Adobe Fireworks began as a unique hybrid imaging application. With the release of Fireworks CS4, the product has evolved into a rapid prototyping tool. This journey began in CS3, but as you explore Fireworks CS4 you'll see that the prototyping and layout tools have been fleshed out to make it easier to use than ever before.

In this article we'll take a look at how effortless it is to export a PDF from Fireworks, with a focus on creating interactive PDF files.

You can follow along with this article using your own files. Or if you prefer, you can download the provided sample files and use the included PNG file. The sample files include a completed prototype, which uses both button symbols and hotspots. Buttons and hotspots are the two web features in Fireworks that you can use in order to make the PDF interactive.

Note: If you explore the sample PNG file, you'll notice I've used another new feature in Fireworks CS4: Attach Text in Path. I love this command! You can now map text to flow within any vector shape, mimicking (in this case) how text would appear around a floated image. To use the command, add some text and draw a closed vector shape. Select both objects and choose Text > Attach in Path. The best part of this feature is that the text remains editable, and if you change the dimensions of the vector shape, the text will reflow with it.

Requirements

In order to make the most of this article, you'll need the following software and files:

Fireworks CS4

• Try
• Buy

Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional

• Try
• Buy

Sample files:

• interactive_pdf.zip (ZIP, 3 MB)

Prerequisite knowledge:

This article assumes that you have prior experience working with Fireworks and are familiar with the process for creating web slices and hotspots.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

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