Web Page Design - FREE Tools Available

This is an article on Web Page Design for beginners and I will be discussing FREE tools available for Web Page Design.

Graphics Editor - Another tool that you will need is a Graphics Editor (i.e., Photoshop) to create graphic headers, banners, etc. If you don't already have a graphics editor tool, Paint.NET is a FREE graphics editor and can be downloaded at no cost. Paint.NET is an open-source freeware editor with all the essentials, including tools to crop, rotate, and resize images, adjust colors, and create collages. It supports common image formats - JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, and others. Tutorials are available online for Paint.NET; just Google "Paint.net tutorials" and locate several tutorials if you need help. Google "Paint.net" to locate the software and download.

Another FREE open-source graphics tool is GIMP (short for the GNU Image Manipulation Program), a very capable graphics software package that is favorably compared to what Photoshop can do (even most PS tutorials are useful for GIMP users). GIMP will run on many platforms, including but not limited to Microsoft Corporation's Windows platform, Apple's Mac OS X, and Linux. In addition to detailed image retouching and free-form drawing, GIMP can accomplish essential image editing tasks such as resizing, editing, and cropping photos, combining multiple images, and converting between different image formats. GIMP has a main window and several dialogue windows used for tools, color palettes and so forth; as such GIMP uses a single document interface. In a single document interface, the responsibility of managing additional windows is left to the operating system. Tutorials are available online for GIMP; just Google "GIMP tutorials" and locate several tutorials if you need help. You can Google "GIMP" to locate a free download.

HTML Editor - Before you start the web page design, you will need to have a HTML Editor. Although there are several editors for purchase on the market, in keeping with a low budget project, you can download KompoZer, billed as a complete web authoring system. It combines an easy to use editor with a simple file management system. It's intended to allow novices to create their pages quickly and easily, without learning HTML coding. KompoZer is an open-source project, so the software is free for users. KompoZer has a good user interface and HELP options if you need help in a specific area. You can Google "Kompozer" to locate a free download.

In summary, you can use these three FREE tools for your own web page design projects which can save you money while you create and have total control over your own web pages.