Fireworks lets you use many Photoshop and other third-party filters and plug-ins. You can use plug-ins in either the Live Filters window or the Filters menu.

NOTE

Plug-ins and filters for Photoshop 5.5 and earlier versions are supported. Photoshop 6 or later plug-ins and filters are not compatible with FireWorks.

For more information on the Live Filters window and the Filters menu, see Fireworks Help.

To use Photoshop and other third-party filters and plug-ins using the Preferences dialog box:

  1. Select Edit > Preferences.

    NOTE

    On Mac OS X, choose Fireworks > Preferences.

  2. Click the Folders tab (Windows) or choose Folders from the pop-up menu (Macintosh).
  3. Select the Photoshop Plug-ins option.

    The Select a Folder (Windows) or Choose a Folder (Macintosh) dialog box opens.

    NOTE

    If the dialog box doesn't automatically open, click Browse.

  4. Navigate to the folder where the Photoshop or other filters and plug-ins are installed, and click Select (Windows) or Choose (Macintosh).
  5. Click OK to close the Preferences dialog box.
  6. Restart Fireworks to load the filters and plug-ins.

To use Photoshop and other third-party filters and plug-ins using the Live Filters window:

  1. Select any vector object, bitmap object, or text block on the canvas and click the Add Effects button in the Property inspector.

    NOTE

    The Add Effects button is available only when an object is selected on the canvas.

  2. Select Options > Locate Plug-ins from the pop-up menu that appears.
  3. Navigate to the folder where the Photoshop or other filters and plug-ins are installed, and click Select (Windows) or Choose (Macintosh). If a message appears asking if you want to restart Fireworks, click OK.
  4. Restart Fireworks to load the filters and plug-ins.

    NOTE

    Alternately, you can install plug-ins directly into the Fireworks Plug-ins folder.