Rating: 
Summary: Get this book!!
Review: I picked this up having browsed through it in the store. By doing so was as if I went to class! Within a few moments of going through the tutorials I had created some really cool graphics. By using those principles I learned, my web graphics have taken a giant leap forward.
Rating:
Summary: This Is The One
Review: If you buy one Fireworks book - this is the one!As a web developer, I have to have a working knowledge of many different skills and I readily admit that graphics is not my strongest area. Even when I develop a specific graphics skill, I may not use it again for six months, and well, to use a cliché - lose or use it. That's why this book is so important to me - I can find the answers to my real-world, and I stress real-world, questions without having to read 5,000 newsgroup posts, browse through 50 other books, or the worst - actually pay a professional to do my graphics work!
Rating:
Summary: Worth every cent
Review: Playing with Fire is worth every cent. Great information on ways to do things with Fireworks. It was lots of fun.
Rating: 
Summary: Recipes for Boredom
Review: The authors of this book are determined to play to the weaknesses of Fireworks, as if trying to prove it's a better image editor than the big gun, Photoshop. In doing so, they completely ignore the strengths and value of the programme as a comping and layout tool for web design. Whole chapters are devoted to...Fireworks' text abilities, while very little is made of it's superior vector capabilities. Also to it's detriment, the book is structured in response to newsgroup postings and so plays to the intelligence of your average usenet poster, seeking technical support. If you're looking for "recipes" for bog standard, dated looking web graphics and effects, this is the book for you. However, if you're looking to discover and utilise the power of Fireworks, I highly recommend Fireworks 4 Expert Edge, a far more valuable use of money and time. For some reason, PWF has been positioned as some kind of companion to Al Sparber's DW4 Magic--don't be taken in, as it's not project-oriented, reveals little beyond it's own narrow objectives and is riddled with inaccuracies and poorly written instruction. Coupled with a useless CD to boot.
Rating:
Summary: Recipes for Boredom
Review: The authors of this book are determined to play to the weaknesses of Fireworks, as if trying to prove it's a better image editor than the big gun, Photoshop. In doing so, they completely ignore the strengths and value of the programme as a comping and layout tool for web design. Whole chapters are devoted to...Fireworks' text abilities, while very little is made of it's superior vector capabilities. Also to it's detriment, the book is structured in response to newsgroup postings and so plays to the intelligence of your average usenet poster, seeking technical support. If you're looking for "recipes" for bog standard, dated looking web graphics and effects, this is the book for you. However, if you're looking to discover and utilise the power of Fireworks, I highly recommend Fireworks 4 Expert Edge, a far more valuable use of money and time. For some reason, PWF has been positioned as some kind of companion to Al Sparber's DW4 Magic--don't be taken in, as it's not project-oriented, reveals little beyond it's own narrow objectives and is riddled with inaccuracies and poorly written instruction. Coupled with a useless CD to boot.
Rating:
Summary: Not Up To Par
Review: This book "does not" teach you Fireworks 4. I find that this book was an excuse for the author to show off the tricks that she learned along the way. The format is: someone sends in a "how do I do this question" and she answers the questions. But, it's very specific and advanced questions from the person that sent them in and not stuff that anyone wanting to learn about Fireworks would ask. The type of questions are from someone who's been working on it awhile and can't figure out how to do something tough. A "Show and Tell" book so-to-speak. Get the Fireworks 4 Bible if you want to learn Fireworks.
Rating:
Summary: Voodoo!
Review: This is one of those magical books that has you going back to it time and again because there is something new to learn from it you would swear wasn't there the first time you went through it.
Rating: 
Summary: Very nice
Review: This was good for a first book. There's lots of cool stuff you can learn from it that works in later editions of the software too. The author has written a follow up in e-book format that you might like too. It's called Razzle Dazzle. You can read more about it at
http://www.webdevbiz.com/pwf/
Rating:
Summary: Expands Your Creativity
Review: Without a doubt this is the most valuable book on Fireworks I own. It expands your creativity and opens up an entire world of techniques, effects and all-round nifty ideas. I'm so grateful to the authors for writing it!
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