When you’re ready to create a professional website, there are several tools available to help you. Both free and paid software packages offer templates and design elements that can help make your site look more professional. In this article, we’ll take an overview of what is available and review some top-rated options.
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Best Professional Web Design Software 2016
Let’s start our Fresh Web Design Tools to Try in 2016 list with premium options.
Qards
Qards is a drag-and-drop WordPress tool for building landing pages and promo sites in a code-free manner. It is meant for do-it-yourselfers who want to get the work done quickly without hiring professional developers. Here’s a brief overview of the Qards features.
- Visual Editor. Build your website layout visually with the help of customizable, pre-designed blocks.
- Responsive System. Sites built with Qards are scalable to any device regardless of the display size.
- Clean & Secure Code. The core of Qards is based on the popular coding techniques such as HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript.
- SEO-Friendliness. The tool is designed in compliance with the main standards of search engine optimization. It is also compatible with all the popular SEO plugins.
- Compatibility with WP plugins. Qards is compatible with multiple WP themes and plugins to provide you with more functional capabilities.
- TypeKit Integration. Using this tool, you’ll have an access to a wide range of typography options.
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Avocode
Avocode is a perfect solution for front-end developers. It facilitates the process of transition from visuals to code. The tool ensures automatic generation of code snippets for exported images. Explore the functional potential of Avocode in detail below.
- Conversion into CSS. The tool converts layer, font and paragraph styles into CSS. It also provides support for Less, Sass or Stylus.
- Color Conversion. Simply pick a certain color, and Avocode will automatically convert it into the necessary format, namely HEX and RGBA.
- Code Output Customization. You can customize the code output by means of variables, e.g. gradients, fonts, colors, distances, and sizes.
- Retina Graphics. Avocode scales up and down imagery depending on the viewport size. The formats it supports include JPEG, PNG, SVG, and BASE64.
- Easy Import of Files. Design files are imported into Avocode by simply dragging and dropping.
- Photoshop & Sketch Support. The tool preserves everything crafted in Sketch and Photoshop, particularly layers, artboards, smart objects, etc.
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Macaw
Macaw is a powerful web design tool capable of writing semantic HTML and succinct CSS. It also preserves the flexibility of the best image editors. Check out its features one by one.
- Stream. Macaw is powered by Stream, a real-time layout engine. It calculates margins, clears, floats and other properties required to add elements to a static document flow.
- Alchemy. This powerful design-to-code engine is meant to convert design into CSS and HTML.
- Responsiveness. Websites built with this tool are optimized for tablets and other portable devices.
- Typography. You can either use system fonts or add web fonts to Macaw.
- Styling. A style can be applied to various elements and modified in a single location.
- Interactivity. It’s possible to set variable names and embed scripts for faster prototyping.
- Positioning. You can utilize fixed, static and absolute positioning to build dynamic layouts.
- Components Storage. Elements can be stored in a library and re-used on any page.
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Antetype
Antetype is an UX design app intended to boost productivity of UI designers. Read on to get a clear idea of how you can benefit from it.
- Prototypes. Antetype is supplied with all the tools required to design high-end UI prototypes.
- Widgets. The tool comes with 400+ pre-designed widgets and allows for creation of your own ones. Each widget has a few states and you can also add your own states to them.
- Nesting. It’s possible to create complex UI designs thanks to the hierarchical nesting support.
- Specs. Only one click is enough to create a specification your design once it’s ready.
- Export. Antetype designs can be exported as pixel- or vector-based graphics.
- CSS. The tool generates clean CSS code for any element designed with its help.
- Responsive & Retina-Ready. Antetype graphics are optimal for both HiDPI displays and flexible enough to be resized for screens of mobile devices.
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Atomic
Atomic is a prototyping tool that requires no coding. Although the tool is premium, the company behind it offers a free 30-day trial. Thus, you can try Atomic out in action without paying a cent. But before using it, you are advised to scan through its features below.
- Easy Start. You can start either from a blank canvas or pull in Photoshop and Sketch files to Atomic.
