What is Dreamweaver?

Dreamweaver is an Adobe application, just like Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and Flash. Dreamweaver is used to build websites with dynamic content and to maintain existing websites. It is also used to create and maintain online portfolio's and intranet websites.

The application was developed by Macromedia, the company that also developed Flash and Firewors: a complete package for webdesigners that allowed them to build websites (Dreamweaver), interactive animations (Flash) and to edit and create graphics for the web (Fireworks). The professionality of the application was clear from the beginning: web designers increasingly started using Dreamweaver. Since Adobe's own GoLive was not a success Adobe decided to overtake Macromedia. This was done in 2005. Dreamweaver was part of the Adobe suites since version CS3. And of course, Flash and Fireworks also became Adobe applications.

Dreamweaver allows you to see both design and code which means you can keep an eye on the changes you apply in real time. The application creates clean HTML code. In short: Dreamweaver is used to create and maintain web pages and complete websites and web-based systems. Simple or complex websites turn out to be easy to create in Dreamweaver and integration with other CMS systems is possible.

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When do I need Dreamweaver?

You need Dreamweaver if you want to craete and maintain websites. Of course there are other tools on the market but Dreamweaver has been a proven tool for professionals for years, allowing for great flexibility and options. Powerful integration of extra tools, a user friendly interface and the implementation of the latest guidelines and regulations of the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) make the program an attractive and safe one to work with.

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Aren't Content Management Systems (CMS) as Joomla better?

This type of system is very different. If you want to build a website from scratch, matching your own design, you will have to jump through quite a few hoops to make these systems comply to your needs. Dreamweaver allows you to start with your own design and build it without any restrictions whatsoever. This results in the website you want, making no concessions to a strict template.

Of course there are ways to trick and tweak the templates in such CMS but it will save you time to use Dreamweaver.

The code behind all CMS is HTML. If something goes wrong you will have to know what to do. Knowing and implementing HTML code is a crucial element of any web designer's work.

Since you are completely free in Dreamweaver this means you have to start from scratch or use existing templates. During the Dreamweaver Course you learn how to do it all yourself. The Dreamweaver Advanced Course still does not use existing templates: you will instead learn how to build your own.

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How can I become a good webdesigner?

Of course this is a process that will take time. A good designer will have to use the proper techniques, keep an eye on developments and learn all about good website design and layout. This process takes time. On the whole you will need to read all about Internet developments, code and design. Keep an eye on the browser developments and HTML and CSS development. And learn how to use graphics software such as Photoshop and Illustrator to help you create good layouts and graphics for the web.

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What skills and programs do I need to become a web designer?

That is a good question. In practice you will not only need Dreamweaver. You will often be expected to work with graphics and to be able to edit them. Or you will be asked to create an animation, even an interactive one. To design a website you will not use Dreamweaver but you will need an application in which you can move the elements and objects around until they form a good layout.

In short: you will most often need the following applications:

Adobe Illustrator to design the website. In Illustrator you can easily move the objects around and change colours, sizes and shapes quickly. Ideal!

Adobe Photoshop to edit photographic material. Don't forget cropping and resizing is something you will need to do often, and that is only the most simple thing you will learn during our Photoshop Course.

Adobe Flash to create interactive animations.

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I know Flash, what's the difference with Dreamweaver?

Flash is an application that allows you to create animations. And these animations are most commonly used on web pages.

Even though Flash gives you the possibility to create one big animation that looks like a website there are drawbacks. Flash is only available for visitors that have the Flash plug-in. And I think you may have heard all about the problems with Apple refusing to allow Flash on it's iPhones. If you build your website in only Flash, no one can see it on it's iPhone. That would be too bad. If you want to use Flash to build a website animation please create a non-Flash version of the website using Dreamweaver or any other CMS.

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Will I learn HTML during the Dreamweaver Course?

You most definitely will. You have to know this code. So it is part of the course. You will start from scratch to know the code by heart and later on you will recognize this powerful yet easy to learn code in all the CMS you use and in every web editor, giving you the power to change things and tweak settings of pages as you see fit.

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Is HTML code difficult?

No, HTML is not difficult at all. You can think of it as a new, simple language. A language in which you explain to the browser that an image is coming up, or a paragraph. You will see that it's much simpler than you think, and fun to learn.

Have a look at this basic code for example, it's the code for an HTML page.

<html>
<head>
<title>Type a title for your page here</title>
</head>
<body>
Type some text here, this will be visible on your web page.
</body>
</html>

You can use the above code and more to write fully functional web pages. Of course they would be a bit bland and dull, you need images and more text, even interactive elements. All this will be addressed during the Dreamweaver Course.

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Why should I learn HTML code?

You will have to know HTML for many reasons.

For one, you need it to tweak Dreamweaver settings and options and to correct things that go wrong. Suppose you want to make a few words red and a whole line becomes red. You have no idea what goes wrong and Dreamweaver doesn't help. You will have to look at the code to find out why this happens, realise that it's actually correct and then tweak the code to get what you want: the right way.

Furthermore, you will be asked to maintain websites or to optimize them: SEO. Knowledge of HTML is essential to get what you want from the search results.

If you use Content Management Systems you will often not see the code and not be able to change results. But if you know code, you can tweak the files anyway and apply settings that are beyond the possibilities of the CMS you're using.

