Great Web Software

There are many notable software companies that have made wonderful contributions to the web software world, so here come my links to the best & the brightest! (You'll find that the price tag begins here from the most expensive to the least in this list as well!)

My fav - Adobe Creative Suite hands-down. Almost everything a human requires in order to take a website from start to finish!

1.) Adobe Creative Suite 3 (CS3)
The Adobe® Creative Suite is now in version 3, is advertised as a complete design environment - and I can honestly say it truly is. When Adobe acquired Macromedia, their ability to offer a full suite of products was complete. This latest version of CS is offered in 5 versions: Creative Suite 3 Master Collection, Creative Suite 3 Design Premium, Creative Suite 3 Web Premium, Creative Suite 3 Production Premium, Creative Suite 3 Web Standard. For the sake of brevity, here's a great page that compares what you receive in each version in handly table format. CS3 truly is the only set of applications you may ever need working online. But if you are serious about learning these applications, you should be prepared for a learning curve, and taking some courses would be very helpful. Local community colleges offer Photoshop and Dreamweaver courses and you would learn so much faster with some experienced tutelage.

2.) Ulead Products
Whether you're into video editing, DVD authoring, photo editing, or web design - Ulead probably has an application you'll find useful. ULead offers literally dozens of software titles - especially popular right now are tools that help you with DVD/CD burning. Of particular interest to web designers: PhotoImpact, GIF Animator and SmartSaver Pro. If you need an inexpensive graphics program for your digital pictures or for the web, try PhotoImpact. On purchase, you also receive some useful bonus files ... I'll leave it to you to check them out!

3.) Xara
Xara has all kinds of clever products. They offer quality graphics software - you can create web templates, 3-d fonts and there's even a dynamic menu maker. Plus, "Xara Online" offers lots of different tools for webmasters. These are handy because you don't need to have any programming ability at all to use them. There is a separate fee for each individually, or you can purchase a subcription that lets you use them all. These add-ons range from a hit counter to database web applications. Especially good if you can design but can't program your way out a paper bag ...

4.) CoffeeCup
It was 1998 and I was back in college taking Digital Media. This is when I first encountered CoffeeCup, and I downloaded their HTML editor from CNet. Ah, how the years have flown, and I am impressed to learn that CoffeeCup continues not only to survive, but to flourish. They offer a wealth of applications designed specifically for online users - everything from their HTML editor to an mp3 ripper, jukebox player, form builder, photo gallery ... you name it and they've got it covered. I am really pleased to see that they are still offering affordable, easy to use applications that always come with a trial period so you can see if it's right for you. Here's a link to the best free website editor available and to some other freebies!

Designer's Tip: Surround yourself with professional quality applications and learn how to use them effectively. All of the sites above offer online tutorial files - take advantage of them!