Please suggest a very simple web design app

[ajelliott]

I have good design skills and want to create web pages but I dont want to do web development or programming.

There is so much out there and so much of it is complicated. I want to keep it real simple. I have Dreamweaver but not a lot of time to learn how to use it. :o

I know basic HTML but it's too slow. I use the PageBuilder utility in Geocities but its too limited. I want to upload to my space on my ISP and would like to use a nice simple GUI tool.

[cscgal]

Unfortunately, you already have the absolute best tool out there, Dreamweaver - I highly suggest that you take some time to learn it. It's not that hard at all really - and you're not going to find anything you like much simpler. (Short of using Microsoft Word and choosing the save as HTML option). In addition, Dreamweaver is really good because the more advanced you get, the more into its more advanced features you can experiment. It has a really good learning curve.

[dazzlindonna]

Try SiteSpinner. ( www.virtualmechanics.com ). I think it would fulfill your needs well. (No, I don't work for them). It also produces some pretty clean code - not absolutely perfect, but darn close. Definitely doesn't throw in a bunch of nasty gobbledygook.

[Arizona Web]

Actually AJelliot, if you are more a of graphic design person, and you have dreamweaver, that in combination with fireworks or imageready will do.

I reccommend fireworks (this mini-tutorial will work for fireworks, image ready, and photoshop).

After you create a design, slice it with the slice tool in a way that seems logical to you. (the simpler the better, and the more alignment of squares the better too). Name each slice, and the image that slice produces in your HTML file will be named whatever you named the slice.

Now choose export. When you export, choose to export HTML and slices. This will create an HTML file with graphics inside the slices. Open that file in dreamweaver. You probably left a big what part in the middle where your text was going to go, but now it is a big white graphic. Click on the big white graphic in the visual window and hit delete. The start typing your text in there.

Viola.... instant web page.

[cscgal]

As for graphics, I am such a huge advocate of Adobe Photoshop that it isn't even funny. That in combination with Macromedia Dreamweaver can take you from beginner web design all the way through to experienced web development. Microsoft Word and Microsoft FrontPage usually come up with pretty messy HTML code. It works, but it's bulky and has lots of extra proprietary tags thrown in. Plus, most experienced webmasters can spot a FrontPage site from a mile away. (No matter how hard you try to make your site unique, they always seem to have the same cookie cutter style.) As for Dreamweaver, the code is pretty clean. The only thing I have heard of is sometimes nested tags get reversed. i.e.

<font><b>My Text</font></b>

I just keep running into you all over the place lately, don't I Arizona Web? ;)

[Arizona Web]

Yeah stop following me!

....wait this is your web site...

OK OK I ADMIT I AM ONE OF THOSE CRAZY INTERNET WEIRDOs (and by "weirdo" I mean "totally awesome dude") - sorry for the caps... I just get a excitable sometimes.

All kidding side- photoshop is hands down the best graphic design software out there IMO. However, also IMO, the best graphic design software for the web is fireworks because it produces flawless code if used properly, and if you have the whole macromedia suite (as I do) it works great with the other apps. It also has probably the best image optimizing capabilities of all other graphic design apps. I have both the macromedia and adobe studios and use them both a lot, but for web I use the MM stuff way more. For print or photo touch up, I use adobe way more. Since I do more web, I end up using MM at least 8-% of the time.As for graphics, I am such a huge advocate of Adobe Photoshop that it isn't even funny. That in combination with Macromedia Dreamweaver can take you from beginner web design all the way through to experienced web development. Microsoft Word and Microsoft FrontPage usually come up with pretty messy HTML code. It works, but it's bulky and has lots of extra proprietary tags thrown in. Plus, most experienced webmasters can spot a FrontPage site from a mile away. (No matter how hard you try to make your site unique, they always seem to have the same cookie cutter style.) As for Dreamweaver, the code is pretty clean. The only thing I have heard of is sometimes nested tags get reversed. i.e.

<font><b>My Text</font></b>

I just keep running into you all over the place lately, don't I Arizona Web? ;)

[ajelliott]

I have Dreamweaver 4 and Dreamweaver Ultra Developer. I think DW4 is newer, but which one would you suggest I start with. I went through some of the D4 tutorials and it seems easy enough. Just takes time.

I love Photoshop too, use it all the time!

I will look at Fireworks depending on the costs.

[Arizona Web]

They are basically the same app except DW ultra has some database stuff. I wouldn't reccommend using the code it produces for the DB stuff anyways. Besides that, both apps are identical. You can use ultra the same exact way as DW4.

[samaru]

Personally, I recommend you stay with Dreamweaver. It has so many features that other authoring tools don't have. Then again, all those features may be overwhelming. For people starting off, for those who don't want to be web developers/designers, I recommend FrontPage. It's very easy to use because it resembles Word, which you've probably used. FrontPage doesn't have as many features as Dreamweaver, but certainly has more than PageBuilder.