It's really quite simple, give us a call for more information.

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I have an older Dreamweaver version. Does this create different code?

Adobe listens carefully to the guidelines of the developers of HTML and CSS during the development of the software. These guidelines have to be implemented to make sure you create proper code.

So yes, older Dreamweaver versions can create different code. It is possible to generate code that newer browsers don't have to respect anymore. A good example is the 'font' tag, this has been outlawed for a few years and even though browsers will respect older code for a few years chances are that in a few years, not a single browser will respect formatting with the font tag. Which is a good thing.

So things to be aware of are places where they offer courses for older versions of Dreamweaver, such as 'Dreamweaver MX'. This is a version from 2002 that has no clue about the developments in 2010, the time of HTML5 and CSS3.

You can however still use older Dreamweaver versions for, for instance, SEO. Some interface options are less intuitive but it's very doable to use it.

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I know FrontPage, is Dreamweaver really better?

Now let's be honest: FrontPage is not a very good application. It generates more code than you want and is often nog very user friendly and inpredictable or difficult to tame. If you know all the ins and outs of this Microsoft application though chances are you will not want to switch to Dreamweaver. But just give it a try. You will probably find it very intuitive to work with and will soon discover all sorts of advantages. We strongly recommend it. But don't take our word for it, simply try it out. you could download the trial and come in for the Dreamweaver Course. You wouldn't be the first student to welcome the change.

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Which Dreamweaver Course should I attend?

Which course should be attended depends on what you want to learn and of your level of expertise. If, for instance, you only want to learn how to maintain websites the Dreamweaver Course should be enough. If you want to professionally create websites however, you will need the Dreamweaver Course Advanced as well. And if you want to do it all and even be able to edit the graphics clients send to you so they can be used on websites, you will most defininitely need the Webdesigner Master Education.

All courses can be conducted in either English or Dutch.
Call us for advice or more information : 020 6820080.

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What will I learn during the Dreamweaver Course?

This course consists of 8 lessons. During the three first lessons you will learn how to write HTML code. This is necessary to be able to tweak the code that is generated by CMS such as Dreamweaver.
Furthermore you will learn CSS code, you will use Cascading Style Sheets and add interactive elements, forms, frames and much more. At the end of the course you will learn how to upload a website and see what it looks like on the Internet.

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What will I learn during the Dreamweaver Advanced Course?

This Dreamweaver Course will allow you to use the powerful options for website management in Dreamweaver. You will also learn CSS on a deep level and learn all about positioning elements in a special way. You will create and manage templates and implement javascripts, special content and all sorts of dynamic elements that make your websites come to life.

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What will I learn during the Webdesigner Master Education?

During this 35 weeks long education you will be educated to become an allround wedesigner and webmaster.

You will learn how to write HTML code, of course. This is crucial for the progress in the world of webdesign. CSS is needed as well and of course, you will use Dreamweaver.

During this extensive education you will also understand what SEO does and what it can do to improve your website's ranking.

Since a web designer is often expected to also be able to edit graphics for use on the website a Photoshop module is part of this Webdesigner Master Education. We shall teach you many techniques do work on photographic material and to edit and manipulate images to suit your needs.

Flash is rather important too. So during the Webdesigner Master Education you will also learn how to create interactive animations.

We shall conclude this education with a special Photoshop for the Web lesson that will teach you how to create and edit graphics for the web and multimedia.

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What will I learn during the HTML course?

During this course you will learn all about HTML. You will start with the basics and move on, you will learn what attributes and tags are and how to manage and edit them. This will teach you the proper syntax of this beautiful code.

The basis of every web page is HTML. You will really have to understand this code well to tweak any web page. Web editors, and Dreamweaver is no exception, will occasionally act up. If an element is moved and you don't know how to move it back you really should invest more in HTML knowledge to get things right again.

A big portion of this HTML course is also part of the Dreamweaver Course.

What will I learn during the SEO course?

SEO: Search Engine Optimization. During this course you will learn all about the allowed techniques and how you can implement these in your websites. During this course we shall focus on the biggest search engine at the moment: Google. Since most search engines have similar guidelines though you will greatly benefit from this course. If you score well in Google other search engines usually quickly pick this up.

We shall also teach you a lot about the nonsense that clouds the world of SEO. You will be informed on malpractices and bogus claims from companies that profile themselves as SEO gurus.

After this course you will know how to let your website end up higher in the search results. And who knows, you may even end up number 1.

This course is also integrated into the Web Designer Master Education.

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What will I learn during the CSS course?

If you have not attended our Dreamweaver Course chances are you never really learned how powerful CSS is. Since CSS has been the norm for styling and laying out webpages for years now it is very important you understand the technique.

The CSS course is available for students who have the necessary Dreamweaver skills to keep up. During the CSS course you will not only learn how to create and apply styles but you will also learn how to structurize and maintain your style files.

You will learn how to use the different types of styles, classes and 'ID's that are an integral part of your web pages. They will help you create consistent layouts. CSS also gives you the powerful option to manipulate a website with only one external document. You will learn all that during this course.

Contact us to find out if you have enough skills to be able to attend this course: 020 6820080.

Elements of this course are part of the Dreamweaver Course and the Dreamweaver Course Advanced. And it goes without saying that they are part of the Webdesigner Master Education.

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