What Software Will You Need?

Web Design Software

A Web page is designed using a coding language called HTML (Hypertext Mark-up Language, see Understanding Technospeak), but you don't need to learn HTML to design a Web page. Your chosen host may offer a template service to help you create your site. Otherwise there is plenty of Web design software available, ranging in price from free to hundreds of pounds.

Macromedia Dreamweaver

This professional-level package is one of the leaders in the field, and is the preferred package of many professional Web designers. For the amateur, it can take some time to learn.

Adobe GoLive

Another professional-level package from a well-known design software company. Also may be oversophisticated for the amateur.

Microsoft FrontPage

Easy to learn and has a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. It is included in some versions of Microsoft Office. FrontPage Express - a cut-down version with fewer features - is available free when you install Microsoft Internet Explorer. They are user-friendly, good value for money, and come with ready-made templates and design styles. But there are some drawbacks: to use some of the features you can only host your Web site on a server with FrontPage Extensions installed. Also, FrontPage uses some features that are only supported by the Microsoft browser - Internet Explorer.

Image-Manipulation Software

You need to have some software to get the pictures and graphics the way you want them and suitable for your Web site. As well as drawing and painting, your image software should allow you to scan in images; import pictures from your digital camera (if you have one); resize and crop; adjust brightness, colour, and so on; and save your work in a variety of formats (including GIF and JPG - the ones used in Web design). It will take time to learn how to use this software successfully, but it is an essential investment if you are serious about having a good-looking Web site.

At the time of writing the most popular packages are Adobe Photoshop, which is very comprehensive but quite expensive, and JASC Paint Shop Pro, which is comparable but costs considerably less.

Software for Loading the Site

Having created your Web site, you have to load it on to your Web space so the world can see the result of your efforts. To do this you use a type of software called an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program, unless you are using a Web design package that uploads your files for you. There are several shareware versions available, and some free of charge, on the Internet. Names to look out for include WS_FTP, CuteFTP, and CoffeeCup.