Too many tools for a newbie

choose tool combo

[Plastic]

Hi, I am new to web design and found that there is a big bounch of apps to choose from when getting into work.

Let's take it like a poll,

"What combination do you use/recommend of this programms (or others):
- Adobe photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe ImageReady
- Adobe goLive
- Macromedia Dreamweaver
- Macromedia fireworks
- Macromedia freehand"

Thanks a lot.

[DaveAtIFG]

Welcome to WebmasterWorld, Plastic! :)

I'm familiar with most of these tools but your question is difficult to answer because each tool does some jobs that others don't and there is a good deal of "overlap" among them.

As a webmaster, I spend most of my time massaging HTML and prefer Dreamweaver. Image preparation is probably the next most common task. For "quick and dirty" touch ups, Paint Shop Pro is handy, and Adobe Photoshop is for more "serious work." There's a steep learning curve with Photoshop, so if Photoshop Elements is available to you, it might be wise to start with that.

[Vermont]

If your new, the very very very first thing I might do is to learn HTML inside and out. Not HTML via a point and click editor like FrontPage or DreamWeaver, but HTML coded by hand in notepad or homesite or htmlkit.

Learn to do valid HTML markup in your sleep. Then concentrate on mastering Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) the same way.

Once you truely master these skills, you will find two things:
1) you can do just about any website layout you envision.
2) you won't even need a wysiwyg editor - they only slow you up and make for terrible code.

I have both PaintShop Pro and PhotoShop. Paintshop pro is a great program, is less than $100 and will do 99.98% of anything you may need. In some ways it is better than the expensive PhotoShop.

[claus]

These are purely illustration/graphics packages, so it's not really about coding. Anyway, of those mentioned i use Photoshop mostly but i find that this tool alone can do far too many things.

I often start up ImageReady in stead, as it has the most relevant Photoshop-tools and they are better arranged as well, imho.

Photoshop/imageready are great for photos and image manipulation, but for illustrations made from scratch i don't think they're good at all. I used a program called Corel Draw about ten years ago, it was great for creating stuff (as opposed to manipulating stuff) i wonder if it's still around..

/claus

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BTW: Welcome to WebmasterWorld Plastic :)

[TheWhippinpost]

From the choice given, Macromedia DW & FW

[Vermont]

Dreamweaver and Adobe goLive are purely illustration/graphics packages?

Hmmm, must have been using a different version...

For a newbie, I might recommend:
Homesite or HTMLkit
PaintShop Pro

[Plastic]

Well first I 'd like to thank you all, not only for the "tech" replies but also for the warm welcome. It's a wonderful comunity you have here, congrats!

Your advice has been useful, I'm now going straight to work!

pd: I'm a "computing engineer" (don't know if it is called that way), so I'm familiar with the "code" stuff, I think I'll get HTML and PHP fast, so .. see you around and I'm open to any kind of question you might have!

I'll tell you a little more .. (sorry for anyone disturbed by this comments.. ).. You might be wondering ... "why a computin engeneer learning web design from zero and not working at a software design firm?" .... Well I live in a third world country (Uruguay, south america) where a computing engeneer earns u$ 1000 at most .... I think the web can be much more productive and I also found out I realy like this stuff! ....

well .. I'm already introduced! thank you all aganin!, and sorry for any mistake in my english!

[claus]

>> graphics packages?

Sorry about that Vermont, it was not intended as an insult, somehow i just didn't notice, my mistake.

/claus