image types per slice and generate perfect HTML for e-mails.
And all of it in a software that is fast and small.

People that started to use the newer versions of Adobe Suite, may be asking why such a fuss about a old and deprecated tool. But, the ones that had the opportunity to use the Macromedia tools in their gold age, knows the true potential of it and the mess that Adobe did in it. Adobe made a excellent job in buying Macromedia and burying every tool they had.

For me, I will keep using Fireworks until the rise of a better tool. But, I doubt that Adobe will be the one that will develop that tool.

Report · Mar 10, 2020

Isn´t the case that I have issues with other softwares. I can make everything that I do on Fireworks, on Photoshop or Illustrator. However, not with the same speed or best image quality/size ratio. Fireworks was developed with web in mind and this makes it excel the other tools (Photoshop and Illustrator).

I am using those tools since 1998, from the early versions, Photoshop 2, Illustrator 4, Fireworks since Macromedia, and for me it doesn´t make sense a tool that was created only for photo edition, to make everything (photo, painting, 3D, illustration, web, coffee and so on...). In order to reduce staff, Adobe simply put everything in one tool, making them crammed with functions that are used for some people, but not everyone. And in the end, we have big software that begins to fail and crash. Is almost unanimous with all graphic designers, illustrators or web designers that I know that Adobe screwed with every tool in Adobe CC after 2015 versions. I use them because my work don´t have the old licences anymore, but for me, is very far from the pleasant experience that I have with the older versions.

I can enumerate a few points that make Fireworks to stand very above Illustrator and Photoshop:

Fireworks has a much better image quality/size ratio. You can get images for web with more quality and less size.
PNG 8 transparent with perfect alpha, without serrated edges.
It has a mix of tools from Photoshop and Illustrator: it can handle vectors like Illustrator and images like Photoshop.
You can manipulate the elements more easily in the canvas, no need to go to the Layer panel to select elements or apply effects.
The properties panel is very handy, put all the tools that you need in your hand. Again, no need to navigate to several confusing panels to find a simple font size adjust, or apply a effect like transition.
Not to mention that the units are all specific for web: pixels and no more.
The transition tool in Fireworks is excelent and fast to use.
You can make several types of align and pathfinder modes that the other tools don´t have.
It generates web previews directly in the canvas, no need to go to the export tool.
It generates CSS sprites, great for optimize sites with lots of icons.
You can create sliced templates, with different image types per slice and generate perfect HTML for e-mails.
And all of it in a software that is fast and small.

People that started to use the newer versions of Adobe Suite, may be asking why such a fuss about a old and deprecated tool. But, the ones that had the opportunity to use the Macromedia tools in their gold age, knows the true potential of it and the mess that Adobe did in it. Adobe made a excellent job in buying Macromedia and burying every tool they had.

For me, I will keep using Fireworks until the rise of a better tool. But, I doubt that Adobe will be the one that will develop that tool.

Report · Mar 10, 2020

Agreed, back when I still used Fireworks, it was hard to beat the efficient workflow and the optimized web output. I haven't found anything out there that precisely matches Fireworks. But I also have to mention here that Fireworks is showing its age in various ways.

- no @2x, @3x, @4x or other simultaneous output.

- no webp support.

- the optimization algorithms are okay, but can't compete with modern approaches.

- no option to optimize for more than 256 colours.

- dithering and scaling algorithm very limited

- no modern UI kits support out of the box.

- difficult to generate vector based PDF, and no built-in SVG support.

Response to [1] and [2]

My main issue with Fireworks is that the web output quality doesn't approach the quality that a modern web optimization tool can achieve: neither in visual quality, nor in file size. At least not without a LOT of manual work, and even then...

Back in the day Fireworks could not be beat, and I touted Fireworks as the supreme web optimization tool myself to anyone who would listen, but nowadays it has been superceded by newer tools and techniques.

Which means Fireworks is not a valid tool anymore to achieve the best file sizes and visual quality. Simple as that. An excellent (free) modern PNG optimization is Color Quantizer. It beats the pants off Fireworks. Not even mentioning the excellent dithering control. Fireworks just cannot compete. I tested this, btw. Because I had a hard time believing it years ago. I researched many tools and methods. CQ beats all in terms of control, quality, file size, and ease-of-use.

That is why I export to full quality PNG files, and optimize in CQ. Also, most other design software supports a @1x, @2x, etc. workflow easily. Photoshop, PhotoLine, Lunacy, Sketch, etc. all allow this easily, and I really don't bother with their native PNG optimization anymore.

