Learning web design from scratch - a step-by-step guide for beginners (ten stages). What programs does a web designer need? Web design software for beginners
In this article, I decided to review software for website design, as well as the tools that a web designer encounters in his work.
Such tools not only help make work better, but also make work easier and save our precious time. Nowadays, there are more and more such programs, I will tell you about those that I myself directly encounter with.
Web design
Web design is a type graphic design in the field of web development focused on the production of websites and the creation of web applications.
On the one hand, a web designer needs to be able to correctly place graphic and text elements of a website using the hypertext markup language HTML, and know the technical intricacies, on the other hand. In other words, a website designer must be both a web programmer and an artist.
Tools and Tools for Web Design
I will try to list the main programs that I come across most often when developing web projects. Let's start with tools for entering code, creating, layout and layout of the site.
Adobe Dreamweaver– a popular HTML editor, with support for programming languages DHTML, PHP, JavaScript, Ajax, CSS styles, and others. This program includes a content management system, supports working with scripts and can optimize web pages for various browsers.
The Dreamweaver window is divided into two areas:
- HTML program code is displayed at the top of the screen;
- The site being created is located at the bottom.
After marking up the project layout, you need to think about graphic elements and try to make the web resource beautiful. The most popular graphics editor is Photoshop.
Adobe Photoshop is a powerful program with rich functionality for processing and editing raster images of various graphic formats. When creating websites, you have to devote most of your time to this program, since with its help you can perform many operations:
- image processing;
- photomontage;
- drawing;
- retouching;
- color correction;
- graphics transformation;
- apply various filters and much more.
If it is necessary to integrate animation elements into the project, then it is necessary to use programs for creating flash animation.
Adobe Flash – software to create animation works, interactive buttons, banners, using object-oriented animation tools. An example of one of my flash works:
Server platform and software environment
Next, we need a platform to test the project for local computer. There are many local servers for initial placement and testing of a web project. Started using the software shell Denwer, which includes Apache, PHP, MySQL, Perl, PostgreSQL.
IN Lately I use a more functional portable server platform with a rich set of services and functions Open Server, which includes: Apache, Bind, Nginx, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Redis, Memcached, PHP, ImageMagick, Ghostscript, Sendmail, Adminer, PHPMyAdmin, etc.
To accommodate file structure site on the hosting server will be useful to us FTP FileZilla, with which you can easily connect to an FTP server and work with files. Although all modern hosting services have this functionality in your personal account.
At the testing and debugging stage, the well-known Internet browsers : Mozilla FireFox, Opera and Google Chrome.
For advanced web programmers
For more advanced programmers, the development environment will be useful NetBeans, which supports programming languages such as: Java, C, C++, PHP, Python, JavaScript, etc.
NetBeans is completely free and includes the necessary features and tools to create professional web projects and mobile applications.
This is not the entire list of programs that you have to deal with when creating websites. There are also programs for working with fonts, creating buttons, banners, utilities for optimizing and simplifying program code, tools for checking the correctness of web pages, graphic systems for creating three-dimensional images and many others, not to mention tools.
From the author: To successfully design and create websites, you will definitely need special web design programs. There are tons of new apps out there lately, but which ones really improve a web designer's productivity? In this article you will learn how to choose the right program for creating a website design, depending on the task at hand and the type of graphics - raster or vector.
As various venerable designers say, “the brain and hands are our main tools.” And yet, they are a little disingenuous. Is it possible to create a website design without using any programs or tools? Of course, the brain is a powerful biocomputer that allows you to draw a complex picture and an ideal website in a matter of seconds, but, alas, only in your imagination.
To turn your brilliant thoughts into reality, you will need modern graphic editors. In my opinion, one of the most rewarding features of being a web designer is the ability to make your own decisions about which web design programs to use, for example, to build and layout website pages, optimize graphics, create banners, etc.
The main criterion for classifying all graphic editors is the type of graphics. Just in case, let's understand these fundamental concepts for web design.