For graphics, I recommend Photoshop.

[Arizona Web]

For people starting off, for those who don't want to be web developers/designers, I recommend FrontPage.

:cry: NOO!! Don't do it dude! FrontPage is the most evil of evil web poop.

[cscgal]

Sorry Dan, but I just have to agree w/ Arizona Web.

[samaru]

:cry: NOO!! Don't do it dude! FrontPage is the most evil of evil web poop.

For professional web developers\designers yes. It gets tedious when you try to create complex designs. Forget about complicated templates too. Layers? Ha! When your design starts getting a little too technical, the code it generates behind the scenes starts deteriorating.

However, it will most likely not be the case for her. She wants to do a basic web site and doesn't want to be overwhelmed by learning so many unnecessary things. She's probably got some Word experience, and going to FrontPage is just a logical step. It's easy to use and generates decent code for simple web sites. That's why I highly recommend it.

For any professional designer I would recommend Dreamweaver MX 2004\TopStyle 3.1\Photoshop CS. Best combo ever.

[dazzlindonna]

Right inscissor, I think everyone was missing the point that the original poster didn't want the learning curve required for something like Dreamweaver. That's why I suggested SiteSpinner. Really quick to learn (like about half an hour) and generates very decent code (unlike Frontpage). Not everyone is up to the professional level and not everyone ever needs to get there.

[cscgal]

OK OK, I digress.

[Syneticus]

I'd have to go with cscgal on this one... Dreamweaver is a sweet program, and you sound pretty smart, so being completely honest with you, I bet if you just spend one day on dreamweaver just playing around you'd pretty much know the basics of it. As for creating graphics and such, I'm a fan of Adobe Photoshop... it's an incredible program.

[alihamilton]

All of you sound like real professionals so how about a word from someone who started knowing nothing at all! I use Dreamweaver and it is really easy to use...just a question of spending a few hours and it will all click into place. Insert your layers and insert your images (and, yes, Photoshop is the best .....I am really lazy and use Photoshop Elements!) and your text. Everything is so flexible and the layers can be moved around to create a pleasing design. Of course, I may be doing everything wrong but it seems to work! Easy to upload to your domain too from Dreamweaver. I only have Dreamweaver 3 and would love a more advanced version, but,for my purposes, it suffices.

[emiola]

Personally, I recommend you stay with Dreamweaver. It has so many features that other authoring tools don't have. Then again, all those features may be overwhelming. For people starting off, for those who don't want to be web developers/designers, I recommend FrontPage. It's very easy to use because it resembles Word, which you've probably used. FrontPage doesn't have as many features as Dreamweaver, but certainly has more than PageBuilder. For graphics, I recommend Photoshop.

Samaru,
With due respect, you may be right as well as wrong because it dependes on how skillful you are with a software. I just started learning how to use dreamweaver just some couple of months while having been using Frontpage for the past 5 years ( I started with FP2000). In fact, FP turned me to a dedicated web designer and gave me the opportunities to understand the windows better. I could use it in conjuction with dreamweaver where I wish to get something done with it.
My reason for turning to dreamweaver is to learn using it to upgrade my application usability and so, if I have any issue with it, be expecting my call for assistance.

[emiola]

All of you sound like real professionals so how about a word from someone who started knowing nothing at all! I use Dreamweaver and it is really easy to use...just a question of spending a few hours and it will all click into place. Insert your layers and insert your images (and, yes, Photoshop is the best .....I am really lazy and use Photoshop Elements!) and your text. Everything is so flexible and the layers can be moved around to create a pleasing design. Of course, I may be doing everything wrong but it seems to work! Easy to upload to your domain too from Dreamweaver. I only have Dreamweaver 3 and would love a more advanced version, but,for my purposes, it suffices.

You are just like me but our difference is that I seem not to know the usefulness of photoshop other than to magic-wand or maquee out an image. I prefer fireworks and even use coreldraw and acrobat reader to get my banner into my webpage templates.
If there is anything proving stubbornly difficult, be expecting my shout!
Thanks for the encouragement.

[Jen0608]

haha! thats funny.. :P but we all have to start from somethin right?

[ajelliott]

As it turned out... I did take the time to learn Dreamweaver and went on to create several web pages for other orgs as volunteer support and as a way to build up web building skills.

I now use it at work and maintain our company site. More recently work has agreed to purchase the Adobe Web Premium suite for me to use which will have an updated version of Dreamweaver, Photoshop and all the other cool bells and whistles. I can’t wait!

Thanks for all the suggestions; it was great to read all the responses.

:)