- Finding the Dreamweaver Course of Your Dreams
- Top 10 Best Adobe Dreamweaver Online Courses 2024
- 1. Dreamweaver CC Essential Training
- 2. Dreamweaver – Coding Your First Website Using Dreamweaver
- 3. Adobe Dreamweaver CC: Build Responsive Websites Without Code
- 4. Designing Websites From Photoshop to Dreamweaver
- 5. Make Your First Website From Scratch – Adobe Dreamweaver CC
- 6. Designing a First Website With Dreamweaver CC
- 7. Learn Adobe Dreamweaver CS6 – For Absolute Beginners
- 8. Bootstrap 3 Responsive Design in Adobe Dreamweaver CC 2017
- 9. Beginners Adobe Dreamweaver Tutorial
- 10. Dreamweaver Essentials
- Dreamweaver Frequently Asked Questions
- A Student’s Guide to Dreamweaver in 2024
- Weaving Your Dreams
As soon as people were able to access the internet from their home computers, they have wanted to be able to create their own professional websites. However, learning a programming language is complex. Dreamweaver is a piece of software created for designers and the artist to bring their website ideas to life without having to learn all the complex programming behind the scenes.
Finding the Dreamweaver Course of Your Dreams
Learning Dreamweaver can be complicated on its own, and a poor teacher is likely to confuse more than they help. With Dreamweaver having been around since 1997, it is important to understand just how versions may differ and what other software might be discussed in a course.
Our guide will help you find the best online class in Dreamweaver today, and all you need to do is make a few quick decisions beforehand.
Courses Can Be Designed for Different Skillsets
Dreamweaver is a powerful piece of software, allowing you to code parts of your website using programming languages like JavaScript, HMTL, and CSS. However, Dreamweaver is designed so that you don’t need to learn to be a programmer to create a beautiful and responsive website that does everything you want it to.
Courses in Dreamweaver often focus on a particular type of website and teach skills that suit the level of users. Some expect you to learn a little coding, while others help you avoid it. Likewise, some may cover how you can use other Adobe products, like Photoshop, to improve your website.
Some Courses Cover More Than Just Dreamweaver
Some Dreamweaver courses offer extra lessons in things like social media integration, hosting websites, and using photoshop to design websites before using Dreamweaver. While some courses put a heavy emphasis on design, others are more focused on programming and development
An Online Course Is Only As Good As the Teacher
While you rarely come across courses in which the teacher doesn’t know what they are talking about, the best courses are those in which the teacher can simply explain the concepts we need to learn.
A course in which the teacher simply reads from a manual or PowerPoint slide can be good for those determined to learn, but charismatic, engaging teachers can often help us focus more on what we are learning.
The Version of Dreamweaver Is Important
The most current version of Adobe Dreamweaver is Version 21.2, also known as CC 2021. While new updates occur every year, the Dreamweaver program has fortunately changed very little since version 2015.
People using Dreamweaver CS6 (or “Adobe CreativeSuite”) may find that many functions and buttons are different. However, with some patients and a little searching, they may find courses that use CS6 just as useful as those that use more recent versions.
Functional versions of the program go back as far as CS3 and CS4. These programs are often far less expensive, and with well-written courses around to help you learn, they should not be ignored as an option for the budget-conscious.
Dreamweaver on a Budget
Adobe Dreamweaver is an expensive product, these days sold on a subscription basis. Fortunately, it comes with a free trial so you can find out if it is the right product for you. Earlier versions of Dreamweaver can sometimes be difficult to buy, but you own them for life without a subscription necessary.
Because of the price of Adobe products, you may not be willing to spend even more to learn how to use them. On the other hand, if you want to learn some of the more complicated aspects of a program, you may want to pay more to ensure you get the best teaching experience you can. Know what your budget is before looking for a course.
If you want to learn a bit more about Dreamweaver and web development before getting started, check out our full guide below. But if you’re ready to jump in, we have chosen the best courses out there that include a range of budgets, skill requirements, and teaching styles.
Top 10 Best Adobe Dreamweaver Online Courses 2024
1. Dreamweaver CC Essential Training
- 6+ hrs. Free (with one month trial)
- Course Highlights
- Taught By: David Powers
- Suitable For: Beginning and intermediate Students on a budget
- Extra Material: Exercise files
Why we like it
Over seventy lessons from a BBC Journalist and Cambridge graduate in web development, this course is the most comprehensive out there.