What are raster and vector graphics?
Every self-respecting web designer should definitely understand these terms. Images in raster graphics consist of pixels - indivisible units that create a kind of mosaic. The pixels are very small, so the eye perceives the mosaic as a single image.
The main advantage of raster graphics is the ability to create a drawing of any complexity, using any number of various halftones, plug-ins and filters. The GIF raster format makes it quite easy to create animation.
Vector graphics are common in print design and website layout creation. This type of graphics cannot convey tones and halftones, however, it is preferable if we're talking about about creating texts, simple forms, contour figures.
Vector programs for website design use the principle of creating a contour on a coordinate system, which is the workspace. Any figure in such a system is described by the coordinates of control points that connect segments and fill characteristics (color, pattern, gradient). In other words, a vector image is, first of all, a mathematical formula.
To understand what type of graphics a particular image belongs to, pay attention to its extension:
raster graphics - JPEG, BMP, PICT, GIF, TIFF, PSD, JPG, PNG, PCX;
vector graphics - EPS, PSD, CMX, CDR, SVG.
Selecting a graphic editor
Raster editors (Adobe Photoshop, Corel-Paint, Irfan View, GIMP, Krita, etc.) represent graphics in pixels, the number of which in width and height is set when creating the image. Increasing the size of already created raster images is undesirable - this can lead to distortions and uneven graphics;
vector editors (Xara, Corel DRAW, Adobe Illustrator, Sketch, etc.) provide for the creation of lines and shapes using certain mathematical algorithms, thanks to which vector images can be scaled as much as desired without loss of quality and ideal clarity of contours. Vector web design programs are recommended for creating logos, emblems, etc.
Adobe is firmly in its position
The most popular graphic editor for working with raster graphics has been Adobe Photoshop for many years. Initially, this application was developed for processing and retouching photographs, but then it went beyond its intended scope and became a convenient tool for working with web graphics.
Not everyone knows, but in Photoshop you can also work with vector graphics, for example, create vector objects or add them from other programs, for example, Adobe Illustrator. The latter editor is still preferable for working with vectors. In it you can create any images for the website, mobile devices, video, print, animation, etc. Adobe Photoshop Interface:
Sketch - the program of the future?
This is a vector program for web design, tailored exclusively for the design of interfaces in the operating room. MAC system OS. This program is recommended for use by seasoned designers for two reasons:
if you are new to web design, then first you should learn how to make ordinary, raster creations consisting of many pictures and colors, and then move on to serious vector graphics;
the cost of the cheapest Apple options (which come with MAC OS) starts from 60,000 rubles. Sketch itself costs $99.99. As a beginner, you are unlikely to get any benefits from such an investment
However, this instrument is already loved by many creative individuals. The main features of this program for a web designer:
Sketch does not use its own resources to render content - this task is assigned to the built-in functions of MAC OS X: Core Animation, Quartz Extreme, QuickTime, ColorSync, Core Image, OpenGL. Thanks to this, the most sophisticated version of the program takes up only 42 MB of memory (fans of heavy Photoshop, don’t faint);
files can be exported to any format, from PNG to SVG;
You can draw dozens of application screens in one document without compromising performance;
Automatically snaps content to the grid, thereby avoiding jagged, blurry edges.
Sketch Interface:
Finally
In order to understand the existing variety of applications and web programs for web design, it is not at all necessary to attend any special courses. There are many videos and comprehensive video tutorials on the network that will “decipher” each tool and explain in detail each action in the graphic editor. This will allow you to apply your knowledge and skills in practice as widely as possible in the future.
To begin with, you will be head over heels for Photoshop tools, however, in the next few years, this monopolist may have serious competitors, for example, the web design program Sketch. Therefore, you should not rigidly bind yourself to certain tools with long-term habits. Consider alternative options, learn something new all the time, master new applications.
