Learn how to design websites using Adobe's Dreamweaver, an influential tool for web design. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned professional looking to expand your skillset, this guide provides helpful insights to support your learning journey and career growth in the field.
Key Insights
- Dreamweaver is a versatile Adobe software program for designing websites and webpages, integrating seamlessly with other Adobe Creative Cloud applications.
- Skills in Dreamweaver can open doors to various web design careers, including Front End Developers, Back End Developers, UX Designers, Application Designers, Information Architects, and Visual Designers.
- While Dreamweaver has seen a decline in popularity in recent years, it remains a prevalent tool among those within the Adobe ecosystem.
- Understanding HTML and CSS can significantly aid in learning Dreamweaver and leveraging its advanced features.
- Design principles and knowledge of other design programs like Photoshop and Illustrator can further enhance your web design proficiency.
- The salaries for web design roles can vary, but with web design ranking as the 6th best technology job of 2022 according to US News, the field promises rewarding opportunities.
Dreamweaver is an application used to design websites. It is part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud. However, you might worry that Dreamweaver will be too hard to learn. This guide will help you understand the best methods for learning Dreamweaver and what you should study to make the learning process easier. This way, you’ll be successful however you choose to apply your new skills.
What is Dreamweaver?
Dreamweaver is a downloadable Adobe software program used for designing websites and webpages. It works with either Windows or Mac. Using Dreamweaver, designers can create their own websites from scratch or use the provided starter template pages. The program integrates with other Adobe Creative Cloud applications, making importing content from any Adobe app easy.
With Dreamweaver, there are two different ways to design. Users without any knowledge of HTML can use live view, where Dreamweaver generates the required code and displays the content as it will look in a web browser. Users who know HTML can type their code into the program’s code editor. These users will also be able to take advantage of Dreamweaver’s more advanced design options.
This application was created in 1997 and became a popular web design tool. However, in recent years, Dreamweaver has decreased in popularity, with many designers opting for programs such as Visual Studio Code or WordPress instead. It is still used by some Web Designers, though the overall percentage of websites created with Dreamweaver is estimated to be small. Dreamweaver is most popular among people who already have Adobe Creative Cloud or want to stay within the Adobe ecosystem.
Read more about what Dreamweaver is and why you should learn it.
What Can You Do with Dreamweaver?
Web Designers create and maintain websites. In some cases, one person is responsible for an entire website, while in other cases, several team members may work on the job. Knowing how to use Dreamweaver or another web design program can help a designer get started in the field of web design. Web Designers are needed in almost every industry since the majority of businesses and organizations now have websites. US News ranked web design number six in its list of Best Technology Jobs of 2022.
There are many different specialties within the field of web design. Front End Developers specialize in creating the part of the website that users see and interact with, such as the overall layout and individual features like logos or links. Back End Developers work on things that the user does not interact with but are essential to the website's function, like creating and maintaining the database. User experience (UX) design is another job related to web design. A UX Designer ensures that website users have the best experience possible. This includes ensuring that a website is intuitive and easy to use and that the experience is enjoyable for the user.
People with web design knowledge can also work in many other jobs. For example, some Web Designers end up as Application Designers, who develop applications for specific devices such as computers or mobile phones. Information Architects help make information on a website easier to find and understand. Visual Designers are responsible for the aesthetics of a website and work on things such as making sure it engages users. Overall, there are many ways to utilize knowledge of web design.
Is Dreamweaver Easy to Learn?
Dreamweaver is beginner-friendly. For instance, users can create a basic web page using the program’s drag-and-drop features and existing templates. The application’s live view also makes design easier for beginners. With live view, users lay out the features they want, and Dreamweaver generates the required code. Users see the page as it will appear on the finished website rather than in code, making it easy to see what they are doing as they do it.
However, users with no prior knowledge of web design are unlikely to find Dreamweaver easy to learn, and they will not be able to take advantage of the program’s more advanced features. For a more effortless learning experience and to master Dreamweaver, users need to know the basics of web design. Users who don’t have any web design experience can take a class first. There are many different class options to fit different needs and different schedules. For instance, Noble Desktop runs courses in numerous web design skills, including HTML & CSS.
What to Know Before Learning Dreamweaver
Programming Languages
Designers planning to learn Dreamweaver or any other web design program do not need to know HTML, CSS, or other programming languages. However, this knowledge can be beneficial. Many people report that the Dreamweaver learning curve is steep for those without HTML and CSS coding experience. In addition, designers who use Dreamweaver without prior programming experience may need help troubleshooting problems they encounter as they build their websites.
Design Principles
Whether through Dreamweaver or another program, a big part of web design is creating visual elements. This means that Web Designers should have an understanding of fundamental design principles. That knowledge will help them understand how different elements affect the viewer and how to manipulate these design elements. Such knowledge will allow designers to create more effective designs.
Design Programs
In addition to a web design program like Dreamweaver, Web Designers often benefit from knowing how to use design programs. Programs like Photoshop and Illustrator can be essential tools for Designers because they are often used to create the visual elements used on a website. Since Dreamweaver is an Adobe application, Adobe design programs may be a good choice since all Adobe applications integrate easily.
Learn Dreamweaver with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop
Noble Desktop teaches hands-on web design courses in a variety of formats, with something to fit every type of schedule and learning style. Every class is small and led by expert instructors. Noble also offers a free retake for all of its courses. With the free retake, students can retake a course once within a year without paying for it again. This can be an excellent way to gain additional web design skills.
One popular type of class at Noble Desktop is a web design bootcamp. Bootcamps are intensive programs that teach skills quickly and focus on preparing graduates to use those skills in the workplace. In 2020, tech company HackerRank surveyed 116,000 developers from 162 countries about coding bootcamps and found that about a third of hiring managers hired developers who gained their skills from a bootcamp. Noble Desktop teaches many bootcamps related to web design, including Visual Design Portfolio Bootcamp.
Students looking for a more in-depth web design course can enroll in Noble’s Web Design Certificate. This comprehensive program takes six weeks full-time or five months part-time and teaches students to build websites using WordPress. Students in the certificate program will also learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript coding languages and Figma for webpage layouts.
Key Insights
If you want to design websites or webpages, you can learn to do so with Adobe Dreamweaver. However, you should consider a few things before learning this application.
- Dreamweaver knowledge supports a variety of different web design careers.
- While Dreamweaver is beginner-friendly, it is not an easy program to master.
- It will be easier to learn Dreamweaver if you know HTML and CSS.
- Knowledge of design principles and design programs can also be helpful if you want to work in web design.