A major issue in Fireworks is the lack of Webp, of course. Excepting Safari, all browsers support this now, and it is a major boost in quality at very low file sizes compared to jpg.

A secondary issue is that Fireworks only offers Bicubic, Bilinear, Soft, and Nearest Neighbour as downsampling algorithms. Far better ones exist: CatmullRom, for example, retains the fidelity and quality of downsampled images much better than the aforementioned methods. PhotoLine offers this option, as well as CQ. It really does make a visual difference quality-wise, and even contributes to smaller optimized file sizes.

[3] Yes, correct. I found PhotoLine to be pretty much identical in this respect. I loved this aspect of Fireworks, and PhotoLine works within the same paradigm. Actually, it expands on that paradigm, and allows for per layer control of anti-aliasing and scaling algorithms.

[4] and [5] the simplicity of the properties panel speaks for itself in Fireworks. Although the trade-off seems to be access to more complex functionality. That said, I found Lunacy (and Sketch) work in a similar fashion. Lunacy also has support for modern web output, slices, and so on. Free for Windows, amazingly enough. I use it for GUI mockups and to collaborate with Mac Sketch users (loads and saves Sketch files! For free!).

[9] Yes, the preview tab is useful. A shame that Fireworks no longer can compete in terms of optimization quality and file sizes. (see above)

[0] CSS sprites are handy, but the sprite sheets functionality in Fireworks is far too limited for my use cases (which also include game work). I prefer texture packer, which supports more advanced optimization algorithms compared to Fireworks.

[1] Well, yes, Fireworks, because of its age, is able to generate old-fashioned table-based newsletters. This is indeed an advantage to designers who cannot or do not want to code the html.

[2] This is where I agree and disagree. Yes, it would be cool if one singular application could take care of all web/mobile screen design work. But I found that it's more about creating a good pipeline for various tasks, rather than focusing and relying on a single application only. The trouble is that no single application is going to be able to do it all as efficiently: it depends on the task, and often the team (and their existing workflows) that you may have to deal with.

For example, Lunacy (and related GUI design apps such as Sketch) is brilliant in that it will automatically generate the required CSS for any element while you work on it. It has great multi-resolution output support. PhotoLine is excellent for its combined image/vector workflow, and I use it for all sorts of work. I just don't rely on their web optimization - something I do with CQ instead. So I have a good workflow, very fast output, and only optimize at the very end. I don't have to worry about file size and quality optimization until the very end (and I really think it should be done at the end of the pipeline: not something to worry about while designing).

Anyway, I appreciate Fireworks for what it was in 'the old days', but modern tools and workflows have replaced it. At least, for my work Fireworks is deprecated. But it would indeed be nice if some of the unique tools (like the instant preview) would be replicated in other software. And I also agree Illustrator and Photoshop are rather cumbersome to work with for this type of work.

And I do wonder sometimes what Fireworks could have become if it had been developed to accommodate modern requirements. Perhaps Sketch would not have existed? Who knows. 😜

Linkies:

Color Quantizer: http://x128.ho.ua/color-quantizer.html

Lunacy: https://icons8.com/lunacy

TexturePacker: https://www.codeandweb.com/texturepacker

Report · Mar 10, 2020

You can easily use PSD kits or most vector based UI kits in Fireworks

For SVG support there are some extensions for import/export and opening of SVGs

Easy enough to convert webp format on the rare occassion I need to...

I think you're mostly here to promote Photoline?

Paul-M - Community Expert

Report · Mar 11, 2020

I plead guilty! Well, somewhat. Yes, I really love working in PhotoLine, and one of the reasons is that the basic workflow is quite similar (supporting both vector and bitmap in the same app, with page support). It was the closest in terms of 'feel' that I could find (personal opinion). I hate renting software, so Illustrator or Photoshop were never an option (and the workflow in either isn't that great anyway).

But to be fair and realistic, in other areas the two are quite dissimilar, and things like the preview and slicing are missing. The web ouput workflow is different too. Nor would I use PhotoLine for GUI design work, unless I have to design from scratch. Lunacy/Sketch are by far more accommodating for that type of job.

My main issue with Fireworks is that its output quality got left behind by other tools. CQ does an admirable job, and is a free tool (Windows only, though) which is perfect for PNG optimization. But even PL does a better job compared to FW at reducing colours while maintaining visual quality in my testing. Things have moved on since FW was king of the hill in this respect.