With this I will say goodbye. I wish you good luck and success in your web design career! If you have just started this difficult but very exciting path, I advise you, first, to subscribe to our blog updates, where you will find a bunch of fresh and interesting information in web design and web development. See you again, friends!
If we consider programs for a web designer as a kind basic package basic technological techniques and capabilities, the first thing that even a person far from this profession will remember is the products Adobe company(Photoshop, Illustrator). At the same time, few people know that the range of programs in a designer’s arsenal significantly exceeds this list. But mastering web design turns out to be much more difficult than it seems at first glance.
Programs for a web designer: the required minimum
The list of skills of a modern web designer includes such elements as knowledge of the CSS and HTML programming languages, the ability to create templates from scratch and work with ready-made source materials. But this is rather general information. In fact, a web designer uses a wide variety of tools in his work.
1) Programs for working with raster images
This category includes programs that allow you to edit graphic files and supplement them with the necessary special effects. They allow you to retouch photographs, crop them, work with filter systems and layers, as well as tint and correct image colors.
Among existing options programs for web designers in this category include:
A convenient and effective tool for processing photographs. Allows you to perform manipulations of varying complexity. Among the disadvantages is the significant resource intensity of the program.
A cross-platform version of the usual Photoshop version. User-friendly interface, good functionality, ease of use.
Paint is graphics editor for Windows, allowing you to work with various types graphics. There are many additional plugins for this program that significantly expand its functionality.
2) Programs for working with vector graphics
This category of programs is needed to create inscriptions, buttons, and other website design elements based on existing clipart or from scratch. Also, using this category of programs, design elements are created for the production of business cards, forms, and branded printed products.
Among the programs in this category, there are two basic ones:
And an auxiliary “light” version - Corel Xara with truncated functionality, but much less “weight”.
3) Browsers
The main function of any browser is to view web pages. But modern browsers have much more extensive functionality. In particular, in Mozilla browsers FireFox and Google Chrome contain a tool called Firebug, which allows you to inspect the components of website pages and obtain the necessary information, gaining valuable experience necessary for any web designer.
4) Page layout tools
In addition to creating layouts, web designers are most often responsible for page layout functions. And in this case, you will inevitably have to master HTML editors that allow you to work with this programming language. The simplest and most convenient of the existing ones is NotePad++.
5) Text recognition tools in graphics
Web design implies the presence of similar functionality. Suitable for text recognition on graphic media, it is quite capable of coping with the task.
Programs for web designer: extended list
In addition to the basic set of programs, a web designer may also need other tools that allow him to solve problems in creating layouts and individual website elements.
To determine the color in RGB format For any point on the screen, there are browser extensions (for Chrome - Eye Dropper), or special programs - in particular, Colormania.
For working with animated graphic elements there is a special Adobe program Flash, which allows you to create banners, screensavers, animated on-screen buttons, etc.
And to create images in GIF format, there is a very useful program - GIF Animator, which allows you to convert an ordinary picture into the desired format.
There are also handy tools for measuring various design elements, from Code-V-Ruler and SP Ruler programs to browser extensions (such as Measurelt for Chrome).
Among the full-featured editors for web designers, we can also recommend such programs as:
BlueGriffon is a shareware editor with fairly wide functionality that allows you to create the design and layout of a website from scratch.
OpenBEXI is an HTML editor that allows you to create web pages using ready-made modules - widgets. There are CSS settings, the ability to add the necessary scripts, and the FTP protocol for uploading the result to the server.
Brackets from Adobe is an editor that allows you to work with javascript, HTML and CSS codes, has a lot of extensions and regularly updates its capabilities.
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Want to learn how to become a web designer yourself? Or maybe you already have several of your own designs or even, and you would like to take your skills to a new advanced level? Then you are moving in the right direction right now, since the topic of the article is “Web design, where to start” and in it we will look in detail at all the necessary stages of preparing a web designer and will help you become a web designer yourself, with a little diligence and creativity.