The Content
Broken up over seventy-plus lessons, this course takes you through how to create a simple website with images, videos, and tables, using the latest version of Dreamweaver.
Unlike many courses, this one covers topics like importing from Word, detecting errors, and adding media queries. While these topics may be beyond beginners at first, they are a great addition for users wanting that extra stuff. If you feel like these are not topics useful right now, skipping over these videos doesn’t make life harder later on.
There are no quizzes or certification of completion, but with exercise files and a written transcript available online for every video, we don’t mind.
The Teachers
David Powers is frankly overqualified to be providing free courses online. With an MA from Cambridge and experience as an author, BBC journalist, and lecturer in web development, he’s a true expert.
Powers is a brilliant teacher. Calm and assured, he gives us a sense of confidence in what we are doing. He is never patronizing when explaining what must be skills he can use in his sleep. His experience as both a teacher and creator of training videos comes across in high-quality presentation, and how well he lectures with visuals Powers offers more than simply a narration of the steps taken.
Our Review
While this course is great for beginners, we think it shines in offering those extra skills to people who may have created a simple one-page web page before but want to do something more spectacular. The coverage of CSS, internal linking, and media queries is wonderful.
It could be a better course if there was a chance to internally assess our work, or get to ask questions of Powers, but when you consider that we get all this information, which is otherwise taught in very expensive university lectures, we can’t complain too much.
For expert teaching that leads to making dynamic web pages with basic extra functions, it is worth getting a free trial and checking out “Dreamweaver CC Essential Training.”
Pros
- Highly qualified expert as a teacher
- A large amount of teaching material is also included as transcripts
- Offers the next level of information for intermediate students
- Available as a free trial
Cons
- No teacher-student interaction
- No self-assessment quizzes
2. Dreamweaver – Coding Your First Website Using Dreamweaver
- 3+ hrs $94.99
- Course Highlights
- Taught By: Daniel Walter Scott
- Suitable For: Website designers who want to move into website development
- Extra Material: Nearly a dozen downloadable resources, certificate of completion
Why we like it
A constantly updated course teaches designers how to take those next steps using the latest Dreamweaver version.
The Content
This course has been updated over the years to ensure it is using the more recent versions of Adobe Dreamweaver. Assuming that the student has some rudimentary design knowledge and skills, it teaches how to turn designs you want into websites that work on both desktop and mobile.
Quite helpful, this course includes exercise files as well as examples of what the website files should contain at the end of each unit. This is a great way to self-assess, as well as break down things you may be struggling with.
The Teachers
Originally a media designer himself, Daniel Scott has been teaching students how to move into web development and programming for well over a decade. Having worked around the world, he is certified in teaching Adobe Products in multiple countries.
Daniel also teaches courses in the other available software that is a part of the Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop, After Effects, and InDesign. Coming from a User Interface background, Scott’s focus is on using programming skills to ensure the design you envision comes to computer monitors and phone screens exactly how you hope.
Our Review
You may at first worry about how little video content is offered for the price tag, but there is little in these videos that could be called “filler”. Instead, the short lessons clearly show how to turn the design into reality.
We appreciate the extra resources available to download in this course, as well as the inclusion of a “cheat sheet” for later reference. The final lecture on how you can use these skills professionally is also a nice touch.
While expensive, this up-to-date course and included resources are some of the best you will find. That said, if you’re not quite sure if Dreamweaver is right for you, you may want to try a free taster course first.
Pros
- Uses the most up-to-date version of Dreamweaver
- Videos are packed full of information
- Extra resources including a “cheat sheet” that is easy to reference
- Additional lecture on turning the skills learned into career advancement
Cons
- One of the more expensive courses available
- Maybe a little difficult for those without design backgrounds
3. Adobe Dreamweaver CC: Build Responsive Websites Without Code
- 6+ hrs $14.99
- Course Highlights
- Taught By: Fatah Gabrial
- Suitable For: People who know a little HTML
- Extra Material: Quizzes and exercise files, certificate of completion
Why we like it
Broken up over many small lectures, Fatah Gabriel walks you step-by-step from a blank page to a full website.
