Filling with Patterns and Textures

Patterns and textures are commonly used to add depth and interest to objects. Fireworks 4 ships with some preset patterns and textures, but the real diversity comes from the ability to use almost any pattern or texture you have.

Filling with Patterns

The use of a pattern in a path object will increase the range of options you have as a designer, making flat, uninteresting objects come alive. Fireworks 4 ships with a small collection of 14 patterns, but there is no limit to the number of patterns you can have as long as the image is a 32-bit image in a file format of BMP, PNG, GIF, JPEG, or TIFF. To use a pattern, follow these steps:

• Select the object you want to fill.
• From the Fill panel, choose Pattern from the Fill category.
• From the Pattern name box, choose Other. Browse to an image file and select it, and click Open.

Patterns can be altered in the same way as gradient by moving the handles and rotation symbol. Another similarity is that pattern alterations cannot be saved for use in another document. If you really like the adjustments you've made to a pattern, then save it as a style.

Adding Textures

Textures can be added to any fill, modifying the brightness of the fill but not the hue. Texture files use the grayscale value of an image; you can also use any PNG, GIF, JPEG, BMP, or TIFF file as a texture. To add texture, follow the steps below:

• Select any object containing any fill, gradient, or pattern.
• From the Fill panel, click the Texture drop-down arrow and choose one of the included textured files.
• Adjust the percentage of opacity, which will determine the amount of the texture that is seen.