Microsoft Web Design Software Reviews

Web design software takes web design to the next level, allowing you to create and publish your own websites with ease. Edge Animate is a component of the Flash Pro software by Adobe and generated as a Web animation tool which can generate interactive Flash content which is compatible with HTML5.

Microsoft Web Design Software Reviews

Microsoft may not be the first name that comes to mind when it comes to digital design. With its rollout of Expression software, however, the company is vying to win over users of Adobe Dreamweaver and other tools such as Namo WebEditor. The $299 Expression Web, which replaces FrontPage, is the Web design application in Microsoft’s new lineup.7.0

Microsoft Expression Web

$150 AT AMAZON

THE GOOD

Microsoft Expression Web design software supports XHTML, XML, CSS, and W3C accessibility standards; integrates with Expression Studio and Visual Studio.

THE BAD

Microsoft Expression Web lacks FrontPage’s help for design beginners; is expensive; offers limited tech support; supports Windows only.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Microsoft Expression Web is a solid Web site layout program that replaces FrontPage and offers tools for dynamic designs, although we’d like more help for newbies.

To run Expression Web, you should have Windows XP SP2 or Windows Server 2003 SP1 or newer, or the new Windows Vista. Make sure to check the ReadMe section of Microsoft’s Web site before installation, as you may have to add Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 and uninstall any beta versions of Microsoft Office 2007. A trial download of Expression Web is available at CNET Download.com.

We spent about 15 minutes installing Expression Web. Once you have the program running, you can choose from a variety of templates to get started with a personal or professional Web site. We like that Expression Web includes templates for CSS designs as well as ASP.NET forms. Expression Web will also open an existing Web site or import one via FrontPage extensions, FTP, HTTP, or WebDAV. However, Dreamweaver CS3 does offer more template choices.
Expression Web looks a lot like Dreamweaver. When you insert an image, Expression Web prompts you to add “alt” tags to ensure that your page meets the latest accessibility standards.

The interface of Expression Web looks significantly similar to that of Dreamweaver. You can view code or design, or both. Page views, folders, tools and other elements are divided into panes that you can dock and drag and drop nearly anywhere on the screen.

Anyone migrating from Dreamweaver should be able to jump right in and use Expression Web without much effort. If you breathe dynamic Web design, then Expression Web offers solid features for managing XHTML, Cascading Style Sheets, and XML. Expression Web is even less cluttered than Dreamweaver in this regard. We found it easy to move the same Web pages between both programs without causing problems in the code. Plus, Expression Web supports W3C accessibility standards for designing pages for people with disabilities–a must-have for those creating business Web sites.

However, those designing a Web site for the first time may not know where to start when they open Expression Web. We wonder if Microsoft plans at some point to offer a newbie-friendly application that will offer the hand-holding that FrontPage did. For now, however, options seem limited to the various templates offered by Microsoft Office Live, or even the free Windows Live Writer blogging tool.

Expression Web integrates with the other Expression Studio applications, but these aren’t all final products yet. Even when the work is done on Expression Studio, Dreamweaver has the advantage over Expression Web of integrating deeply and richly with various components of Adobe Creative Suite 3. Expression Studio includes Design for creating digital images, Blend for making widgets, and Media for managing files. However, Microsoft’s suite lacks a desktop publishing tool such as Adobe InDesign, video editing from the equivalents of Adobe Premiere and AfterEffects, as well as Adobe CS3’s rich mobile support. Still, Expression Web does integrate with Visual Studio, Microsoft’s main software development tool, which is a blessing for digital designers and programmers.
In addition to graphical templates of eye-catching designs, Expression Web offers extra help with CSS layouts and ASP.NET forms.

Expression Web offers a searchable, detailed, and useful list of help topics similar to those within Microsoft Office. There is little to no assistance for those seeking the ABCs of CSS, AJAX , for instance. Support options aren’t as impressive as the deep videos and tutorials for Dreamweaver. From Expression Web’s Contact Us link, for example, we were directed to a Microsoft Web page with details about corporate headquarters.

