Export preview

The export preview is another powerful tool that lets you select the settings of the export function.

	The Options tab (1) reacts to the setting of the format (2). In this example it is set to GIF format and a WebSnap Adaptive palette (3) is chosen. In the loss box (4) you can enter an amount of information to be discarded. This may shrink the file size but yield lower quality images. A way to make up for not Websafe colors is to enable dithering (5). Colors are composed by combining pixels of two or more Websafe colors. The palette size selector (6) is set to 128 colors. Since the remove unused colors box (D) is checked, the palette display (7) shows only the 12 colors in the image. If you were to select colors as transparent you can use the eyedroppers (8) to add or remove transparency. If the canvas is transparent and you plan to display the graphics in front of a colored background you should set the matte (9) to that color to create anti-aliased pixels. GIF files can be stored interlaced (A), which means they load progressively. The Export Wizard (B) can be started or a file target size (C) set.
	In the file tab of the export preview you can change the size of the exported graphic. These settings only influence the exported graphics. Your Fireworks source document will remain the same. You may enter a scale in percent or absolute pixel sizes. The dimensions can be constrained so the proportions of the graphic will remain intact. The export area boxes allow you to specify a region to be exported. You define the coordinates and the dimension.

In the export preview the image is rendered as it would display on a Web browser. There is a toolbar underneath that allows you to manipulate the preview panel.

You can use the arrow pointer to move over the preview and identify colors. When you drag the pointer it will turn into a hand and move the preview (if it is larger than the window).
The crop tool allows for cropping right in the preview window. Using the magnifier zooms in on the preview.
You can choose the same 2-up or 4-up preview as you saw already in the document window. Here you can compare 2 or 4 export options. The original will not be displayed.

When you are done with this you can hit the Export button. Next will be the export dialog, which we will look at closely.