The Content
With more than seventy-five short videos, this course covers everything. By that, we mean the first six videos will move you from installing Dreamweaver to making your first website. By the last videos, you will have made multiple websites that suit any screen size, using Dreamweaver and its advanced “Bootstrap” feature.
Between these moments, the course holds your hand through every step you need to learn, helping you cement your knowledge with examples and quizzes. It also covers the different types of websites you might enjoy building, with two sections devoted to creating Employee Management Systems and Blogging Websites.
The Teachers
Fatah Gabriel runs ZINFOMATIC, a training institute for graphic design, web development, and search engine optimization. Gabriel has a welcoming teaching style for those who feel little confidence in their ability to use Dreamweaver for the first time. He never hurries and explains each step with simple language and a confident voice.
Our Review
There’s a lot of things going right for this course. Inexpensive and great value for money, it leads us through two separate examples of websites we can create using the latest Dreamweaver software. The lessons are structured to help you easily review specific tasks and elements, while the larger flow of the course takes you from beginner to expert.
The title is, however, a little misleading. While the course is about creating a website without code, those who have never seen HTML before may find some of the early lessons quite challenging. This course is about avoiding code, but knowing a little will help.
For the person who has made a simple website, and wants to make something impressive, this is a great course to get you started. If you’re a total beginner, though, you’ll need to start with a more basic course.
Pros
- Over seventy-five individual lectures covering the full range of topics
- Offers two separate examples of websites to develop
- Packed with extra resources
- Includes quizzes for assessment
Cons
- Requires some HTML knowledge, contrary to advertising
- Opening lessons may be seen as “too simple” for intermediate students
4. Designing Websites From Photoshop to Dreamweaver
- 2+ hrs. Free (with one month trial) or buy for $59.99
- Course Highlights
- Taught By: Sue Jenkins
- Suitable For: People already familiar with Photoshop, who want to take advantage
- Extra Material: Transcripts, exercise files, certificate of completion
Why we like it
For those already familiar with photoshop, this course can fast-track your path to creating websites.
The Content
This course involves using two separate pieces of software from the CC suite - Dreamweaver and Photoshop. Great for those who are illustrators and wanting to move to web design, the content moves between the two programs as it shows how Photoshop can improve web graphics, and Dreamweaver can create a responsive website based on previously illustrated designs.
Like some of the other courses here, Bootstrap is covered to some degree, as is style sheets. Unlike many other courses, there are some added lessons on designing websites for accessibility and validating code.
The course includes online, self-marking quizzes to ensure understanding, and a final assignment to make you confident of the skills learned.
The Teachers
Sue Jenkins is an Associate Professor of Art at Marywood University, teaching courses on User Interface Design and Animation. In her spare time, she runs a web design company and writes for the “For Dummies” group of publishers.
Jenkins has an engaging voice and has developed a clear teaching style, combining screen-recorded activities with slides on theory, as well as presenting examples of websites working in the real world. Friendly and easy to listen to, Jenkins makes the work feel simple.
Our Review
While this course advertises itself specifically for those with experience in illustration, design, and specifically Photoshop, it is not so far advanced that someone who is a beginner in these areas would be lost. It has a large focus on usability, UX design, and accessibility design, which is something lacking in many courses out there.
You won’t walk out of this course feeling like a web developer, but that also means you won’t need to deal with too much code. Instead, this course provides a deeper understanding of the design concepts behind the best websites, and how we can apply them to our own.
Pros
- Offers a course designed for people who already understand UX concepts
- Run by a university professor with an accessible teaching style
- No coding knowledge or skills required
- Comes with self-assessing quizzes
Cons
- Would not be suited for those with little UX experience
- You need some prior experience with Photoshop to get the most from it
5. Make Your First Website From Scratch – Adobe Dreamweaver CC
- 4+ hrs $44.99
- Course Highlights
- Taught By: M. Sajid
- Suitable For: Beginners looking at internet marketing and social network integration
- Extra Material: Downloadable resources, article, certificate of completion
Why we like it
This course is well suited for people who have an interest in mobile web development and social media integration.
