Welcome to our programs section. 

If you are interested in becoming a designer you will soon have to face the fact that Photoshop or Illustrator  are not enough for you. They  have limits so you will have to buy some more programs that will make your life easier. In this section, I will recommend some software programs that help me get the job done. 

This is not an advertising section and I am not getting paid by any software companies. I just believe that the following software programs are the basic set of programs every designer should have on their toolkit. If you can't afford to buy a lot of  programs , these few will be enough for you. In fact  I  just used  these programs in order to design this site. Some of these programs are available as shareware programs so you can try them before you decide to buy them. 

There are 9 categories of software programs as far as a designer is concerned. These are:

• Vector art creation tools.

• Bitmap editing.

• Web page design.

• Flash animations

• Photoshop compatible plug-ins.

• Gifs and animations

• 3d image creation tools

• Image and file management.

• Web thumbnailers.

BASIC VECTOR ART CREATION TOOLS

1. I personally use the Corel Draw  10 Graphics Suite  but you can use Illustrator or Freehand to create vector art. CorelDRAW is a comprehensive vector-based drawing program that makes it easy to create professional artwork from simple logos to technical illustrations. CorelDRAW's tools are designed to meet the demands of the graphic arts professional. Vector art is fully scalable and editable. When you finish it you can rasterize it and export it to Photoshop or Photopaint to further edit them.

2. I also use Corel Depth (included in Corel Draw 7) to create 3d vector graphics. CorelDEPTH  provides all the features necessary to create full-color 3D text and vector graphics. It uses 2D drawing tools to create 3D text and shape objects. The program also has over 30 professionally designed Template Wizards, and a Step by Step Wizard to guide you through the steps of creating 3D text.
   Once you've created text and shape objects, you can apply colors, shading and decals to them, as well as rotate the objects in 3D.  I thing Corel made a mistake by not further developing this program. It is excellent.

3. Corel TRACE lets you convert bitmap images to vector graphics. Bitmap images consist of individual dots at a fixed resolution, and appear pixelated when enlarged. Vector graphics, which are created by equations, can be enlarged and not appear pixelated.

4. I use Swift 3d to convert 3d models or just 3d letters to high quality  vector files. This way  I can easily create 3d buttons and 3d shapes. 

PRINT AND WEB-BASED BITMAP-EDITING

1. Adobe Photoshop 6  is so dominant when it comes to print and Web-based bitmap-editing that in many ways it has come to define the whole field. Almost every professional designer has the program in their toolkit .One of the most important new features is the support for vector "shapes." Although everyone ultimately benefits from Photoshop's newfound capability to store vector paths as layer objects, print folks will be most pleased: now you can output clipping paths at output resolution automatically instead of rasterizing them. Combined with the abilities to save PDF and TIFF files as multilayered documents with annotations and workflows with check-in and check-out, the program makes file exchange, soft-proofing, and collaborative creation much more accurate and effective. Photoshop 6 redefines the standard with massive improvements in its user interface, layer handling, text control, workflow support and paper and Web-based output. And now it handles vectors too!

2. I also use Corel Photopaint 10 because it has a lot of interactive tools like interactive transparency and drop shadow. One of the most prominent features in Photo-Paint is the ability to flow text on a path. We were all delighted to see that now, when text is modified, it remains editable without losing any of its attributes, as it did in version 9. Some designers  find Photo-Paint a bit underpowered compared to Photoshop in the color-correction department. On the other hand, Photo-Paint's infinitely configurable natural media brushes rival those in Painter and add interesting effects such as Orbits, which let you paint with pods and rings. You can spray full-color bitmapped images. For example, you can enhance landscapes by spraying clouds across the sky or foliage across a lawn.Corel PHOTO-PAINT includes a variety of image list files. Each file consists of a group of source images which are used to create spraylists. You can load a preset spraylist, edit the preset, or create a spraylist by saving source images in an image list. Any selected objects or images can be used as source images to create an image list. You can edit the source images at any time.
3. Corel TEXTURE (included in Corel Draw suite) lets you simulate natural textures, such as clouds, marble, and wood, by combining up to seven user-defined material layers.
4. While there are plenty of options in the bitmap editing market,   there’s one program that stands out from the crowd. While the majority  concentrate on photo-editing and web graphic creation, MetaCreations  Painter  (now it's Corel Painter) has carved out a niche for itself by focusing on artistic image  origination. Based on its amazing brush technology, designed to accurately  mimic traditional media, Painter has become the natural choice for those  interested in creating art on the computer.

