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Flash Catalyst

msparandCommunity Member

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Did Adobe drop Fireworks support from Flash Catalyst Beta?

Jun 1, 2009 5:45 PM

Hi all,

I'm a UI designer and am naturally very excited about Thermo / Flast Catalyst. I just rushed to download the beta but was dismayed to see that Flash Catalyst does not properly import Fireworks (CS4) files -- i.e. they were imported as a giant image instead of pages/layers/objects. Was this functionality dropped in just the beta, or is this something that product will lose in production too.

Fireworks has always felt forgotten by the Adobe team (buggy, buggy, buggy) -- I hope this isn't another instance of that happening.

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rinse,

Community Member

Jun 1, 2009 8:03 PM

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We may need to wait for CS5, methinks.

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Mordy Golding,

Community Professional

Jun 1, 2009 11:09 PM

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My understanding is that Adobe isn't dropping support for Fireworks -- but initially, both Illustrator and Photoshop have had a head start on FXG support, and so it will take some time to get Fireworks support into Flash Catalyst. However, there are still ways to use Fireworks with Flash Catalyst -- Doug Winnie has two great videos, which you can find here: http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashcatalyst/tutorials/

Mordy

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msparand,

Community Member

Jun 2, 2009 12:00 AM

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Thanks Mordy --

Although those links are definitely "helpful" they're not really the solution. The big power of FC is to fully import a mockup from one of the other CS applications.

I guess I'll just keep an ear out until Adobe adds true Fireworks support

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bchau12345,

Adobe Employee

Jun 2, 2009 4:35 AM

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I am very disappointed with the so-called workflow between Fireworks and Catalyst as shown in the 2 video tutorials. It is clumsy and awkward to say the least. To bring in a simple graphics from FW, you would need to save as fxg and then import the fxg into FC. That should be a simple drag and drop or copy and paste action. And not round-trip editing with FW either.

FW png suports multiple pages which is ideal to represent states of an app. FC would do well to support FW native png. What a waste opportunity!

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bruce_adobe,

Adobe Employee

Jun 2, 2009 2:40 PM

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Full workflow between Fireworks and Catalyst will only come in Fireworks CS5, which will have a much better FXG implementation.

We definitly feel your pain - we all want Fireworks support.

- Bruce

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OlejnikP,

Community Member

Jun 3, 2009 5:25 PM

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If Adobe finally decides to use part of Fireworks's ".PNG" engine, they shouldn't have to introduce .FXG into the Fireworks product line, since the onus is on Flash Catalyst to port Fireworks, not the other way around.

Using the Fireworks engine, features such as "Pages", or perhaps even Fireworks's "States", would allow for more seamless “.PNG” porting into Catalyst. Also, doing so, would eliminate all those steps one has to take to merely generate states within Catalyst—saving UI designers time by giving them the option to simply make adjustments to the Catalyst timeline. Not only is this faster, but it makes more logical sense!

Ahh...I am beginning to think Adobe’s in over their heads with this one.

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migduvednok,

Community Member

Jun 4, 2009 4:16 PM

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I too have only need for Catalyst if i can import fireworks files directly. I agree with the one guy that posted that fireworks' pages should be synomous to the pages of catalyst: would make everything a whole lot easier.

Strange that Flash keeps getting more advanced, YET install beginner's animation tools, YET miss the important middle ground: the simple user friendlyness of coding - and that adobe reesponds byu making another product: catalyst.

sighs - oh well, i'll certainly try out catalyst. Will report back when i have looked into it.

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Jim_Babbage,

Community Professional

Jun 12, 2009 2:50 PM

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So in order to edit a Fireworks native file from FC, I have to open the file in Illustrator first?

sigh . . .

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