The Content
While most Dreamweaver courses these days spend time talking about responsive design and how websites should change for mobile screens, this is one of the few that thinks about other elements of mobile web technology. Specifically, it thinks about mobile form development and gallery implementation.
This course is well structured, with short videos that go along with exercise files and resources. It also helps you better understand how websites work online and how you can upload your website to be seen by everyone.
The Teachers
Sajid is an engineer by trade and approaches the course with a high level of practical perspective. The theory is put aside, and sometimes things are not explained as in-depth as expert students may like, but it makes things easier for beginners.
Sajid does speak English as a second language. While he speaks well, some people may have an issue with his accent, and it is worth checking some of the free videos to see if this may get in the way for you.
Our Review
Social media is so important these days. Finding a course that has priorities on web development that is useful in the real world is wonderful. Because HTML5 is also the backbone of a lot of mobile applications, the skills taught by Sajid in this course can easily be transferred into making Android and Apple applications with only a little extra knowledge.
While short, and potentially a little inaccessible to those who struggle to understand the teacher, the content in this course is amazing. If you want a website to link your social media pages, and provide a way for customers to contact you, “Make Your First Website From Scratch” is a good choice for the beginner.
Pros
- Focus on mobile web development and social media
- Includes exercise files to use for practice
- Goes into how to upload websites
Cons
- Some people struggle with the teacher’s accent
- Relatively short in terms of lesson length
6. Designing a First Website With Dreamweaver CC
- 2+ hrs Free (with one month trial). Or $44.99
- Course Highlights
- Taught By: Paul Trani
- Suitable For: Beginners to web design and Adobe products
- Extra Material: Downloadable resources, transcripts
Why we like it
It sounds absurd that you can access a free trial for a course given by Adobe’s experts themselves, but that is exactly what this is.
The Content
This short course offers a broad overview of what is needed to create a website using the latest versions of Dreamweaver. It includes two short videos on using Bootstrap and a section dedicated to including social media in your websites. Tasks are moved through quickly so it is likely you will be rewatching the videos multiple times, but they are full of easy-to-follow and accurate information.
The Teachers
Paul Trani is the Principal Creative Cloud Evangelist for Adobe, meaning his entire job is to show off just how amazing the creative suite is. His enthusiasm for the product comes across well, as well as his expertise in navigating around the menus, tabs, and buttons.
Our Review
Sometimes, this course comes across a little too much like an advertisement for CC than a guide on how to use it. The same amount of time is devoted to showing how easily it integrates social media as is given to the integral ability to navigate and manipulate style sheets.
On the other hand, this is one of the most engaging sets of videos out there and benefits from being taught by the premier expert in communicating about Creative Cloud products.
If you can get the free trial, we are certain that this course is worth taking. If, however, you are paying the full price, and are completely new to web creation, you must be willing to patiently rewatch videos to truly get your full money’s worth.
Pros
- Run by someone working at Adobe
- Extremely engaging video presentations
- Covers all the functions Dreamweaver has to offer
Cons
- Sometimes feels more like an advertisement than a tutorial
- Expensive for what is offered
7. Learn Adobe Dreamweaver CS6 – For Absolute Beginners
- 12+ hrs $94.99
- Course Highlights
- Taught By: Simon Sez IT
- Suitable For: People who have never tried to build a website
- Extra Material: Quizzes, full ebook of course transcript, audio files of the lectures, certificate of completion
Why we like it
One of the best courses for CS6 available, this is perfect for someone who has never seen behind a website before.
The Content
Dreamweaver CS6 is still a popular piece of software because it doesn’t require a subscription and still contains many of the functions you will find necessary. This course is therefore quite popular, especially as it is run by the well-respected Simon Sez IT.
This is a course for absolute beginners and breaks down every step into minute detail, which means it is slow-paced but easy to follow. Despite there being over twelve hours of videos, no single one goes for over 15 minutes which means, combined with actual practice with the software, you can easily break up your learning into half-hour “lessons”.
While there are no mid-course tests, the end-of-course quiz can be taken multiple times and is a great review resource in itself. We also appreciate that the course goes into lessons on how to find more help, including Adobe’s resources.
The Teachers
Simon Sez IT has taught nearly half a million students since 2008 and is run by Simon Calder. Calder was previous the Project Manager at California’s prestigious LACMA.