One article, of course, cannot tell you how to become a web designer and talk about all the skills necessary tools and technologies you need to master on the way to your dream job. If you think that the path will be simple and fast, then I must disappoint you. Working as a web designer is about constant self-improvement, development and the pursuit of new trends and tendencies. But, despite all the professional difficulties, learning and gaining new knowledge is one of the most enjoyable aspects of this work.
First, a short lyrical digression for designers who accidentally wandered into reading this article. " I do web design", you've probably said this phrase to someone more than once and felt cold fear when they answered you something like: " Cool! Can you teach me how to do this? How to become a web designer from scratch?"Many people just assume they'll click a mouse, drag a couple of icons onto the screen, and the design is done. But, unfortunately, this is not the case. So, the next time someone asks you how to design websites, just show them this article.
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to MotoCMS's guide for aspiring designers. Grab your mice and sit back at your keyboard, this is going to be a long post. It's not necessary to brew coffee, but it's worth it.
Who is this article about web design for?
This article is intended for everyone who is wondering “How to become a web designer on your own?” It will also be useful for people who want to start creating websites and have some experience in design and . Everything will be very accessible and step by step. The article is designed for the fact that you do not have any special artistic or technical education, no coding skills at all, and no experience in the web design industry.
Requirements for beginning web designers
The “minimum requirements” for people who are thinking about becoming a web designer and want to create their first website are quite simple. If you know what folders and graphic text files are, you can start.
However, although getting started is simple, creating a really good website is a real art. There are many skills that you will need to learn. You will need to learn about color theory, graphic hierarchy of elements, fonts, and general website organization.
Also, knowledge of the main coding languages will be useful to you, namely HTML and CSS, we'll talk about this too.
Then you might want to learn some basic JavaScript programming and figure out how to use it to manage different parts of your site. And desperate strikers who want to dig even further will be able to dive into the systems content management, search engine optimization and marketing.
But you shouldn’t rush into everything at once, skills will come with experience and necessity, I’ll just try to point you in the right direction. And if you have read all the way to this part of the article, then I can safely say “Welcome to the wonderful world of web design, newbie. Be prepared to screw things up repeatedly and don’t forget to have fun!”
How to use this web design guide for beginners
Read it! This will be enough to get started. Make your first, most likely, clumsy website. Go back and read it again. Correct the mistakes. Repeat.
No, you probably don't want to read everything at once. There are many other resources, many different approaches that can be taken. It's okay, but I still recommend reading a little and trying to take the first steps.Browser design for beginners
You may know that most designers first use graphic editors, and only then give their projects to a coder for layout. Photoshop is the most commonly used tool, but designers also use programs such as Sketch, GIMP, Inkscape And Illustrator.
There's no doubt that you should try a few of them and use the tools that work best for you. However, if you want to create websites, then try to do it right away in their natural habitat - in the browser! Ideally, do this in multiple browsers - because people don't view websites in Photoshop and see them the way you do through a graphics editor interface.
The browser-based workflow has a number of other advantages:
1) You see exactly what you are getting. Even professional mockups don't convey the interactive or animated parts of websites. By creating a browser-based design, you can see exactly how it works.
This is especially true when it comes to responsive design. (For the uninitiated, a responsive or adaptive design is one that displays correctly on different screens and devices, whether mobile phone, tablet, or PC).
2) Browser-based design can make you a better designer. When you know the whole process yourself, you can understand what works and how it works, and prevent yourself from many mistakes. The nightmare of any designer (or layout designer who has to do this) working in, say, Photoshop is the subsequent “stretching” of it onto a live site.
In any case, here are some resources that may be useful when working with graphics editors.
Designing in the browser can change the way you work in many ways and encourage you to learn something new about HTML and CSS. Basically, the more you tinker with dirty code, the better you will understand how sites work. It won't make you an amazing designer; but this is a great start.
