For a long time Dreamweaver has been one of the most widely renoun development tools for web designers and developers alike. Aside from possibly notepad it is possible the most popular tool for creating dynamic web pages. It allows users to develop both their sites design and function with an intuitive and well laid out environment. However, Dreamweaver has always been an evolving platform and the newest version CS4 promises the best setup to date. But what aspects of CS4 make it a step up from CS3?
Workspace and User Interface
When Dreamweaver CS3 was released it introduced a system of optional layouts based on the user's preference. On starting the program you would be offered variations of Dreamweaver's layout based on what kind of designer or developer you were. This feature proved very useful as it offered users an intuitive approach that could be tailored for them. In CS4's design the obvious merits of this feature where picked up on and expanded. CS4 offers 8 variations of its layout meaning it can be even more specifically tuned to the user, whether they are a coder, developer or designer. Furthermore, you can optimise each version to make them fit your needs even more specifically. They have also finally got the whole setup running on Macs as well as PC's.
Live View
Possibly the most important new feature in CS4, live view finally offers the ability to test run live versions of your page without having to load them to the server. CS$ has the built in technology to allow it to actively run dynamic and interactive elements on your page such as flash and JavaScript. Furthermore it can load data sources to use in conjunction with scripting such as PHP. This new feature is a major one that users have been awaiting for a long time and makes Dreamweaver a far more useful and powerful tool.
Improved CSS
This improved support allows far greater evaluation of your CSS style and division properties and how they are interacting with your web pages. Website designers can analyse specific section of their WebPages and see instantly what parts of their CSS are affecting it. Many SEO companies are already applying this application for their web development team.
Photoshop Smart Objects
Finally, importing Photoshop images into Dreamweaver has been made a far easier process. Photoshop images dragged into Dreamweaver now create a 'smart object' which is saved in the size and quality to which you set the image in Dreamweaver.
Sam Qam has worked with a variety of SEO companies and website designers in his time, and has often used Dreamweaver as a development tool.
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