Web Design Software

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You can't really make a professional site with those programs.

If you really want to make something good and professional, learn to hand code. Once you learn, any text program is good. I personally like Dreamweaver to hand-code sites, but have started using Coda lately, and it seems to be a cleaner interface.

 

There is more to a good site than hand coding HTML and JavaScript. There is the understanding of design and how it relates to a readable and usable site.

RapidWeaver with the multitude of themes is a solution the OP could use to get started and then look at the code to learn from.

If more functionality is needed then the OP will need to learn a scripting language (PHP, Perl, Ruby on Rails, etc) or hire someone for that. Most sites I've seen do not require a lot of programming and those that do are using things like shopping carts or interactivity with the user may require deeper solutions.

But to dismiss some of the tools available could lead someone to think it is not possible unless they can grok proper HTML, JavaScript and CSS.

There is not a one size fits all and I would not want to steer folks down the wrong path for their needs.

 

muse.adobe.com

Muse is a great program that has widgets and various features to make your website come alive. Its simple and easy to export too.

 

But if you want to have full control use adobe photoshop, fireworks, dreamweaver and other adobe products.

 

you can use Fireworks or open source graphical software like GIMP , which i use to design my cms theme/ website and use Dreamweaver or Aptana studio to develop the site. There are many software/ tool available these days as "bill the Builder" mentions

 

I use Photoshop but given the other software that the OP is looking at PS Elements would be a photo editing choice that is more in keeping with price(s) of his editing software.

My question is if the OP is interesting in developing a single website or learning how to design multiple websites? If it is a one-of site then I would suggest Joomla, Drupal, Wordpress, etc., so that the OP can take advantage of the numerous themes/templates out there. If the goal is learning website design then I agree Dreamweaver/hand coding is the way to go.

 

Hi bdauer,

Are you interested in getting into web design or do you just want to build this website as a one-time thing? If you want a professional result its unlikely you'll get that yourself (as mean as that sounds).