Illustrator, Fireworks and Photoshop

EF
Posted By
Edward_Ferron
Oct 31, 2007
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240
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2
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Can someone give me a brief explanation of the differences between these 3 programs and when I would want to use one over the other (maybe of an example of when I would use Fireworks versus Illustrator or Photoshop). I see the master collection contains all 3 image editing applications.

Fireworks was once a part of Macromedia correct? Will these programs ever merge?

Thanks,

Ed
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I
ID._Awe
Oct 31, 2007
Illustrator is a ‘vector’ based program for creating ‘clip art’.

Fireworks is a ‘pixel’ based program for web creation (lot of cool features).

Photoshop is a ‘pixel’ based program for advanced photo editing.

They each have certain areas of cross-over, but these are the essential differences.
DM
Don_McCahill
Oct 31, 2007
Actually, Fireworks is dual mode. You can work in either a vector base or a raster/pixel base.

I wouldn’t want people to think that Illustrator is only for ‘clip art’. It is a drawing tool, and I have seen artists that can make it work magic.

As for the programs ever merging, it is highly unlikely that Photoshop and Illustrator will merge. Each has picked up features of the other over the years, but to put them together without dropping features would make a bloated, unworkable program.

Fireworks could get rolled into one. But there was a Adobe product called ImageReady that competed more directly with Fireworks, and it was killed in the post merger amalgamations. I doubt a further reduction would be planned. Adobe seems to be focussing Fireworks for web use and Photoshop for photography and graphic arts (as ID said).

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