Expression Web is a solid, professional design program with plenty of goodies for making Web 2.0 pages, despite the lack of help for beginners. Dreamweaver offers even more features, but that can also be a drawback. The small Expression Studio package offers the basics for rich media designers. However, if you’re looking for a more comprehensive digital design suite for repurposing work for the Web, mobile gadgets, and video, then Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 within one of its many CS3 suites would be a better fit.Applications in Microsoft Expression Studio

7.0

Microsoft Expression Web

$150 AT AMAZON

SCORE BREAKDOWN

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LG C1 OLED TV review: The best high-end TV for the money

With a world-beating picture, oodles of features and slim styling, the LG C1 remains the TV to beat.

David Katzmaier Nov. 9, 2021 10:49 a.m. PTNOV 2021

OLED TVs have the best picture quality available, and today there are more choices in OLED than ever. From the less expensive LG A1 and Vizio H1 to the wallet-busting Sony A90J and LG G1, high-end shoppers who’ve decided on an OLED TV face another tough decision: Which OLED TV, exactly? I haven’t reviewed all of them, but from what I’ve seen so far, the best option for most buyers is the LG OLED C1. It combines that incredible image quality with the best features — particularly for gamers — the widest range of screen sizes and a price that’s not too outrageous. 

8.7

LG C1 series OLED TV

$1,700 AT TARGET$1,697 AT CRUTCHFIELD$1,697 AT AMAZON

LIKE

• Better picture quality than any non-OLED TV
• Superior contrast and off-angle image
• Best-in-class gaming features
• Sleek styling with ultrathin panel

DON’T LIKE

• Expensive

I compared the C1 directly with its predecessor, the LG CX, as well as with a TCL 8K QLED TV with Mini-LED that costs about the same, and the C1 was my favorite. It and the CX were neck-and-neck for picture quality, but the C1 pulled away with its flexible gaming options. Meanwhile the Samsung QN90A QLED is brighter and in some ways superior, but overall the picture quality of the C1 is better. The C1 is also a lot more affordable than the LG G1, and image quality on those two 2021 OLEDs was basically the same. I haven’t reviewed the Sony A80J yet, which currently costs a bit more than the C1, but I’d be surprised if it’s significantly better.

In short, if you want the superiority of OLED image quality, the LG C1 is my go-to pick for 2021.

Editor’s note, Nov. 9, 2021: Added Editors’ Choice Award.

Watch this: LG C1 OLED TV Review: The High-End TV to Beat in 202106:59

Series and size information: I performed a hands-on evaluation of the 65-inch OLED C1, but this review also applies to the other screen sizes in the series. All sizes have identical specs and according to the manufacturer should provide very similar picture quality. Click the links below to get pricing on this page appropriate for the size you’re interested in.

• LG OLED48C1PUB, 48-inch
• LG OLED55C1PUB, 55-inch
• LG OLED65C1PUB, 65-inch
• LG OLED77C1PUB, 77-inch
• LG OLED83C1PUA, 83-inch

Slim, sleek and superior: Up close with the LG C1 OLED TV

Get to know the LG C1 series

• The C1 has more sizes than LG’s least expensive OLED TV, the A1 series, as well as better image quality features. The A1 lacks HDMI 2.1 and has a less impressive processor, as well as fewer HDMI inputs (three instead of four) and a 60Hz refresh rate.
• The C1 also has more sizes than the more expensive G1 series, which offers that Evo panel and a slimmer, wall-mount-centric Gallery design. The C1 also lacks a far-field mic for hands-free voice and a Next-Gen TV tuner, both relatively minor extras included on the G1.
• OLED display technology is fundamentally different from the LED LCD technology used in the vast majority of today’s TVs, including Samsung and TCL’s QLED models.
• The best LCD TVs I’ve reviewed so far scored a 9 in image quality, while OLEDs TVs like the C1 have scored a 10. High-end LCDs are brighter than OLEDs (especially with HDR), but the picture quality on OLED TVs I’ve reviewed is superior overall.
• All OLED TVs are more subject to both temporary and permanent image retention, aka burn-in, than LCD TVs. We at CNET don’t consider burn-in a reason for most people to avoid buying an OLED TV, however. Check out our guide to OLED burn-in for more.

