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Tools for Website Designing · 27-03-2008, 02:53 PM

Tools for Website Designing
Whenever something is built, the proper tools are needed to accomplish that task. Starting out, you will need a computer, monitor, printer, a connection to the internet and software. Since the first four are most likely already in place, we will go over choosing software. There are many ways to obtain software necessary for you to make your website. There are freeware programs available that can get you up and running with a few clicks of your mouse. These programs offer no warranty but some of the more popular ones provide a large amount of support in the form of forums and FAQ pages. Another way to get software is to use a trial version. This type of software gives you the ability to use it for either a specified amount of time, with limited features or possibly both. Either way, trial versions can help you decide whether or not to actually purchase a full version based on your opinions from previewing it. The final way is to purchase a fully licensed copy with warranty, instructions and full support if there are any issues.

Editor software
There are ways to design the pages in your website. One is with a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editor and the other is with a text editor. WYSIWYG editors provide users the ability to see how their pages will look as they are being created. These editors also give you the ability to type in code as well with a built in text editor. In the commercial market, Adobe has Dreamweaver and Microsoft has Expression. Each offers a trial version with the option to buy but just as with the graphics software, you might be on a budget. Kompozer is a free WYSIWYG editor that has many features available to beginners as well as professionals.

Graphics software
In order for your website to have images on them, you are going to need some form of graphics software. Adobe seems to have the biggest hand in the commercial market with products like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop Elements. Since most people just starting out are on a tight budget, and by tight budget I mean no money to invest, then getting some of the free software available will be something to look into. Gimp is one such software, which is fairly easy to learn. There are many tutorials that are linked to the Gimp download site. Photo and graphics editors come in many types from the most basic to high-end software capable of making any modifications you could think of. No matter which path you choose, make sure the software can not only edit and create the images you want, but also save them in a format that is web friendly. When designing your website, image optimization is a must. The amount of bandwidth available to visitors varies. Your first step towards the optimization process is to use the proper format. Choosing the correct format alone can cut your file size in half or even more. These include: GIF, JPEG and BMP. Once that is done, simply manipulating a few settings should reduce the file size without losing any or much of the images original integrity.