I’m far from a Photoshop apologist. I agree that Adobe needs to refocus its efforts in the UI design space, across all programs. But Fireworks isn’t the answer.

Here is how to tackle each item in Photoshop CS4:

1) Select any object – Right click on any item in Photoshop and you can jump to that layer, or any layer with art in that pixel above/below it.

2) Grouping – Linked Layers or Folders allow for tons of customization. Or Comand-Shift.

3) Vectors – Using the vector tools you can get pixel perfect accuracy. Or the pencil tool can do the same for raster uses. They can be hand tweaked with handles that match the Illustrator behavior.

4) Library – These are called Smart Objects. They can be PSD or AI files and automatically populate.

5) Slices - Slices from guides. Takes about 2 seconds to create items like buttons.

6) Pages/Frames - Um…isn’t this the same as the library point? Smart Objects.

7) Layer Effects – While you can’t add unlimited editable effects you can easily add unlimited effects. Layer > adjustments > Create layer, will allow you to create a layer set of your effects which you can duplicate or modify. And then you can add another layer effect over the top. Continue until your happy as can be.

In the end it all boils down to preference. If you prefer Fireworks, I’m very happy for you. But all of the item’s you listed here are available within Photoshop when used by a knowledgeable hand. I believe there is no question that Fireworks will be absorbed by Photoshop in the next five years.

Although I’m not defending Photoshop, it’s worth noting there are a number of ways to select via click in Photoshop. Users can turn on Auto-Select with the move tool or use the command key with the move tool active. Users can select any layer beneath the pointer by right-clicking. It’s also possible to select multiple layers by holding down shift while clicking around with the move tool.

> Fireworks does vector and pixel editing, but doesn’t go deep in either.

I think it would be a waste of Adobe’s time to try to recreate the entire set of Illustrator’s vector editing tools, or Photoshop’s photo editing tools in FW. It helps to think of FW as the equivalent of InDesign — not solely for creating designs from scratch, but used to assemble and layout assets created elsewhere.

Having said that, there are a number of vector drawing features and tools (particularly those in the Paths panel) which are unique, and very useful.

Have to say I agree 100%.

I learned to design in Photoshop and went through University using Photoshop, used Photoshop in my first job. However in my second everyone used Fireworks which at first I thought was utterly backwards, until about 7 months later when I had to do some screen design in Photoshop again and couldn’t believe how horrible it is for that.

There is no way I am going back to the days of 1 psd for each page of a site, or a whole site in grouped layers of the same canvas (Enjoy your 300 meg file that takes 10 minutes to open on a brand new machine with 4 gig of ram).

No way am I going to back to having to use the marquee tool to cut the rounded edge off a button, shove it ten pixels right then fill the area in between just because you wanted to expand a pixel perfect button 10 pixels (vector objects are not always pixel perfect so you have to do that sometimes)

Hey photoshop users, need to send some JPG flats to clients? 1 button press to export a multi page document in Fireworks, no screwing around with batch conversions.

How can anyone consider Photoshop a screen design tool when it can’t even centre an element in the middle of the canvas without you creating a filled layer to align to. Basic shit Adobe

That comment is spot on. Building a mathematically grid-based design in Photoshop is a exercise in futility.

If you look at almost all “how to build a website in Photoshop” tutorials, the designers basically say, “We’ll make a box… about here… or so…”, with very little rhyme or reason.

And resizing a rounded rectangle box in PS? Puhleeze.

But, as to Fireworks, I’ve tried time and again to come to terms with its own UI, and it drives me away each time.

That’s why Illustrator is my boy. Plus, the Export to .psd feature saves all of your layers, appropriately named, converts opacity and clipping masks to PS masks, etc., so you could “send over the PSD”.

My biggest issue by far is the part you find best. It’s pixel based. From a make-final-graphics POV, it’s probably great, but I first and foremost want to make the design right. And just watching people use any raster tool makes me worry that they lock you in too much. The worst case is you get sites that say “best viewed on” with a resolution. Or, hundreds of designs to cover every mobile phone screen resolution.

When instead I like vector based tools to encourage math and rules based design. I rant about this at a lot of length in my design process book, so anyone who wants more can go grab that on their own time.

Ideally, someone will make a real multi-mode tool, or Adobe will take their interop (Illustrator to PS or FW) to heart, and we can move straight from vector to several output resolutions. But it seems far off.