There are many recommendations in web development about what applications you need. Some of these website software are nice to have but most of them are not necessary.

There is a lot of talk about what web page design software is the best. I will admit that having the proper software or "tool" does make a life easier. It doesn’t change from having a bad site to a good site. It doesn't even split the different between a good developer or a bad developer.

What makes the difference is the person sitting behind the computer.

Commercial Software

There is a lof of choices on the market today. Most likely you have heard of the Adobe. Adobe has all the software you would ever need for any type of multimedia project. Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Dreamweaver, and Adobe Illustrator are probably the most used development software.

As these applications are the best of the business and I would recommend them all. With that being said there is a price that comes with them for being the industry leaders. Adobe offers them each of them for a monthly price of around thirty dollars. With a package monthly price of around seventy dollars per month.

Adobe Photoshop For Image Editing

Adobe Photoshop is a imaged editing based software. You can edit, create, or manipulate different graphics.

One of the best tools in Photoshop is the image optimization which compresses your images. Resulting in a smaller file size, which equals quicker loading time for your site.

Photoshop can be intimidating for your first timer but becomes easier each time you use it.

Adobe Dreamweaver For Web Coding

Adobe Dreamweaver is a coding/designing software. It is used as a coding software, which will color your text to the different tags and attributes of your code.

Or it is used as a web design tool. Where you can drop images or create text and it will do the coding for you.

If you use the design feature I would recommend learning some code. Dreamweaver will write the code for you but usually uses unnecessary coding techniques.

Adobe Illustrator for Vector Images

Adobe Illustrator is a graphic software that is used for vector based images. Mostly used to do freehand drawing techniques. This could be simple shapes, logos, or usability icons.

Keeping certain web design elements in vector based format gives you options for resizing. A vector based image can be size without losing much quality.

Open Source Software

A second option you can use if you can't afford the Adobe software is to use open source applications. Open source applications are completely free for use.

Advantages

• Free To Use
• Large Communities
• Shared Improvements

Disadvantages

• No Support
• Inconsistent Updates
• Lack Of Usability

Similar Adobe Like Applications

There are open source applications that have similar features to the commercial software.

For graphic design there is Gimp. Gimp is a Photoshop clone with almost the same features and interface.

For a coding application, Notepad++ is similar to the coding side of Dreamweaver. It will color coordinate your different attributes and tags.

For those who are looking for an Illustrator program, you can check out Inkscape. This is a full vector based graphic editor. It has flexible drawing tools, text tools, and supports a vast array of file types.

For FTP server protocol there is WinSCP. WinSCP is very good and stable for connecting to FTP and SFTP servers. Which allows you to download and upload files between a computer and a web hosting server.

Recommendation Of Applications

These are some recommendation of commercial and open source applications. These applications are great to use and will be great tools for your next development project. All of these applications have free trial versions that you can use before you buy.

Software are tools for great developers.

Either way, just remember that the applications are only tools. They do not increase your talent. As a developer, you have to learn your own style and techniques. These applications will only help you get there.