Skills you need to become a web designer
If you want to become a professional web designer yourself, you will need some special skills. In this section, we will answer the question “How to become a web designer on your own?” and also focus on the skills needed to actually design and create a website. Of course, you will also need business and communication skills, but that's a slightly different story. So, to become a web designer yourself, you need to know the following.
UX/UI design
Design focused on user experience, or UX design is how it will look and work user interface generally. It's a process, it's a philosophy, and it's a lot of work. A truly good website can only be created by knowing what path a visitor takes on it, and how his behavior changes depending on changes in graphic elements.
More information about this can be found in the article “What is UX/UI design really? »
Aesthetic skills
Aesthetics is a complex thing. It seems like a great color scheme for some people can look completely weird for others. Fonts that look “just right” for you in this place may not be liked by the customer at all. This seems very, very subjective, but still, each of these aspects has its own rules, which we will talk about now.
Font combinations and typography
The Internet is text. These are words. And these words should look amazing. However, there is more to typography than just choosing the right font. This is, first of all, ease of use. It is necessary to properly select and combine font sizes, types and styles in a design to create a graphic hierarchy in the design.
To take you “from A to Z,” I suggest looking through the book “Typography” by Emil Ruder. Reading can be quite long, so for those who want to immediately start practicing, here is a short video on the topic, as well as (this is in case you have already found good example text and would like to identify its font).
Once you've learned the rules of typography, you can try out some fonts for your project. There are actually a lot of good free fonts online, so take a look around.
Many people, including myself, choose their fonts from . Google fonts can be “embedded” into a website, and it's quite convenient. Moreover, you can use ready-made font combinations:
Other similar examples can be found on the Internet.
If you want to create your own Google font pairs, try the "Web Font Combinator". This is a tool that allows you to quickly preview font combinations in real time by changing the font, size, color, line width.
If Google fonts little, then you can look at WebDesignerDepot, Fonts-online, and other sites.
Color theory and color schemes
Color theory has little to do with the technical names of colors. If your client asks for fuchsia but really wants hot pink, the choice is yours. Color theory primarily studies the relationship between color combinations and the emotions of the person who perceives it. This is real science.
To understand the basics of color theory, there are several excellent publications:Required tools: Adobe Color CC
Remember that color theory is closely related to typography. For example, if the text color is too close to the color of the selected background, it will be difficult to read and visitors will most likely simply pass by that part of the site, or leave it altogether.
Composition and general organization
How to become a web designer without knowing the basics of composition? No way! For me this part is perhaps the most important. After all, you can choose wonderful fonts, an excellent color scheme, and then simply mess with the correct arrangement of blocks, hierarchy and proportions and get “the most disgusting dish of excellent products.”
There are several useful publications on this topic, after which you get it right the first (or almost the first) time.
- Using the Golden Ratio and the Rule of Three in web design
Web design trends
We can talk endlessly about trends in web design. What role do they play? All customers, most likely, before coming to you, have already looked at several examples of cool fashion sites, and perhaps even read a couple of articles with web design trends. Knowing fashion and popular design elements is simply necessary in order to understand what they are asking for and to have something to offer them.
Since trends in web design are constantly changing, there is no point in citing any specific publications as examples. Here I can simply advise you to keep an eye on websites for web designers, here are some good examples:
- www.abduzeedo.com
- behance.net
- noupe.com
- webdesignerwall.com
- flickr.com
- wwwards.com
How to become a web designer: HTML and CSS
HTML It is "Hypertext Markup Language". Every website you've ever looked at is made with HTML based. HTML is the language that your browser uses to understand that a site contains text, an image, a link, a video, or other elements. Your browser then translates the code into what you see on your screen.
Another language that in simple words makes the site beautiful, it's called CSS, it stands for Cascading Style Sheets. CSS tells the browser what font the text is set to and what colors are used. CSS, simply put, defines the look and feel of your website (buttons, styles, colors, animations).
Learning these languages on your own, or at least getting a basic understanding of how they work, is quite easy. These are the simplest computer languages. However, they are also quite extensive and can be used in different variations to create stunning designs.