And for prototyping GUI work PhotoLine isn't a very efficient answer either. That is why I mentioned Lunacy and Sketch. I am aware of the extensions for FW, although still missing functionality like retina support. This can surely be scripted, yet the only long-term solution would be for these things to be integrated, like in Lunacy and Sketch.

Anyway, @edsonsenac you are quite correct that several tools replace Fireworks. Workflows have changed. I adapted. I work by myself on freelance jobs and in teams, and I no longer believe in a one-tool-for-all solution. The web and mobile's design work has become too varied, and I rely on a variety of tools that made me more efficient.

Yes, Fireworks is still unique, and I wish it would have seen continued development. Adobe will never allow FW to be resurrected, however. Point in case: Freehand was brilliant too, Adobe killed it, a legal battle ensued between a group of disgruntled Freehand users who united in a bold attempt to 'free' Freehand from Adobe. Unfortunately it did not pan out, and Freehand is gone.

If only Adobe would allow Fireworks to go open source.

Report · Mar 11, 2020

For my work, I don´t need any of that functionalities. No need for simultaneous output, webp is superior, but JPG and PNG is enough for me, the old approaches are completely fine to me...

And it should be noted that you mentioned several tools to replace the Fireworks functions. That type of workflow, to me, is completely counter-productive because I work alone, and what I aim is a unique tool that can speed up my job. And for this purpose Fireworks still is unbeatable.

I completely agree that is a old and deprecated tool. Since Adobe stopped to update that tool many years ago, this is a scenario that sooner or later would be happening. But, it was because of that, that I started this post at all: to Adobe hear my claims and revive Fireworks, updating this fabulous tool with modern functions.

Report · Apr 23, 2020

I can answer that. Macromedia Fireworks INTEGRATES vector and raster editing so you don't need to mess with two huge complicated UNINTUITIVE programs. Originally Fireworks was creatored for web designers, Photoshop and Illustraator were not. They were created for highly specialized people in ad agencies who worked on fancy print jobs. Get with it Adobe. The world is DIGITAL now. Fireworks is fast, intuitive, easy, way less complicated than Photoshop and Illustrator (which I find infuriating and frustrating). Fireworks is the most important program I use. I use it for all my web design work, quick photo editing (WAY quicker than Photoshop). Now you have made it obsolete with the Cataline update. What the F do I do??????? Here's a good example:

In Fireworks, when you're editing image size, you have right in front of you, options to contrstrain the proportions, or not as the case may be. You have options to reduce file size by restricting colors. It takes only SECONDs to prep a web photo in Fireworks. Where is the constrain proportions info in Photoshop? Nowhere to be seen in the "Export" screen. Photoshop has an export setting for "Web LEGACY." Why is that "legacy," as though it's some obsolete thing? Are you going to take that away too? Why is "Quick Export" for PNG? Why would you want to use huge honking PNG files on a web page when you can use optimized JPEG (which is what every photo should be). This is shameful and I'm going to start looking for another program. What is so diffiucult about creating a 64-bit version of Fireworks? I have huge regrets about the day Adobe bought and destroyed that great quality that was Macromedia.

Report · Nov 09, 2022

AMEN!!! I was finally FORCED to move on to Photoshop and Illustrator because of the new Apple OS and Fireworks will no longer work with it! I am so lost it is not even funny and it is affecting my productivity and my business in serious ways!!! I'm going to have to cranked up my old Macbook Pro from 2011 just so I can keep using Fireworks! PLUS, Photoshop will not open up any of my old .png files produced in Fireworks! That's how I found this thread searching for an answer to THAT new issue!!! I'm so tired of companies making changes to software apps that have performed so well for the past 20 years!

Report · Aug 23, 2020

Adobe Fireworks is the best software for all around web design, independently of Adobe supporting it or not it is. Have tested all other related adobe solutions and from competition and its basically Adobe lack of Vision, fireworks simply fills a gap in the Adobe Solutions, they seem to don't understand that even if Illustrator + Photoshop do what Fireworks does for web design with some extras, Fireworks inuitive UI in terms of probability will often surpass for users the other extras that using Illustrator and Photoshop offer. Cheers.

Report · Aug 23, 2020

I agree, but I don't think the decision will be reversed unfortunately.

Paul-M - Community Expert

Report · Jul 06, 2021

I agree in gender, number and grade.

Fireworks is web oriented, and this makes productivity infinitely higher than using photoshop or illustrator.

