Understanding the Design Software to use
Everyday I am speaking to up and coming web designers
about the software they use to create websites. Some build sites by hand, others use the vast array of web design tools out there including Microsoft Frontpage, Adobe GoLive and Dreamweaver from Macromedia. Everyone of these tools have there strengths and weeknesses but nobody seems to really use the same product on a day to day basis.
I have been building websites for years but for some reason never stuck to the same product to build my masterpiece from start to finish. I have to rely on a series of programs to get the results I need. So what tools are available to get the job done in a minimal amount of time?
To start with it really depends on your current skill level and the understanding you have about how the web works. You maybe really skilled in one product but you cannot obtain the results you need, so alternativly you have to find other areas to bring it all together. Thankfully, the web orientated software market is becoming much stronger which gives you wider choice of products to choose from. Please let me expain some of the tools I use to get results in least amount of time.
1. Graphics
The hype at the moment is the vast range of products Macromedia has to offer including Fireworks. If you ever have used Fireworks before, then this has got to be one of my favourites for creating clean web graphics. Although it may take time for newbies to master, it really does hold some of the keys for rapid and responsive development. Fireworks is more than just a web graphic creation tool. In reality, it does allow you to create complete websites from a graphical point of view. You dont even need to write one piece of HTML code. However caution does need to be taken
on the size of the graphics it does produce.
One thing you do need to remember is Fireworks is not a photo editing suite. Even though it does allow you to use Adobe Photoshop plugins, I would never really use it for optimizing my photos. Stick to the products which are designed and built for doing this such as Photoshop.
So what happens if you are on a tight budget? Fireworks and Photoshop are not exactly the cheapest products in the world so what do you turn to? You must of seen Paint Shop Pro somewhere on your travels. An ideal solution for working with photos without the expense. Jasc, the makers of Paint Shop Pro, have come along way in the years I have been using Paint Shop Pro. With the excellent range of photo editing features, you will find everything you need in one package. What about scanning? Well Paint Shop Pro is an excellent tool to use because it's swift with features like cutting and cropping after you have scanned which is quick and simple.
Why not download an evaluation from the Jasc website by Clicking Here
2. The Building of the Site
I have used so many different products over the years to build my sites. Frontpage was an excellent tool and popular choice for sometime. The problems with Frontpage is that when you are ready to delve into the HTML code, it is very unreadable and it places HTML tags in which dont really need to be there. Although I think Frontpage 2000 does attempt a better job over this from it's earlier version, Frontpage 98.
Take a look at Microsoft's website at http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage
Dreamweaver from Macromedia has got to be my choice for web editors. It has so many features and it works much better than Frontpage in a professional environment. The history undo features go on for ever which is a really great feature. Even though The Beginners Online Workshop was hand coded in ASP, the design and layout was done in Dreamweaver 3.
If you are looking at a design tool which also works well in a workgroup environment then Dreamweaver does do a good job, however I would have to question its check in and check out feature. Another huge plus for Dreamweaver is its intergration into other products. You can edit your graphics on the fly if they dont look right. Also you can insert Flash movie content with real ease.
What about the embeded Behaviours. Quite simply some really cool features including the most excellent Browser Detection. At one click you can make your website detect and repoint to different pages depending on what type of browser the visitor is using. We will be covering browser detection and things to look out for in the near future on the workshop.
The real letdown here is that Dreamweaver does not come cheap. Around £350 is quite expensive for newbies, however you do get alot of software for your money.
For more information on Dreamweaver, take a look at Macromedia website
Summary
If you are really just looking to create some simple websites for the first time they I recommend downloading an evaulation copy of Paint Shop Pro. Then grab hold of a freeware or shareware HTML editor. There are plenty around, take a look at Download.com. Also you might want to get yourself a book on HTML. Take a look at our book section to see if there is something which takes your fancy.
Macromedia are products here to stay and if you are serious about developing some really nice websites, then this is the way to go but of course at a price.