For those who want to start right now, we have selected two good textbooks with detailed lessons.
Once you know the basics, there are a truly amazing number of sites where you can learn more about how to become a web designer and teach yourself programming languages.
Live pouring
Ready to put your website on the Internet? Eat Domain name(for example: mywebsite.com) and hosting (space on a computer constantly connected to the Internet or online hosting purchased from third-party providers)? Upload your files to your hosting, sit back, relax and...
What to do after launching the site
Correct mistakes and finish what you forgot about
“Oh yes, that’s it... I definitely wanted to fix that.”- It happens to everyone. It is almost inevitable that after launching any website, errors will pop up. And the larger the site, the more likely it is that you missed a mistake or forgot something. For your convenience, here is a fairly detailed checklist:
Collect feedback
You can't improve if you don't know where you made mistakes. Time and experience can teach you this, but others can teach you faster.
When you're trying to become a web designer from scratch and learning on your own, I encourage you to join communities to connect with other designers who can help you and give you professional advice.How to become a web designer - summary
The article was quite long, but it would have been difficult to fit it all into fewer words, so I would like to congratulate everyone who read to the end and sincerely thank you for your patience. If you want to learn more about web design training, or about specific tools and work strategies, write it in the comments, and we will definitely create more useful materials on the topic. Good luck to all!
And if you are ready to test your skills on a live project, and you need good hosting– as a bonus, you can buy hosting for a year from our partner Inmotion for just $1.
Web design is one of the most versatile human endeavors. On the one hand, the rules of the hypertext markup language - HTML - are extremely simple, and anyone can learn their basics in a couple of days. On the other hand, there are a lot of technical subtleties, tricks and pitfalls sufficient to turn good work into useless typing. At the same time, the task is to conveniently and clearly place data on the page - and this is no longer accessible to everyone. Finally, the site must be simply beautiful, that is, the programmer must also become an artist...
You can create a simple web page in five minutes, but it takes years to improve. In addition, the published work is open to everyone - and, unlike other areas of programming, there are almost no "shop secrets" in this one. In such conditions, design tools are important - and you will find them on our DVD.
Web design tools
A common belief among some designers is that “real” web designers work in Notepad. I honestly admit that I don’t understand how the ability to create additional difficulties for oneself is connected with professionalism! I believe that somewhere there are fans of screwing nails with screwdrivers, lovers of riding a bicycle in stilettos, and experts in eating soup with chopsticks, but this text is definitely not for them.
So what does a webmaster's arsenal consist of? Firstly, it is an editor with syntax highlighting and convenient tag entry. There are two types of such editors: graphical (WYSIWYG principle - what you see is what you get) and for direct input of HTML code. Using the former, you can quickly create a web page and easily change it, the latter allow you to write correct and compact code and are not limited in creation tools. As a rule, such programs are capable of independently launching a written page in a browser and uploading it to the network, automatically creating tables and other standard tag structures.
The list of tools does not end there: page compression tools that can remove extra spaces and other unnecessary characters are important for the designer. The page source code becomes less readable, but the size is reduced. Another popular tool is programs for checking the correctness of web pages. Even if a site displays well in browsers, it may not meet the standard - and this often leads to problems in the near future.
Web Designer Tools
Editor's Choice HateML Pro
Version: 1.105
License: freely distributed
Language: English
An excellent editor for a web programmer, supporting HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, VB Script, XML and even SQL. The program offers to make working with the source code of a page or script convenient and for this it offers a whole arsenal of various tools. The “Tag Inspector” is especially good, allowing you to easily change and configure tag attributes. Work with styles is perfectly implemented, allowing you to both create separate files with CSS and embed styles into the page.
The program includes several options appearance, you can also personalize the program to suit your needs. In addition, there are a number of useful little things: color management, Special symbols,removing redundant characters. Unfortunately, the program's additional functions do not always work stably, but this does not create big problems.