I've been using fireworks for over 10 years, and I don't give up for anything. I hope it comes back one day or if it doesn't, at least it doesn't stop working.

Report · Jul 10, 2021

I hope it comes back one day or if it doesn't, at least it doesn't stop working.

=========

@danielm72328899,

After 10 years of being EOL, I don't think that's realistic. Too much time has passed.

FW will work until it stops. Nobody can predict when that will happen. Be prepared. Export your layered PNG files to PSDs now while you still can. File > Save As... see screenshot.

Good luck!

Nancy O'Shea— Product User, Community Expert & Moderator

Report · Nov 09, 2022

Thanks for the tip! This is what I'm having to do now with all of my old PNG files and I have to keep an old Macbook Pro running in order to do this!

Report · Jan 03, 2022

This was my GO TO for everything from flyers, logos, edits, images, etc, etc! It had everything I needed. I miss it so much. It was the perfect combination of tools.

Report · Jan 03, 2022

Same here!

Report · Jan 04, 2022

This is a link to some batch commands, you can copy to your Fireworks commands folder and batch convert layered Fireworks PNGs to other formats including layered PSD.

If you have a newer version of Mac OS that does not support 32 bit applications (Catalina, Big Sur or Monterey) you will not be able to run Fireworks natively but you can look at running the Windows version version of Fireworks on a Mac with Parallels Desktop which some people have had success with.

Other options include Photopea which opens layered Fireworks PNGs

My experience is Fireworks is working great on Windows 11, although I see some people have had issues....

Paul-M - Community Expert

Report · Jan 05, 2022

In addition to what @Paul-M says, you can also use a virtual machine which offers the possibility to stay under Mac Os while using applications launched under Windows during the same session.

https://www.oracle.com/fr/virtualization/technologies/vm/downloads/virtualbox-downloads.html

Report · Jan 05, 2022

Please read "... use a free virtual machine..."

Report · Jan 05, 2022

Since I started this post, I never could imagine that this matter could reverberate until today. This only confirms that Fireworks still today is THE TOOL. And believe me, I am still searching for a substitute tool, but without success at all. I´ve tried some of the new UX tools that appeared here an there. XD is way too complicated than Fireworks.

The tool that most I appreciated was Figma, that is simple and has some awesome plugins that extends its power. However, even Figma struggles with commands that would be way easier to do, as export an element: I need to go to a hidden tab that don´t have the multiple choices that Fireworks has and for some obscure reason, Figma simply denies the element to save. It simply doesn´t works and the system ignores the user and don´t show any error or warning screen that would allow me to understand why of that strange behavior... I think it´s funny, not to say it is tragic, because the developers are ignoring the most basic fundaments of the heuristics in a tool that was supposed to be a model in UX development...

Not, that Fireworks is perfect in this matter. In fact, it has its own annoying bugs. But, in case of Figma is a brand new developed tool that appeared in a age where we have plenty of knowledge about UX, instead of the unknown terrain that Macromedia needed to tread to achieve the tool. It´s terrifying that we still don´t understood the UX and development scenario brilliantly already described back in the early first decade of 2000, by Alan Cooper in the book: "The Inmates are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity". Sometimes, I have the sentiment that instead of evolve, we involve in the last two decades.

Indeed, I will continue to use Fireworks until it stops definitively or that some really good tool show up to finally dethrone Fireworks. And I will continue to disturb the corporations like Adobe so they can pay more attetion for improve the usability of the tools as Macromedia used to do in their golden age.

Report · Jan 05, 2022

and for Fireworks lovers and still users, all great ressources are sill up... long life to Fireworks (and Virtual Machine... as @L e n a said 😉 )

Dmitriy Fabrikant - https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/06/introduction-to-developing-fireworks-extensions-theyre-just...
Aaron Beall - http://fireworks.abeall.com/extensions/
John Dunning - http://johndunning.com/
IDUX - http://www.idux.com/2012/07/11/favorite-adobe-fireworks-extensions/
Matt Stow - http://www.mattstow.com/
Senocular - https://www.senocular.com/fireworks/extensions/
Phireworx - https://www.phireworx.co.uk/fireworks/fireworks-extensions/
Ale Munoz moved to sketch - https://github.com/bomberstudio

and from the main basic creamery http://www.adobe.com/products/fireworks/ just a joke... I couldn't resist

Report · Jan 13, 2022

I miss Fireworks every. single. day. There is nothing I've found that replaces it's utility as an all-purpose graphics tool for the web.