free web design software

1. WordPress (Free and Paid)

Here at websitesetup.org, we recommend people use WordPress to create their websites.

Why?

Through our experience creating hundreds of sites, we’ve found that WordPress offers the best combination of flexibility, power, and ease-of-use necessary to build and launch content-based websites.

And it seems like the internet agrees with us! Over 35% of all websites run on WordPress. WordPress powers popular blogs, e-commerce stores, communities, and more.

To get started with WordPress, you have two options:

1. Set up a self-hosted WordPress site (WordPress.org)
2. Sign up for a free WordPress.com account

If you’re just looking to host a small personal site, WordPress.com may be a great choice. However, if you’re starting a more complex project a self-hosted WordPress site is probably a better option.

If you are already using WordPress, but looking for help creating a WordPress theme or customizing WordPress pages, we recommend checking out the Genesis Theme Framework and the Elementor Page Builder.

2. Bootstrap (Free)

Originally created by the engineering team at Twitter, Bootstrap is now the world’s most popular framework for building responsive, mobile-first websites.

Put simply, Bootstrap is a free library of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that simplifies the process of coding a website from scratch. Bootstrap offers dozens of features like a grid system, responsive breakpoints, and a large library of components that make coding a website quick and easy.

The component library includes headers, navigation, buttons, forms, alerts, and more. The Bootstrap team has comprehensively documented each feature, complete with examples and suggestions for customization.

To get started with Bootstrap, simply download the latest version of the Bootstrap framework, copy one of the example templates, and start coding.

3. Wix (Free and Paid)

Wix is an easy-to-use, affordable alternative to WordPress.

Much like WordPress, Wix can be used to create a variety of different sites, including blogs and stores. Through its drag-and-drop editor, Wix makes it simple to set up and launch your site in just a few minutes.

Wix is a fully-managed subscription service, meaning that the company handles all the details around hosting the site, backing it up, and handling security.

Wix offers a free, ad-sponsored plan that includes hundreds of templates and options to choose from. Paid plans start at $14 per month and include ad removal, increased bandwidth, and additional space for videos.

4. Dreamweaver (Free Trial)

Dreamweaver is Adobe’s application for coding, editing, and maintaining websites. It lets you edit websites both by coding them manually and through an intuitive visual interface.

Dreamweaver includes many of the features of a traditional, text-based Integrated Development Environment (IDE) like syntax-highlighting, automatic code completion, and the ability to collapse and expand sections of code. You can even use Dreamweaver with Bootstrap!

Unlike a traditional IDE, however, Dreamweaver’s visual interface is what makes it really stand out. Any changes you make in your website’s code are automatically displayed in real-time in Dreamweaver’s interface, and you can also point and click to edit your website’s code visually.

If you’d like more power than a simple drag-and-drop editor, but need something simpler than a code-only IDE, Dreamweaver is a fantastic option.

You can subscribe to Dreamweaver on its own for $20.99 per month or choose a subscription to Adobe’s full Creative Suite for $52.99 per month. Adobe offers 7-day free trials for both options, and discounts for students are frequently available.

5. Squarespace (Paid)

Squarespace is another good website builder that serves as a third alternative to Wix and WordPress.

Much like Wix, Squarespace offers an intuitive drag-and-drop interface for creating your website. Squarespace also offers a huge variety of different themes and color customizations and includes many of the standards you’d expect like SSL encryption and the ability to build an online store.