Interface: 8
NVU
Version: 1.0
License: freely distributed
Language: Russian
Great program for creating websites, allowing you to simultaneously create a page in graphical mode and change it source. Like Firefox, this program grew out of a Mozilla project and then developed independently.
The program has all the elements necessary for web design: tables, forms and even styles. The program monitors the correctness of the code, while at the same time leaving freedom for creativity.
NVU integrates tools for checking page validity (requires a network connection) and cleaning pages from redundant characters. In addition to them, there are many different little things that make life easier when writing web pages.
Unfortunately, the program's development has stopped, so we can't expect new features.
Interface: 9
Actual Drawing
Version: 6.0
License: introductory
Language: English
This paid program contains a whole range of various tools for web design. As you can easily guess from the name, its basis is a graphical web page editor that allows you to create a page from several graphic objects: images, blocks of text, menu items, tables, forms and the like. Each of the objects has attributes that can be easily and quickly managed.
The kit includes 16 sets of templates, which can be used to build websites with a standard structure (and there are most of them on the Internet). In the unregistered version of the program, some templates are accidentally hidden, and for a full selection you have to call the menu several times in a row.
The program has many small automation solutions built into it: converting images, changing multiple files at once, checking links. It’s nice that working with the program is based on layers: this concept allows you to create complex sites without cluttering objects.
Unfortunately, there is practically no provision for working with the source code of the page - for professional designers this can be a critical drawback. It can also stunt growth for an aspiring web developer.
Not the least contribution to the popularity of the program belongs to the help system, which describes step by step many of the procedures necessary when creating a website. The standard help is supplemented with small “recipes” that describe useful little things.
Interface: 8
Alleycode HTML Editor
Version: 2.2.0
License: freely distributed
Language: English
Alleycode HTML Editor is an example of an HTML editor that focuses on the source code of the page. We are offered to work exclusively with html, and to automate the entry of tags there is a whole set of buttons for automatically entering tags. The developers took into account the need to work not only with basic tags, but also with forms, frames, and tables. PHP is also supported.
It’s worth mentioning separately about working with styles. Alleycode HTML Editor, unlike many other tools, has wizards for working with CSS, templates for creating styles: the developers clearly expect that designers will base their work on styles.
Unfortunately, the lack of various useful little things and the ability to check the code for simple errors is striking.
Interface: 7
Amaya
Version: 9.55
License: freely distributed
Language: English
A comprehensive web page graphic design program with a focus on meeting a variety of standards. Designers will find a wide range of different tags and their attributes useful. Works well with styles and XML. Unfortunately, the program's interface is not very good; the little things that are so important when working with the program on a daily basis are not always thought through.
The second purpose of the program is also interesting: Amaya allows you to easily write down mathematical expressions, and then use them in other programs and upload them to the network.
Interface: 7
Arachnophilia
Version: 5.3
License: freely distributed
Language: English
A simple editor without fundamental differences from many other tools, characterized by stable and reliable operation, as well as full set basic functions: code highlighting, convenient color input (by right button mouse), a set of ready-made tags, a table creation wizard, automatic search and convenient call different browsers. In addition, the program allows you to check HTML for correctness, as well as automatically structure the code for better understanding.
Unfortunately, latest versions programs so far pay little attention to styles, which prevents them from calling “Arachnophilia” universal program for web designers.
Interface: 9
Matrix Y2K Website Studio 2005
Version: 1.7.7
License: freely distributed
Language: English
A full-fledged tool for web design with all the functions typical for this class of programs: preview, a set of tags, convenient entry of elements. At the same time, support for styles is clearly insufficient, in addition, there is a clear lack of special means for automation.
Matrix Y2K will be useful primarily to PHP programmers and, apparently, is intended for them. If you like the program, it makes sense to visit the site: a new version of the “studio” is expected in the near future.
