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Textures in Fireworks
Using Textures in Fireworks
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Textures and bumpmaps are
important tools for conveying feel through an object. While most opt to
use Photoshop for this step in the creation process, Fireworks is capable
of some feats of its own, and is able to take advantage of its
vector-based nature to this end.
Note that though Fireworks also supports freehand editing, the feature
isn't completely mature yet, and at this point you're probably better off
using a raster 2D editor such as Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. |
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Step 1
Create a new document, and set the background color to
black. Create a rectangle (around 130 by 100 pixels), and set its fill to #9C9C9C.
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Step 2
Within the Fill tab, click the texture menu. This list
contains the built-in textures Fireworks comes with. We won't cover importing
textures in this tutorial, but it's not a complex process, and is covered within
Fireworks' help files. Select Plaster from the list.
Set the "Amount of Texture" percentage to 80, and click the
Transparent option. Normally, the texture is applied as a white bumpmap that
ignores the background (or whatever other object exists behind your current
object). When set to Transparent, the bumpmap will apply as if a translucent
effect over whatever lays behind object, in this case the background color.
You'll find that in many cases it's better to have an exact copy of the shape,
without a texture, behind the object you're applying the texture to. This way
you have more control over how the texture will appear.
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Step 3
Currently, it should look like this.
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Step 4
Let's add a shaded edge to it. The effect isn't strong, but
it helps achieve realism in more complex shapes. From the effects menu, select Shadow
and Glow > Inner Glow. Set the properties as shown to the left.
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Step 5
Now let's dirty it up a bit. Add 2 circles on the
rectangle, make one green and one red.
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Step 6
In each of the circles, set the edge as Feather, and
feather amount to 40.
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Step 7
In the Layers tag ( Window > Layers ), while the
circles are selected, choose "Color" from the layer blend menu.
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Experiment with other blend modes and other textures,
you'll be surprised how many effects you can come up with.
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Step (!)
Can you create the image to the left?
(Tip: Use only built-in Fireworks textures, and use inner-shadows wisely)
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