Calder has a reputation for being easy-to-understand, engaging in communication, and appreciative of how little we know when first starting out. He designs courses expect you to know no coding whatsoever, and even assume that you’ll be a little unsure about how to run software on your computer.
Our Review
When something is as complicated as Dreamweaver, it is nice to have our hand held for every step, so as not to get lost along the way. It is surprising how code can go from gibberish to understandable as we work our way through this course, and even more surprising how little code we need.
If you already know the basics of website creation, this course might be frustrating on how slow it is—if you have any kind of web development background, even a limited one, a more advanced course is probably a better choice. We would highly recommend students with this knowledge skip the first sections or watch only the videos they think would be useful. That said, several intermediate students have said they love this course just for that reason - it has all the answers, not just for beginners.
For the most complete course on CS6, even for people who have zero ideas what they are doing, we cannot recommend a better one than this from Simon Sez IT.
Pros
- Great course for those using the older version of Dreamweaver
- Breaks down each step into smaller parts
- No previous coding knowledge is required
- Covers all the functions of CS6
Cons
- Less helpful for users of the latest version
- May be too slow for intermediate learners
8. Bootstrap 3 Responsive Design in Adobe Dreamweaver CC 2017
- 6+ hrs $94.99
- Course Highlights
- Taught By: Daniel Walter Scott
- Suitable For: Beginners who want to avoid as much code as possible
- Extra Material: Nearly three dozen downloadable resources, certificate of completion
Why we like it
By tightening the focus on Bootstrap, Daniel Scott has given us a course that shows what the latest in Responsive design can look like.
The Content
While still aimed at beginners, who don’t necessarily need to have used Dreamweaver before, this course specifically focuses on a single module called “Bootstrap”. This module allows for easier design and creation of “responsive” sites (which can be used on any device or computer and more easily accepts plugins and widgets.
Over sixty lectures take you step-by-step through the process and include useful skills like testing on virtual devices and safely backing up websites.The course comes with a bunch of resources, including files that the teacher uses to make their own example site. This makes it so much easier to follow along and know you are doing the correct thing. While it was made using Bootstrap 3, we don’t feel like we are missing out on anything that is in the newer versions.
The Teachers
We have featured Daniel Scott before on this list, with his wonderful “Coding your first website using Dreamweaver.” Here he puts the focus on a specific feature while ensuring the basics covered in the other course are still available.
Scott has made an extra effort here to provide resources and support, in the full knowledge that it is sometimes difficult for students to see where they have gone wrong. He has clearly updated the course multiple times to ensure information is relevant for today.
Our Review
We appreciate the beginner-friendly approach to this course, and while it is aimed specifically at teaching Bootstrap, it does cover the basics of Dreamweaver that everyone should know. The lectures are broken up into easy-to-understand videos, and Daniel Scott’s presentation is as clear and engaging as always.
What could be improved upon is how much the teacher relies on the example to teach. On the odd occasion, Scott neglects to explain why the program wants you to use a function or button the way it does. Offering “alternative examples” of particular elements more often would also have us more comfortable about creating original projects.
While slightly more focussed than Scott’s other beginner course, this one certainly leads to the creation of the highest quality websites you could wish for.
Pros
- Tight introduction to using Bootstrap
- Beginner friendly, despite the intermediate content focus
- Broken into the easy-to-follow structure
Cons
- Uses only one example for teaching
- Sometimes doesn’t explain what is happening
- Doesn’t use the latest version of Bootstrap
9. Beginners Adobe Dreamweaver Tutorial
- 9+ hrs Free (pay for bonus content and certificate)
- Course Highlights
- Taught By: Infinite Skills
- Suitable For: Beginners using CS 5.5, people wanting an overview of web design
- Extra Material: Exercise files
Why we like it
There are only a few courses left out there for the early versions of Dreamweaver, and this is one of the best.
The Content
It is perhaps that this course was created for users of the almost obsolete CS 5.5 that the makers of it are willing to give away the content for free. The amount of content on offer is amazing.
Even for those not using CS 5.5, the section entitled “Preparing and Planning a Website” is worth watching for everyone interested in web design. Those who have 5.5 (or even CS6, which isn’t too different) are going to love how this course breaks down elements as precise as “Ordered, Unordered & Definition Lists”.