Interface: 7
MAX's HTML Beauty++
Version: 2.0.0.2004
License: freely distributed
Language: English
The development of this program was frozen back in 2003, and this is what causes the most important shortcomings of the program, for example, insufficient support for styles. Nevertheless, one cannot help but note the excellent interface of Beauty++: in appearance it looks like a regular editor, but it allows you to easily and clearly change tags, add attributes and generally change the web page. In addition, the program helps to check the correctness of the code.
Interface: 9
Enersoft SiteGenWiz Platinum
Version: 1.6
License: freely distributed
Language: English
An unusual program designed to create not individual web pages, but entire sites. First, the designer must build the structure of the future site, then choose a design, modify it to his liking and enter site-specific data. Finally, the last stage of work is website generation. Of course individual pages You can improve it after that.
SiteGenWiz cannot be considered a universal website creation tool, and for novice users it can even be harmful: if you use it exclusively, your creativity may simply disappear. However, an experienced web designer will be able to significantly simplify his work, and additional settings will help you create a unique website.
Interface: 8
Virtual Mechanics Site Spinner
Version: 1.6
License: freely distributed
Language: English
The purpose of this program is to help people who are just learning HTML: the program allows you to enter snippets of HTML code and immediately view the result.
Interface: 7
EasyNeatly
Version: 1.0
License: freely distributed
The functions of this program are extremely narrow: it allows you to structure and clean up CSS style files. In fact, the official name of the program is “Neat CSS Cascading Style Sheets.” EasyNeatly doesn't even have a graphical interface; it has to be launched either using the explorer context menu or from command line! However, the program performs a useful and rarely seen function: it either compresses the style file for later transfer to the network, or structures it for easy editing.
Interface: 1
Total Validator
Version: 1.14
License: freely distributed
Language: English
The goal of the program is simple - to compress HTML pages as much as possible before uploading them to the network. Extra spaces, other unnecessary characters, redundant information - the program erases all this, reducing the code size by 5-20%. The program implements simple but necessary little things: a backup copy of modified pages is created, compression and separate files, and entire folders.
Interface: 8
Browsing the web
Firefox
Version: 11.5
License: freely distributed
Language: English
A well-known browser that is not widely used in the CIS countries, but quite popular overseas. Version 11 has a wide range of functions: ad blocking, automatic filling of forms, saving an online profile, reading RSS, and the like. A wide range of functions allows browser developers to hope for the growing popularity of Avant Browser, so a test in this program is necessary for a full-fledged site.
Interface: 7
Netscape Navigator
Version: 9.0 beta
License: freely distributed
Language: English
A living legend of the world of Internet browsing, who once lost the “great battle of browsers” Internet Explorer. Not long ago, the developers announced the return of the famous program, but it was no longer possible to achieve its former popularity. A new version has standard set functions typical of modern browsers.
The developers plan to return the popularity of the program thanks to a new social network: according to their idea, users will be able to advise each other on sites directly through the browser, and with the help of such a “popular vote” it will be possible to determine the best site on the network. However, this idea is a matter for the future.
Interface: 7
Opera
Version: 9.22
License: freely distributed
Language: Russian
Popular web browser, for a long time former absolute leader among paid Internet viewers. Competition from Mozilla has turned Opera into free program, which immediately won sympathy.
Unlike Firefox, which requires the installation of many add-ons, Opera already includes many different functions: mail client, torrent client, download graphics at will, customize appearance, download manager and much more.
Unfortunately, Opera is prone to memory leaks, so it efficient work volume required random access memory no less than a gigabyte.
Interface: 9
Maxthon
Version: 2.0.2
License: freely distributed
Language: English
A popular add-on for Internet Explorer that adds many new features to this browser and improves its interface. Maxthon is almost as functional as Opera and Firefox: it has tabs, graphics loading controls, appearance customization, protection against data loss when frozen, improved work with forms, groups of links and much more. At the same time, the advantages of Internet Explorer are preserved: tight integration with operating system and low demands on resources.
Interface: 9