Killer Web design apps

Adobe is in the process of swallowing Macromedia, but both companies rolled out impressive digital design packages separately this year. Macromedia Studio 8 includes the Web site maker Dreamweaver 8, and the comparable GoLive CS2 comes with the Adobe Creative Suite 2.

These WYSIWYG Web site-editing apps allow you to design sophisticated pages without cobbling together code from scratch. Die-hard coders snub both Dreamweaver and GoLive because they can create "messy" code, but many creative types prefer these drag-and-drop tools to laborious typing.

Some design shops find that they may need elements of both company's rival suites. Only Macromedia offers Flash 8, a dazzling animation creator in a class of its own. And only Adobe provides the comprehensive Photoshop CS2 pixel image editor and the Illustrator CS2 vector graphics tool.

Both Dreamweaver and GoLive are very good, though Dreamweaver's higher score reflects some extra features, such as the ability to drag-and-drop XML feeds--a treat for blog designers. Dreamweaver may be the plum pick if you integrate plenty of multimedia content, such as Flash animation and Fireworks rollovers, into your Web pages. Support for databases involving PHP and ColdFusion is arguably better in Dreamweaver. And if you buy the Studio 8 suite, its Contribute 3 tool makes it easy for multiple people to edit Web site content.

But given GoLive's integration with Photoshop and Illustrator, GoLive may be a wiser choice for shops that need to copy their Web designs to print and vice versa. After all, the Adobe suite includes InDesign and Acrobat 7. Design hobbyists who enjoy Photoshop and don't need to integrate animation or database-driven content may also prefer GoLive. Still, we suggest that both tools are strong enough that you shouldn't convert to its competitor if you're already loyal to one of them.

Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 Adobe GoLive CS2

Macromedia Studio 8 Adobe Creative Suite 2

More resources:

Macromedia Flash 8 Macromedia Fireworks 8 Adobe Photoshop CS2 Adobe Illustrator CS2

Adobe InDesign CS2 Adobe Acrobat 7 Two imaging suites: Adobe vs. Corel Forget Photoshop: pay less for touch-ups