Chapter 14: Optimizing And Exporting - MACROMEDIA FIREWORKS 8-USING FIREWORKS Use Manual

CHAPTER 14
Optimizing and Exporting
The ultimate goal in web graphic design is to create great-looking images that download as
fast as possible. To do that, you must select a file format with the best compression for your
image while maintaining as much quality as possible. This balancing act is optimization—
finding the right mix of color, compression, and quality.
Exporting graphics from Macromedia Fireworks 8 is a two-step process:
First, you prepare a document or individual sliced graphics for export by selecting
optimization settings and comparing previews to determine an acceptable balance
between quality and file size.
Second, you export (or in some cases, save) the document or individual sliced graphics
using export settings suitable for their destination on the web or elsewhere.
If you are new to optimizing and exporting web graphics, you can use the Export Wizard. The
wizard guides you through the export process and suggests settings. It also displays the Image
Preview, where you can optimize a document as part of the export process.
If you are comfortable with the tasks of optimizing and exporting graphics, you'll want to use
the other tools available in Fireworks for optimizing and exporting. For optimizing, you use
the Optimize panel and the preview buttons in the Document window. They offer you greater
control over the optimization process. For exporting, you use the Export dialog box or the
Quick Export button. In some cases, you can simply save the graphic without exporting. For
more information, see "Saving documents in other formats" on page
The Quick Export button makes exporting graphics for use in other applications easy by
automatically setting the appropriate options in the Export dialog box for you. If you use
Fireworks with other applications, the Quick Export button can simplify your design
workflow.
This chapter covers the following topics:
About optimizing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326
Using the Export Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326
Optimizing in the workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
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