Hello!

It is high-time that I learn website and graphic design. Until now, I've subbed out these projects but now I need to take control and advance my services.

I have decided to take a Dreamweaver and a Photoshop course.

I decided upon Adobe Creative Suite 5 Dreamweaver - Win because in my virtual travels I find that many designers use this program.

Does anyone have an opinion on this suite?

I also want to know, other than Dreamweaver, does anyone have any suggestions as to what other software/course to recommend to create websites?
If so, what title and why?

Thank you!

Janine

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Hi Janine and congratulations on deciding to learn a new skill - I am a huge believer in 'continuously grow and improve' and love learning *geek alert*!

I have the Adobe CS5 Design Premium Suite which includes Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Flash, Acrobat and probably more that I can't remember! I was lucky enough to get it at student rates at the time and hopefully your course will qualify too.

I agree that DW is very popular and one of the more recognised programs. There is a free program called Kompozer that is very similar to use, so maybe you could download that and play to get a feel before spending the money? I have used DW since version 8 I think and will admit I found it difficult (and still do at times) to get my head around some of the things, but the information available on the Adobe sites are very helpful. I also recommend Lynda.com for tutorials. It is a monthly subscription but well worth it if you have the time to use it.

I like DW because it tends to be kept up to date with web standards and ability to be browser friendly across PC and Mac. Plus it is easy to find support and comes with templates that are easy to get you started. You'll be surprised at how easy it is to create a great looking site once you start understanding it. You don't need a lot of code expertise as you have WYSIWYG as well as code view, so I actually learn a lot of my codes from playing in DW and seeing how it changes when I change things. Okay - I'm rambling now - it's Friday afternoon here in Australia so I'm keen for the next couple of hours to pass so it's the weekend! :-)

Good luck and enjoy yourself!
Marie

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Marie Chandler - your virtual assistant
www.officesupportonline.com.au

Hi Janine

I use Dreamweaver. I still have CS4 but I like much better than word press. I have my blog in wordpress but I design all websites in Dreamweaver. I love photoshop and use it all the time. Like Marie says, there are many great tutorials for Dreamweaver and I use them quite often.

It is great to be learning something new.

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Nancy Lynch
http://www.virtualnancysbusinesssuppo rt.ca

Dreamweaver of course, but also PhotoShop for creating graphics (including raster). Illustrator for really cool graphics that can be saved in vector, and other, format(s). InDesign if you will be doing print media (can import/add graphics created in PS and Illustrator).

Lynda.com for paid-for, in depth learning. Learnable.com for less in depth learning on a course by course paid basis.

Maybe check your local community college for course offerings?

There are a multitude of free tutorials online. One that may be helpful is PhotoShop Essentials (scroll down on the page past the ads).

HTH a bit,

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Jules, SunRise Virtual Solutions - WordPress Customization & XHTML/CSS Web Sites

I use the CS3 Suite of Adobe Software and I taught myself to use most all of the applications. I find Dreamweaver was not that hard to learn, but I did have basic knowledge of building websites prior to using it. Now, I wouldn't use anything else except maybe a newer version!

Hi Janine,
I've been using Dreamweaver MX since around the time Al Gore invented the internet. Macromedia Dreamweaver is fantastic! You will also need either Fireworks or Photoshop for your logos, animated gifs, photos/imges, gradients, and artwork. Flash is great if you can afford it and know how to use it. Donald Trump uses Flash on his website. Those are it as far as programs. Of course you need to download the apache server so you can design and practice on your local host. Then learn html and css. If you want interactive forms, you will also need to learn php and mysql. If you want a shopping cart, maybe hire someone from India for $5 per hour to set it up for you. They are a pain to set up.

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Sincerely, Roy
www.accurateAccounting.cz.cc

I use dream weaver CS5 and well the whole suite really. Dreamweaver is very helpful in checking any and all code.

You may want to also take a class in php and/or other programming languages. Java is a great starting one to give you a great grasp on how it can work. Once you know how to properly manipulate php you can do a lot in wordpress for your clients.

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Amanda Mock
My Virtual Little Helper

Thanks everyone for your input...

Janine

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Janine,
Just wondering if you've started yet with Dreamweaver or did you choose something else? I'm in the same boat. I did my current web site in Microsoft Live, and I'm way over due for an overhaul. Years ago, I used Dreamweaver when helping my husband design web sites, but it's been a long time.
Looking forward to hearing your 'newbie' experience with it.
Best of luck!

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Marlene Eldemire
Mars Virtual Assistant & Travel

Janine, since we moved our Adobe suite to the Mac I haven't had a good editor and had been mucking up my code in Notepad (not ideal) so Hamid has got me using Komodo Edit lately and I LOVE it! It's free, open source, stable, etc. I don't know if it will suit your needs, but it's worth looking into.

Hope that helps!

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