Its interesting to hear about the software everyone is using. I feel like an outsider using Fireworks and then i will read a thread where someone is using gimp and now i find out one of the pros is using paint shop pro. I guess it doesnt matter what tool you use as long as it gets the job done. I feel less pressure to switch to photoshop now :)
The 'great' thing about teaching yourself software is that you learn something new every day. About 6 months ago i discovered that i could name my slices. Why is this important? Now i don't have to rename 1000 graphics from "icon_r1_c1.png" to "icon_xbox.png". When i discovered that i was convinced it was a brand new feature but after checking fireworks mx i realized i had just overlooked it.
I am going to look into automating/scripts. Currently i just put everything on a layer. I build the inactive state and then save-as the layered png file as "whatever_active_layers". Then i just change the fill color. And now that i know how to name slices i just add "_active" to the end of each slice.
Avid Stamp Collector - I really love 39 Cent Stamps