It is important to point out that one of the major changes in web design since CS 5.5 is that “Frames” are no longer used in websites. This is because there are serious issues with making frames “responsive” (looking as nice on the phone as the computer). Therefore, we would recommend NOT watching that particular section.
The Teachers
Infinite Skills is a Canadian company that has been teaching technical and IT skills since 2007. They are now a part of O’Reilly Media, and their courses are highly sorted after. It speaks to their passion for learning that, instead of scrapping this course for a little-used program, they offer it for free.
Andy Anderson, the trainer, is a fun, engaging expert—and not just a voice behind a set of slides. Taking a relaxed tone, he gives students the confidence that they do not need years of experience, or a programming degree, to handle the tricks of Dreamweaver 5.5
Our Review
If you are using one of the early, standalone versions of Dreamweaver, this course is for you. If it was one of the most expensive courses on the list, it would still be for you. Every lesson takes us through the what, how, and why clearly, and never rushes us beyond our capabilities. It’s an engaging course with a tonne of content, and if Dreamweaver 5.5 was the latest version, this course would be near the top of the list.
If the pros of this course still outweigh its cons for you, you may want to supplement it with a short but more up-to-date course that will cover any recent developments.
Pros
- A large amount of content is offered completely for free
- A relaxed, engaging teacher with decades of experience
- Breaks down each section into comprehensive choices
Cons
- Is only for early versions of Dreamweaver
- Still contains sections on obsolete development practices
10. Dreamweaver Essentials
- 11+ hrs $49.99
- Course Highlights
- Taught By: Geoff Blake, Stone River eLearning
- Suitable For: People looking to learn older versions of Dreamweaver
- Extra Material: Downloadable articles, resources, and certificate of completion
Why we like it
An inexpensive and relatively comprehensive course for users of old versions of Dreamweaver.
The Content
For those using earlier, less expensive versions of Dreamweaver (CS3 to CS6), there is a course designed specifically for this software. It covers the same kinds of topics as you would find in other courses, but more specific to this earlier version.
The largest part of the course is looking at how to break down CSS, and how you can manipulate style sheets within Dreamweaver. However, there are also lectures on tables, images, and how you can use other Adobe products to first design your site.
The Teachers
Geoff Blake is an experienced teacher, and Stone River has done a great job putting together the colorful presentations to go with his lectures.
Blake has been teaching Dreamweaver courses since 2005 and knows the software as well as anyone. Having previously worked with O’Reilly and Pearson, he knows what makes a good education and has taken the time to do more than just rehashing the information he knows. Engaging and thoughtful, he gives us confidence in our work.
Our Review
This course is one of the few that are designed for the early versions of Dreamweaver. These early versions are quite different from today’s so it is helpful the courses exist.
Of course, that means certain things have changed enough that the course is not recommended for current version users. For example, it doesn’t do a good job talking about mobile web design, and it gives a lecture on Flash, which is no longer used. Fortunately, CSS has changed very little, and Geoff Blake is brilliant at teaching coding to complete beginners.
If you have chosen to use an early version of Dreamweaver, this course is the one you want. Otherwise, find a course that discusses more recent developments in Dreamweaver.
Pros
- Geoff Blake is an engaging and thought-provoking teacher
- A really good set of lectures on CSS
- No coding knowledge is required
Cons
- Contains lectures on the now-defunct “Adobe Flash”
- For very old versions of Adobe Dreamweaver
- Doesn’t cover mobile development
Dreamweaver Frequently Asked Questions
While finding the best courses that teach Dreamweaver today, we came across the same questions time and again. To help with your own decision-making, we’ve offered the answers to them here.
Dreamweaver is still one of the most popular ways to create your website without having to code from scratch. It is used by the biggest web development teams in the world and is still taught in the best tech universities.
No. Adobe has just released its 2021 version of Dreamweaver (also known as Version 21.2). It is committed to continuing to expand the abilities of Dreamweaver, and the wider Creative Suite.
Dreamweaver is a popular choice among design professionals because it already does a lot of the work for them. However, some IT professionals who have a high level of programming skills decide instead to use frameworks like Django (which uses the language Python) or WordPress (which uses the language PHP).