Squarespace’s personal plan starts at $14 per month with limits of 20 pages and two contributors. The business plan lifts these limitations and costs $23 per month.

Best Software for Interface Design & Prototyping

Interface design apps and prototyping tools help designers envision and communicate how websites will look and behave before they’re launched. Here are a few great candidates to consider.

6. Figma (Free and Paid)

Despite being one of the newest tools on this list, Figma is also one of the most powerful. If you’re looking for a feature-loaded tool for interface design and prototyping, Figma may be the perfect fit.

Much like Sketch, the next app on this list, Figma features an intuitive, vector-based interface that makes designing websites simple. Anything you can do with Sketch or Adobe XD, you can also do with Figma.

What makes Figma really shine, however, is its collaborative, cloud-based approach. With Figma, multiple team members can edit a design file simultaneously. Business stakeholders can also leave comments, and developers can copy code snippets to simplify the process of turning your design into a real site.

Figma offers a free plan that includes up to 3 projects. Paid plans start at $12 per month and include advanced options like custom user permissions.

Visit Figma.com

7. Sketch 3 (Free Trial)

Sketch is an extremely popular interface design tool focused on simplifying the process of creating beautiful, high-fidelity mockups. Sketch gained popularity in the early 2010s when it won a design award from Apple.

Designers love Sketch because its uncluttered and intuitive interface makes it easy to create beautiful designs quickly, without the steep learning curve often associated with other design tools. Sketch also has a comprehensive ecosystem of plugins and integrations that bring added power and make it simple to integrate Sketch into your workflow.

While Sketch has recently added some features focused on prototyping and collaboration, the program isn’t as advanced in these areas as some of the other tools on this list.

Sketch is available for macOS and costs $9 per editor, monthly (or $99 per editor, annually). Sketch comes with a 30-day trial.

Visit Sketch.com

8. Adobe XD (Free Trial)

Tired of being beaten out by simpler tools that were better-suited to interface design and prototyping, Adobe released XD in 2019 as its answer to the other tools on this list.

XD is a powerful, vector-based tool that also supports prototyping animations. If you like Adobe’s other products like Photoshop and Illustrator, chances are you’ll also like XD.

The program also supports opening and editing files from Sketch, making it a popular choice for Windows users who need to collaborate with other designers who use Sketch. That said, novices may find XD’s learning curve a bit steep, and even many professionals prefer other tools on this list.

You can subscribe to XD on its own for $9.99 per month or choose a subscription to Adobe’s full Creative Suite for $52.99 per month. Adobe offers 7-day free trials for both options.

Visit adobe.com/products/xd

9. InVision Studio (Free and Paid)

While InVision got its start offering a cloud-based prototype service that integrates with tools like Sketch and Photoshop, it now offers its own full-featured interface design and prototyping tool called Studio.

Think of InVision Studio like an advanced version of Sketch, complete with advanced motion animations, collaboration tools, and options to create and share prototypes.

InVision Studio is currently in free beta. To share prototypes using its cloud service, you can opt for a free plan or upgrade to one of InVision’s paid offerings, which allows for more collaborators and projects.

Visit InVisionapp.com

10. Framer X (Free Trial)

Framer originally started as a JavaScript library and toolset for prototyping, but it’s evolved into the most powerful tool on this list.

Framer X is a rapid prototyping tool that supports complex animations and generates the code for React components on the fly. At first glance, Framer’s vector-based interface looks extremely similar to Sketch, but there’s far more power under the hood.

Designers like Framer for its responsive design features, an array of premade components, and support for advanced animations. Developers love it because it simplifies the process of turning a design into production-ready code.

If you’re already part of the React ecosystem, or if you simply want a powerful interface capable of creating high-fidelity prototypes with realistic interactions and animations, Framer X is a fantastic option.

Framer X offers a free plan for up to two editors. Framer’s paid plans start from $20/month.

Conclusion

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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