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In this article, we will learn how to:

• Draw a basic vector shape

• Create compound vector shapes

• Use the Knife tool

• Work with colors

• Use the Pen tool

• Use the additional vector tools in Fireworks

Drawing a Basic Vector Shape

Take a look at the Vector section of the Tools panel.

This section of the Tools panel contains the tools you will need to draw basic vector shapes.   We have labeled the various tools below.

To create a shape, such as the rectangle, click on the tool, then click and drag on your document.

Take a look at the shape above. You can see the points on each corner of our rectangle. You can also see the paths (lines) that connect the points to make up the shape.

Now let's go back to the Tools panel. Click and hold on the Rectangle tool to see the other tools grouped with it.

All these shapes are vector shapes that you can draw.

Let's create a doughnut shape by selecting the doughnut tool.

Click and drag to add the shape to your canvas. 

Take the time to practice drawing the different types of vector shapes grouped with the Rectangle tool. Learning what each shape looks like, as well as how to add it to your canvas, will help you after you finish this article and start to use Fireworks on your own. 

Drawing Compound Vector Shapes

A compound shape is a shape that's made up of two or more simple shapes, such as rectangles. 

To create a compound shape in Fireworks, start out by drawing one shape.   We drew a rectangle below.

Next, go to the Properties panel and select a compound path mode. These are pictured below.

From left to right, the modes are:

• Normal

• Add/Union

• Subtract/Punch

• Intersect

• Crop

Let's explore each one of the modes to see how they work.

Add/Union

We are going to start by drawing a rectangle on our canvas.

Next, we are going to click on Add/Union. It looks like this: 

Now draw a few more shapes. 

As you can see in the snapshot above, we added a few more rectangles.

Next click the Pointer tool in the Tools panel. Click outside of the canvas to deselect the shapes.

The shape have now been joined, as shown in the snapshot below.

Subtract/Punch

To show you how Subtract/Punch works, we have drawn an ellipse shape on our canvas:

Next, click on the Subtract/Punch mode in the Properties panel. It looks like this: 

Draw another shape that partially overlaps with the ellipse.

As you can see, the second shape subtracts from the first shape – or punches out the part of the second shape that overlaps the first.

Intersect

When you use the Intersect mode to create a compound shape, you create a new shape out of the intersecting areas of other shapes.  

Let's show you what we mean.

Below we've drawn a rectangle.

Next, we are going to click on the Intersect button. It looks like this: 

Now we are going to draw another rectangle that slightly overlaps the first one.

As you can see above, the compound shape above was created by the intersecting areas of the two rectangles.

Crop

The crop button looks like this: 

To create a compound shape using the Crop mode, let's start out by drawing an ellipse.

Click on the Crop button in the Properties panel.

Now draw another shape.

Crop mode crops away all areas of the shape that aren't overlapped by the new shape.

The Auto Shapes Panel

In addition to drawing your own shapes, Fireworks CS6 provides you with already drawn shapes that you can quickly add to your documents. These shapes are found in the Auto Shapes panel, as pictured below.

To add one of these shapes, simply click on it and drag it't where you want to place it in your document.

Using the Knife Tool

The Knife tool allows to split a vector shape that you've drawn in half.

Below we have drawn an ellipse.

To cut this shape in half, click on the Knife tool in the Vector area of the Tools panel. It looks like this: 

Drag the knife from one side of the shape to the other, as shown below.

When you release your mouse, you will see two points added. The first point is where you started cutting with the knife. The second point is where you stopped. Keep in mind these points will always be on a path.

Next, using the Knife tool again, connect the two points.

You can see how the knife is now cutting the shape in half.

Next, click on the Pointer tool in the Tools panel.

You can then click and drag on either half of the shape to reposition it.

Working with Colors

Whenever you create vector shapes in Fireworks, there's little doubt that you will also want to add color to those shapes.   In this part of the article, we're going to show you exactly how to do that using several different tools available to you in Fireworks.

Adding Stroke and Fill Colors

Every vector shape has a stroke color and a fill color. You can add and change the stroke and fill color for any vector shape using the tools in the Colors area of the Tools panel. What's more, you can create custom colors as well.

The stroke color is the color of the border around the shape.   However, do not confuse the border of the shape with the path of the shape. The path of the shape is always in blue and appears when you are working with the vector tools. 

The fill color is the color that appears inside the shape.   In the image below, you can see a red stroke color around our shape, but a tan fill color inside.

To change the stroke color, go to the Colors area of the Tools panel.

Click the swatch that appears next to the pencil. It looks like this:

You will then see the Color Picker.

You can click on one of the color tiles to select that color.   In addition, you can enter a HEX number or enter RGB (Red, Green, Blue) values. You can also click  if you do not want a stroke color.

Click the color wheel  to access the Color dialogue box where you can create a custom color.

To add a fill color, click on the swatch to the right of the paint bucket. It looks like this:

Follow the same steps you took to create a stroke color to create a fill color for your shape.

You can further edit fill and stroke colors, including specifying the thickness of the stroke, by using the Properties panel, as shown below:

The Eyedropper Tool

The Eyedropper tool allows you to copy a color from an image, shape, or object, then apply that color to a shape.

Let's show you what we mean.

Take a look at our canvas below.

We want to use the light green in the image on the left as the fill color for the shape on the right.

To do this, we are going to select the shape for which we want to add the color.

Next, we are going to click on the Eyedropper tool. It looks like this: 

Since we want to use the green color as our fill color, we are also going to click on Fill color in the Tools panel, as we did in the last section.   However, we don't need to select a color. Instead, we just need to click on it to tell Fireworks that we want to add a fill color.