WEB PAGE DESIGN 

1. Microsoft Frontpage  can be used for your basic web page design. You need it to access  web servers that support the Frontpage server extensions. You should also buy (if you can afford it) either Adobe Golive or Macromedia Dreamweaver.  Frontpage alone is not enough when it comes to designing interactive web pages.

2. Java Script It and Smartscript Pro will help you  add fully functional JavaScript (rollovers, pop-up windows etc) to your pages without writing any code.

3. Cute Page Dhtml Menu will aid you in  adding  interactive Dhtml navigation to your pages.

4. Surfmap JavaScript edition can be used to add a tree navigation system to your site so that visitors can easily navigate through your entire Web site without having to drill down through the site "half blind."

5. Use Macromedia Fireworks to create, edit, and animate Web graphics, add advanced interactivity, and optimize images in a professional environment. Fireworks combines both bitmap and vector editing tools. In Fireworks, everything is editable, all the time. 

6. I don't personally like using Java applets but if you like them you don't have to learn Java. Two companies, SourceTec and Surfmap have the tools you need. Pay them a visit.

These programs are all  you need when it comes to web page design.  Photoshop 5 or later includes Adobe Imageready. If you have it, you can use it instead of using Fireworks. If you have a small budget  you can start by using just Frontpage, Photoshop - Imageready and a freeware program: Javascript Mouseover Creator.

FLASH ANIMATIONS

1. First of all if you have to buy Macromedia Flash. , it’s the secret behind a third of the top 50 Web sites, providing a rich and dynamic alternative to the typically flat and static HTML experience. You can download a fully functional trial in the beginning but sooner or later you will have to buy it.  Macromedia Flash 5 has become the preferred software for creating lively, interactive animations on the Internet. Flash is also gaining popularity as an alternative to HTML-based Web pages. Through its direct interface, Flash offers creative and powerful vector tools and effects, bitmap support, MP3 streaming audio, and great layout controls. The interactive ActionScript features are sophisticated and deep, letting you easily insert powerful interactive elements into your layout, which can be viewed on nearly every browser with the free downloadable Flash Player.
2. If you own the Corel Draw 10 suite then you can use Corel Draw and Corel RAVE to speed up your work because they can export your art directly to SWF format. The newest family member in the CorelDraw suite, Corel R.A.V.E., comes equipped with the usual complement of animation functions -- layers, timeline window, animation objects along a path, blending objects over time (tweening) and adding sound bites to movies. Finished documents may be exported to Flash (SWF), GIF, AVI (Video for Windows) or MOV (QuickTime) format. R.A.V.E's interface feels like a natural extension of CorelDraw, adding a time dimension to 2D artwork.
   
3. Use Swish to create stunning letter animations in just a few minutes. You can even import them to Flash for further use.
4. Use Flax to create some more letter animations.  You can also import them to Flash for further use.
5. Use Swift 3d to convert 3d models or just 3d letters to high quality  vector swf files. Easily create 3d buttons and effects for use in Flash. You can even animate them. 

PHOTOSHOP COMPATIBLE PLUG-INS

One of the main reasons for the phenomenal success of  Photoshop is its extensibility through plug-in filters which means, if the  host program doesn’t offer a particular feature, you’ll probably find a  third-party solution. The advantages are such that nowadays every serious  bitmap editor and even many drawing, DTP, 3D and video packages now  support the standard. As a result the number of Photoshop filters has  exploded. Some plug-ins are very useful while others are useless. While plugins can simplify and speed up work, the trade-off is a great loss of flexibility. Working with many layers allows much more freedom and control in graphic design. I have a lot of plug-ins but I usually use the following:

1. The Alien Skin Xenofex set of plug-ins.

2. The Eye Candy 3 set of plug-ins.

3. The Eye Candy 4000 set of plug-ins.

4. The Kai’s Power Tools 6 set of plug-ins.

5. Ulead Type Plug-in.

6. Ulead Particle Plug-in

7. Extensis Mask Pro plug-in. If you don't have it , creating masks in Photoshop can become a nightmare. Get it. It's a timesaver.

