Web Design software on a budget

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I want to try out designing my own sites and would like to produce something a little more advanced than Artisteer can do.

I know the optimal combination would probably be Photoshop for design and Dreamweaver for coding.

I don't mind spending a few dollars but would like to keep the spend to a minimum initially.

So, I suppose I'm really looking alternatives to the above.



Am I correct in saying Gimp is the top open source alternative to Photoshop?

Has anyone tries Gimpshop? Is it updated on the same bases as Gimp? Is it really as similar to PS as the blurb claims?



A Dreamweaver alternative seems a harder find.

What about either MS Visual Studio or NetObjects Fusion Essentials?

Can I produce a webpage template in Gimp as I might in PS and upload and codify it in MS Visual Studio as I could the PS page in Dreamweaver?

Please excuse the newbie question. I trust they are at least understandable.
#website design #budget #design #software #web
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  • gimp is very powerful, but it does things in a completely different way than photoshop.

    The buttons are in different locations and called different things, the workflow is different, the key combos are different, if you become a master at the gimp then try to transfer your knowledge over to photoshop... wont work. Different beasts.

    But if your going to stick with gimp, then stick with it. Its very powerful. and the latest version has a single window interface, so go with gimp, not gimpshop.

    The export feature of any software that exports an image out to a complete webpage usually does a horrible job. either putting every thing in fixed position divs or cutting it up and outputting a mess of tables.

    Its not easy to continue developing a site that is built like that. When a coder does it by hand, they usually call divs with names that have meaning like "top-header" "main-menu" "side-bar-right" but with the exporting systems you get "block-1" "block-2" "block-3" "block-4" so the code is harder to read.

    Phpstorm is an awesome IDE and if you dont need PHP, then webstorm is great. but it will mean that you need to learn HTML because there is no WYSIWYG editor like dreamweaver has.
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  • Most webdevelopers born and bred for Adobe Dreamweaver Favorites. I have seen various incarnations of the program through the 3.1 adobe, to the latest version of CS3. However there are a few alternatives available on the market, which is also worth considering if you're on a budget, or alternative platform.
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    • Amen to the first comment on Gimp. It is powerful, but a different animal than Photoshop.

      If you're looking for a free WYSIWYG designer, Kompzer is a simple option. It is free, but it has the basics.

      If you're willing to spend a little ($49), consider HTML Editor, Flash & Web Design Software | CoffeeCup Software HTML program. It offers quite a bit for the price. AND you can test it for 30 days for free

      Personally, if you are really serious about website design, you're going to need to INVEST in and learn the Adobe product line. I've been using Dreamweaver since version 1.0. It has ebbed and flowed and grown as HTML and webdesign have changed and improved.

      While Adobe Photoshop may be the stalwart of the industry, Adobe Fireworks is another excellent graphics tool. I prefer it Photoshop for every day graphics changes. It's less complex and originally designed for web graphics (verses ALL graphics for Photoshop).

      Another good thing about Adobe products is the 30 day FREE downloads. Get a local gig or two. Design the sites and then pay for the software. It's a worthwhile investment in your business

      Let us know how it goes!

      Theresa 8-)
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  • The best free combination for professional web development in my mind is:
    Notepad++
    Filezilla/FireFTP
    Firebug
    Netbeans
    GIMP
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    Web Design software on a budget

    I want to try out designing my own sites and would like to produce something a little more advanced than Artisteer can do. I know the optimal combination would probably be Photoshop for design and Dreamweaver for coding.