Once we've done that, we are ready to use the Eyedropper tool. Move your mouse to the area that contains the color you want to copy. For us, it's the green color in the bitmap image.

You will see a little eyedropper appear as your mouse pointer.

Click on the color that you want to copy. Again, we are going to click on the green in the bitmap image.

The color is instantly applied to our shape.

The Paint Bucket Tool

The Paint Bucket tool is an easy way to change the color of a selected shape. 

Take a look at the image below.  

Right now, the fill color for this shape is brown.  

Notice that the shape is not selected. We don't need it to be. 

Let's change the fill color of the shape to yellow.

To do so, we are going to click on the Paint Bucket tool. It looks like this: 

Next, we are going to click on the swatch for Fill color and change it to yellow.

Move your mouse over the shape on the canvas.   You will see the mouse cursor turn to a paint bucket, and the shape will become active (selected).

Click to apply the new fill color.

Creating Gradients

The Gradient tool is grouped with the Paint Bucket tool. It looks like this: 

Once you've clicked on the Gradient tool, click on the Fill Color swatch to bring up the Gradient menu.

In the Gradient dropdown menu, choose the type of gradient you want to apply.

Click on the stoppers that appear below the color bar to choose the colors for your gradient.

Click on the ones above the color bar to set the opacity.

You can move all four stoppers to further customize the look of your gradient.

Take time to experiment so you produce a look that you like.

We added a gradient to our star, as pictured below.

Using the Pen Tool

You use the Pen tool to create a path.   The path is made up of curved and straight segments. These segments are created by anchor points. When you click the Pen tool  in the Vector area of the Tools panel, you can draw corner points and straight segments. If you drag the Pen tool, you can create smooth points and curved segments. These segments will have direction handles so you can change the direction of the segments.    You can use Smart Guides to help you align segments, as you'll see in this article.

That said, let's use the Pen tool to create a rectangle. 

First, click on the Pen tool.

Click on the canvas to create an anchor point. This appears as a blue dot.

Now, click to create a second anchor point in a different location.

As you can see, a line segment appears between the two anchor points that you created.

Continue to add anchor points to create your shape.

To create a closed path, connect your last anchor point with the first anchor point. A straight line is an open path. A circle is a closed path. So is a polygon and rectangle.

Next, let's learn to draw a curve with the Pen tool.

To do this, you're going to click to place the first anchor point, just as before, but now you're going to click and drag. 

Now, release the mouse and move to where you want the second point to be.

Click and drag again.

As you can see, your curved line appears between the two points.

The shape of your curve is defined by the length and direction of the handles.  

You can add more anchor points and handles.

Click on the Pointer tool when you're finished to see your shape. Remember, just as with lines, segments are drawn from the previous to the new anchor point. To create a closed path, connect the last point with the first.

Add and Delete Anchor Points

In Fireworks, you can add, subtract, or delete anchor points to modify a path.   Here's how to add anchor points:

Select the object for which you want to add an anchor point.

Make sure the Pen tool is selected.

Hover your mouse over the path where you want to add the anchor point. You will see a small plus sign (+) appear beside the Pen tool cursor.

Click your mouse to add the new anchor point.

You can now click and drag on the anchor point to modify the segment. 

Click on an anchor point to delete it.

NOTE: You can use the Subselection tool to edit paths by clicking and dragging on an anchor point.

The Text Tool

In Fireworks, any text that you add will appear inside a text box.   The text box is actually a vector shape.

In the snapshot below, you can see an example of a textbox with text inside:

To add text to a document, click on the Text tool in the Vector area of the Tools panel. It looks like this: 

Go to your Fireworks document.  

Click on the location where you want the text to begin, and start typing. 

As you type, you will see the text box form around the text that you enter. 

To format the text, click in the text box until you see the blinking cursor, then select the text that you want to format. 

Go to the Properties panel to format the text using standard word processing tools. 

Insert Special Characters

The Special Characters panel lets you insert characters that you may need with your text.   This includes the copyright symbol.

To insert a special character, click inside the text box where you want to place the character. 

Go to the Special Character panel, and click on the character you want to insert.

Wrapping Text

To wrap text around an object, select the object.   Draw a path outlining the object's shape using the Pen tool.

In the snapshot below, we have drawn a path using the Pen tool.

Next, use the Text tool to add your text.   Put the text in the same layer as the shape. If you want, you can temporarily hide the shape while you add your text.

Next, with both the text and the shape path visible, press CTRL+A to select both.

Go to Text>Attach in Path.

Additional Vector Tools

Once you understand what a vector shape is and how to create them, using the rest of the tools available in the Vector area of the Tools panel just takes a little practice. 

We are going to list the other vector tools below, along with a description of what they do. Once you master drawing basic and compound shapes, as well as using the Pen tool, take the time to practice using these tools as well.

 The Vector Path tool is grouped with the Pen tool. This tool allows is like the Pen tool, but it offers more precise control for those using a stylus or drawing tablet. 

 The Redraw Path tool is also grouped with the Pen tool. It is used to edit an active path by connecting a segment drawn with this tool to the active path. The path you draw with this tool must start out intersecting with the active path or shape.

 The Freeform tool lets you alter the shape of vectors using your mouse instead of editing anchor points. You can simply use the mouse to push or pull on a path. Fireworks will add or remove points as needed. You don't have to worry about it.

 The Reshape Area tool is grouped with the Freeform tool. It is like a smudge tool for vector shapes. However, instead of smearing pixels, it edits a path's shape by pulling out on the path.

  The Path Scrubber tools are also grouped with the Freeform tool. It increases or decreases the heaviness of the stroke that's applied to the path. In order to use these tools, you must paint over the parts of the path you want to "scrub."