Yes and No. Dreamweaver has far more functions than WordPress and makes it much easier for someone without programming skills to produce a professional-level website. It is also connected to Photoshop, which can make it perfect for graphic designers.
However, WordPress is free software, and so is popular among many users who only need a simple, clean site to showcase a few pages. Some developers also use WordPress and their own programming to produce much larger sites, but this is a complicated process.
You are possibly thinking about Adobe Flash. This was an old program that could work on websites to play games and do other interactive activities. Unfortunately, Flash had serious security flaws and so has been discontinued. Adobe Dreamweaver uses HTML5, which can do everything Flash could, but is far more secure.
Building your own website can cost you thousands of dollars a year, or nothing at all. The most important costs when building your website are the program you use to create it (such as Dreamweaver), the company that hosts your website (or building your own computer to do so), and purchasing a domain name for people to be able to find your website.
A Student’s Guide to Dreamweaver in 2024
Learning a program like Dreamweaver is best done by seeing examples occur in real-time. This makes video-based courses far more useful than buying a book. Fortunately, there are a great number of courses out there, and we are glad that we were able to find the best to present.
Still, there are often a whole lot of concepts and questions we want to go over before handing over money to a course provider. From understanding the different versions of Dreamweaver to some of the useful skills that give us a headstart, being prepared means we can get more from the course we decide to purchase.
Dreamweaver, Creative Cloud, and the Problem With Versions
Dreamweaver is a piece of software used to make websites without needing to know too much about programming. The very first version came out way back in 1997 before the internet was on portable devices.
In 2007, Dreamweaver was combined with Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign to form “Adobe Creative Suite”. Because of this, you may sometimes read “Dreamweaver CS” or simply “Adobe CS”. The final version of Creative Suite, Version 6.0, came out in 2012.
Since 2013, Dreamweaver has become part of “Adobe Creative Cloud” or “Adobe CC”, which included all the previous programs and more as part of a subscription service. While you only have the program for as long as you continue being subscribed, it is automatically updated. If you bought Adobe CC in 2017, you will have the 2024 version today.
Adobe CS is still used today, popular because it doesn’t require a subscription, and doesn’t change. While it still works quite well, some users find they cannot do all they want to when making websites suitable for recent developments like phone applications.
Fortunately, the major functions of Adobe CC work much the same as they did in CS. This means older courses are still useful today, and new courses can often be done on older versions. That said, anyone who needs to stay on top of cutting-edge developments should be sure to take an up-to-date course.
HTML, CSS, and Hosting Websites
Websites appear on our screen through a browser, which reads a very special type of programming “language” called “HTML” or “Hypertext Markup Language”. Sometimes courses will show what this language looks like in Dreamweaver, and even teach how to write and change it to make your site appear on the screen. “CSS” or “Cascading Style Sheets” contain another type of language, which specifically set rules about colors, fonts, and other “style” elements of websites.
You may come across other web programming terms like Bootstrap (a part of website design that helps websites change based on the device showing them) and jQuery (a program for the website to talk to their server).
While these courses are about making websites, the sites you make will only be seen on the computer you have Dreamweaver on. To have everyone see your work, you will need to “host” your site. This often costs money. If you are looking to make a website for your work or hobby, be prepared to incur costs for hosting as well as the cost of making the site.
Things to Do Before Taking a Dreamweaver Course
Here is a simple checklist of things you should do before starting any course in Dreamweaver:
- Install Dreamweaver: The latest version of Dreamweaver can be installed from the Adobe Website and only costs $21/month. If you have not used the Creative Suite before, you will have the opportunity to trial it for the first month for free.
- Play around on it! It is extremely difficult to break your computer by fooling around on Dreamweaver. So load it up, see what the different menus might do, and make sure that the program has no problem making or opening files on your computer.
- Consider getting a book! Some of us like to have printed works to refer to as we learn, and some books include great “cheat sheets” to help us. We highly recommend “Dreamweaver CC for Dummies”.
Weaving Your Dreams
Dreamweaver has been around since the beginning of web pages and is still the website builder of choice for design professionals. Find out how to use software is best done by watching how others use the program, making video lectures and online courses the easiest way to learn. Finding the best Dreamweaver course for you is as easy as knowing your skills and the resources you have available.