web design (software to create a new site)

Hi Cathy,

I would reccommend Web studio 4 from "back to the beach software"
Its Ideal for beginners in web design, take a look at my site, this is the third of fourth site I have ever made, web studio 4 is really easy to use, and the best part is you get a months free trial (just do a search for it on Google). There is also a really helpful forum full of nice people who will answer your questions.

What kind of site do you want to make? What features will it have?

The tools you use depend on what you want to do with your site. If you have relatively static pages with static content that doesn't change often, a WYSIWYG editor like Dreamweaver would do. However, if you want to add lot of functionality and have content that changes a lot (such as a blog), then a content management system such as Wordpress (for simpler sites) or Drupal (for more complex sites) would be the right choice.

I use Microsoft Expression - it gives you a WYSIWYG editor as well as the ability to dip into the code. Ideal for beginners. I find I can use it to code pretty well any design I wish, but it does have limitations - I'll need new software for content management and also for ecommerce.

I also use Opencube for submenus and the - free - lightbox script to provide image galleries.

well! first mention your requirement.
what kind of site is it?
static? dynamic? database driven?
if it is static then you can get yourself done with only html.
you can embed javascript as per your requirement.
if it is database driven then you can make use of php or asp.net.

Web Studio 4.0 is allows you to web design functionality with WYSIWYG layout. It is better.

What's the site for is it an ecommerce site, an information site or other? Depending on what the end use is as to what software its better to recommend.

Hello Cathy Dow,
i think you can opt Dream Weaver as the software to develop your designs. I think it is easy to use and design. I am also a beginner in web design and now my friend advised me to use that, it is very helpful.
Thank You.

Dreamweaver has many virtues, but it takes quite a lot of knowledge to use effectively. I wouldn't recommend it for someone starting out. You will also need a graphics editor, and tools like image optimizers, prototyping tools, testing tools, web page analyzers (for validation, color contrast, accessibility...) and several other tools I consider essential. AFAIK these are not included in Dreamweaver. Also get as many browsers and debugging tools as you can. My favorites are Firefox's Firebug and Web Developer Toolbar... The latest Internet Explorer has some useful tools, too.

I must admit I have not used Dreamweaver for some years, as I now use UTF-8 encoding to simplify markup. CS3 was the first version to fully support this encoding. There are plenty of excellent text editors on the market that have help with markup and coding built in. I'd recommend you start with one of those.

P.S. ...and use the W3C validation services often.

I use Dream Weaver for developing web pages. It gives a lot of coding support as well as has built in feature for Rollover images and buttons.

I use Microsoft FrontPage - it gives you a nice WYSIWYG editor in a very simply package and layout. Ideal for beginners and advanced users.

Thanks
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Dreamweaver is a good option.although you must make your choice according to your requirement.Web Studio 4.0 is also worth try

Hey cathy.You should post your question with the clearer scope of your reuirements.Which type of the site do you want to prepare?It will contain static or dynamic pages.Accordingly you should choose s/w ,tools like Dreamweaver,Media Site Developer,Frontpage,Web studio for the web site deveopment ad designing.You should use Languages like PHP with mysql if the databases if you want to maintain.

Hi All,

Thanks for showing such a wonderful software, but i just used dream weaver and coral draw.

Thanks & Keep Sharing!

Just Use Adobe Dreamweaver. That will be a Great help for you.. !!! You just creat the outline of your Website in Photoshop and slice it using slicer Tool and then Save as Html file. Then open the html file using Dreamweaver and Make your Contents simply... !!!

thanks all

Hi,

Thanks for all the suggestions, IMO dream weaver is the best software for the beginners.

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Hello!
I used for my wesite,Started with Notepad as my editing program. Have recently decided to take some formal instructions in coding HTML and CSS. Notepad is the only editing program permitted for the class. So it is back to Notepad.There is no software that will produce for you professional appearing web designs right out of the box. It will become necessary for you to learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, php and perhaps more.for your more details visit my site and get some idea..

flash cs is the best software for designing a dynamic web.
but if you want to design a particular in any language script website like asp,php
then you should use dreamweaver because dreamweaver's editor corner is looks like a interactive like a teacher when we write any script any type of it always guide us and show us the library for selecting an option or right path.
so i recomond you Dreamweaver and Flash CS
if you want to design a ordinary web then you can use Adobe photoshope with the Image rady.
thank you so much

There have been mentions of Dreamweaver (expensive) and Frontpage (expensive), I actually used the Yahoo Sitebuilder. I knew NOTHING about html or codes or such, still don't know too much. Yahoo sitebuilder is free with yahoo hosting and it is so easy, just point and click, drag and drop. I even created a reservation page and my website has done really well in the SEO department too. First page on the organic listings under certain keywords.

hi,
In image library where you will be able to download FREE logos, templates, webpage backgrounds and website headers.you can also use web authoring tools as Adobe® Dreamweaver® CS4 software is ideal for web designers.html this is also Powerful and Easy to Use. Try out the new Flash Player 10.1.you can create different web animations.

Notepad++ is a great tool to use for editing HTML or PHP pages. Most wysiwyg editors churn out some pretty messy code, so I wouldn't recommend anything like that. There are some great open source software solutions like WordPress or Joomla. Each has a supportive community to answer your specific questions around web development on their platform.

i have one question to the peoples have used this kind of software.
How is the code looking, because these tools tend to add tons of code, not necessarily optimized.

Thanks

So many softwares and tools are available now a days for developing a site.Well all that depends upon the which type of site you are making.For example flash is good option if one wants to generate a site on photography with static content.

PS7 is very good, it's also very complex. I saw in another thread where some on recommended for tutorials, and I bought his CD. VERY very helpful....over 20 hours of instructional videos. Well, worth the $$ IMO.

If you have purchased web hosting for your site you will find in your cPanel very helpful softwares to write a site or templates for your site. Almost every reliable web hosting company offers such free softwares in addition to their service.

As per my usage Dreamweaver is good for developing web pages. It gives a lot of coding support as well as has built in feature for images and buttons. There are also so many tools include in it. I really happy with the performance of it. I always suggest dreamweaver for every one.

If you are not familiar with coding then go for wordpress, there you will have a benefit to DIY. Do anything by installing plugins. Long list of helpful plugins which saves your time and makes your wordpress site beautiful.