8. Extensis Phototools set of plug-ins.

9. Extensis Photoframe helps me create cool frames in my pictures.

10. Auto/FX Photographic Edges plug-in.

GIFS AND ANIMATIONS

1. Ulead COOL 3D 3.0 lets designers create high-impact, animated 3D titles and graphics for Web pages, video titles and presentations. The best selling product in its category, Ulead COOL 3D delivers exciting creative features and new tools that give users more power to create professional-quality output in less time. 

2. Jasc Animation Shop 3 is a powerful yet easy-to-use program that creates animations from one or more graphic images and offers a wide variety of effects and transitions for enhancing animations. Used as a standalone application or as a complement to Paint Shop Pro, Animation Shop 3 allows users to easily create animations for use on a Web site or in a presentation. Animation Shop's straightforward interface allows anyone to create effective buttons, banners or other animated effects without a steep learning curve. You can also optimize ready animations by resizing them or reducing their file size.

3. Flash 5 can also be used to create high-impact, animated titles and graphics for Web pages, video titles and presentations.
   

3D IMAGE CREATION TOOLS

I will not include any 3d modeling software because I have never used any of them. I use simple programs that create 3d images from 2d vector shapes or text. 

1. Ulead COOL 3D 3.0 lets designers create high-impact, 3D titles and graphics.  The best selling product in its category, Ulead COOL 3D delivers exciting creative features and new tools that give users more power to create professional-quality output in less time. I use it to create 3d buttons and text in just a few minutes. I export them to Targa format with a transparent background and import them in Photoshop to further edit them.

2. I use Eye Candy photoshop plug-ins and Extensis Phototools plug-ins to give a 3d look to my text and graphics.

3. I use  Poser 4 to create images of human 3d models (they are ready to use, no modeling required). I often import  the models  into Swift 3d to create vector graphics from them. 

IMAGE AND FILE MANAGEMENT

1.  I use the Paint Shop Pro Browser, a tree-based browser similar to the Windows Explorer. It  is a visual file system that makes image file management easier and more intuitive. Use it to preview the images in a folder before opening them. 

2. ACDSee 3.1  is  the fastest, most powerful, and easiest-to-use image viewer available for Windows! ACDSee is several tools in one. A full-featured image viewer quickly displays your images in high quality. The image browser lets you efficiently find and organize your images. ACDSee also provides several image manipulation functions, including a convenient Photo Enhancer.

3. PicaView is  the fastest and easiest-to-use Explorer add-on for viewing images.displays thumbnail, format and dimensions of selected image in context menu. To access PicaView’s features, simply highlight an image file and click on it with the alternate (right) mouse button.

4. Mihov Background Tester can be used to test gif and jpg images and see how they would look as a tiled background. This is very useful for testing bacground images for home pages. Mihov Background Tester is FREE.

5. Retriever   is a quick and handy image viewer with an industry standard no fuss user interface. But you can do much more  with Retriever ,create thumbnails fast & easily,  create impressive contact sheets from thumbnails, save contact sheets as index images, or print them to get an image catalog. You can also  create a website with thumbnails automatically. It's unique  "Dupe Detective" finds dupes and similar images.

6. Ulead Smartsaver   is  the fastest and easiest-to-use Explorer add-on for optimizing gifs, pngs and jpgs. It works in two ways, as a photoshop plugin and as an explorer right-click add-on. I use it to convert an image to another format, resize it or reduce it's file size  in seconds without loading any program..
   

WEB THUMBNAILERS

ACDSee, Photoshop and Retriever can create web thumbnail pages of your photos. I have tried a lot of thumbnailers.  I personally use Web Album Creator.

Web Album Creator is a tool used to create attractive Photo Albums that can be easily published on the Internet. You can choose from a selection of Photo Album templates or use your own. The Photo albums are customizable and there are many features that allow you to construct the photo album as you see fit. Additionally, Web Album allows you to create catalogs with a Catalog Editor. The Catalog Editor allows you to personalize photos by attaching text and HTML to individual photos. All these settings and preferences can be stored in a catalog so they may be easily retrieved later on. Our online gallery was created with W.A.C.

Go to the top.