- Multi-device Experience. It’s possible to design prototypes on your PC or Mac and preview them on any device.
- Interactions. Atomic offers a variety of interaction triggers and gestures, e.g. hover, swipe, double tap, and much more.
- Craft Motion. You can automatically create stunning transitions and craft elements by means of an advanced motion timeline.
- History Track. The tool shows your project changes at any stage and allows you to return to any of them whenever you like.
- Sharing & Feedback. Prototypes can be shared with links and commented, all in one place.
web designing tools for beginners
Skills mean a lot, but they don’t mean a thing, if there are no tools to support them. It is essential for a web designer to find software that suits him best at a certain point of his development. These are the top 10 web design tools that every beginner finds useful
COLOR WIZARD :: Web Design Tools #01
Life is not black and white and as a web designer you know it pretty damn well. It is essential for a website to be well-balanced color-wise. Color Wizard is a software that helps you match colors just the way you want. You pick a color you need and this tool provides the whole set of variations on your choice as well as some color schema and suggestions. It is that simple.
WEBFLOW :: Web Design Tools #02
If you are more of an artist than a programmer, you don’t want to waste your time on writing a code. Webflow is a perfect tool for you. It is a drag-and-drop website builder that writes down the code of your website while you’re working on design. Don’t bother with code, Webflow will take care of it.
STYLETILES :: Web Design Tools #03
It’s not easy to communicate ideas. Styletiles generates a space where you can meet with your client. As a tool it allows you to make a “beta version” of the website you’re working at. You don’t have to prepare the final project to show it to other people. This means less work for you and more understanding on what you’re aiming at.
SNAGIT :: Web Design Tools #04
People say that one picture is worth a thousand words, but actually one word is worth a thousand pictures. This word is Snagit. With Snagit you can instantly capture an image you want or record a video of your screen. It is also an editor, so you can work on these materials with no need to use any other tool. Click, save, edit, send – that’s how Snagit works.
FITTEXT :: Web Design Tools #05
In olden days personal computer was the only device that allowed people to search the Internet. Now there are smartphones, laptops, tablets… Web is everywhere and so should be a website you designed. This tool helps you fit your headlines to virtually every screen there is. FitText modifies font-size to make sure that the size of device does not matter.
EDGE INSPECT :: Web Design Tools #06
FitText is a great tool to customize headlines, but if you want to check how your website looks on different screens, Edge Inspect is something you need. Integrate your devices into one web, so when you modify your project on one of them it will instantly change on all others. With Edge Inspect you can keep working and be sure that your tablet and smartphone will catch up.
STRIPEMANIA :: Web Design Tools #07
As a web designer you know that there are stripes and stripes. Simple elements, but inevitable on a website. That’s why Stripemania answers every designer’s most primal need for stripes. It allows you to generate them, change their size and color, place them wherever you want them to be… etc. etc. Stripemania is the tool that you always wanted to have, but where afraid to ask for.
GIMP :: Web Design Tools #08
It is better known as ”the free Photoshop”. Although it is not entirely true that those two programmers are clones, it has to be acknowledged that freeware status is one of the most important advantages of GIMP. It can be used for image editing as well as for designing any other graphic elements, for example logos. Advanced, yet free – perfect for beginners.
FONTSTRUCT :: Web Design Tools #09
Unique design, unique graphics… why not unique fonts? Build your original fonts with Fontstruct. It is functional and simple and allows you to share your personal fonts as soon as they are ready. Moreover you can download other users fonts or even make your own variations of them. Don’t search for fonts, make your own ones.
DREAMWEAVER :: Web Design Tools #10
Every website, no matter how beautiful and complex, is always a code. That’s why it is important to have a web development tool that is also suitable for web designers. Dreamweaver has many qualities and one of them is so-called Design view which allows you to construct and modify the layout of HTML elements. It provides previews of the developed websites and also helps you handle the code as smoothly as possible. Dreamweaver makes difficult tasks easier and that’s why it is great for beginners.
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