Adobe ImageReady ImageReady vs. the Competition Forrest Stroud
ImageReady definitely isn't perfect, which shouldn't really come as a surprise considering the client only recently emerged from beta status. The official release is less buggy and slightly faster than the beta releases, but it still could benefit from considerable tweaking in terms of performance. For example, the real-time image optimization tool is an extremely cool feature, but it takes entirely too long to convert images, especially large graphics. ImageReady lacks a few of Fireworks' more Web-centric features as well, including its JavaScript rollover capabilities (automatically generates HTML code for interactive buttons and other graphics), its support for server-side image maps in addition to the more popular client-side image maps, and its vector-based interface, which allows you to apply customizable Live Effects to any object.
Fireworks also edges out ImageReady in terms of optimization capabilities. The ability to view a non-optimized image side-by-side with an optimized image (or even three different optimized images) is a standard feature in Fireworks that is sorely missed in ImageReady. And in terms of optimization effectiveness and quality, for the most part Fireworks again edges out ImageReady, largely due to its support for LZW interframe optimization. However, ImageReady does a much better job of optimizing JPEG images than Fireworks (except it takes ImageReady considerably longer to optimize them).
Overall, ImageReady serves as a great sidekick to Adobe Photoshop, but at $199 ($90 for registered users of Photoshop 5.0) ImageReady isn't for everyone. And at this early stage, you definitely won't want to throw out your specialized GIF animation, image optimization, and image creation tools. ImageReady is a huge step forward, but the specialized tools available on the 'net still offer more features and functionality. Still, if you're a current user of Photoshop and have been looking for an all-in-one Web graphics suite, ImageReady makes for the perfect companion.
Pros: Excellent dev tools for Web graphics, LiveView optimization window, Photoshop interface
Cons: Lacks some features found in specialized image animation, optimization, and creation apps
