muse vs dreameaver

Muse and Dreamweaver serve different purposes in web design. Muse is for code-free website creation, while Dreamweaver is a more advanced tool that allows both visual design and manual coding. Muse is simpler but limited, whereas Dreamweaver offers greater flexibility for professionals who prefer coding or intricate design. Adobe has officially discontinued Muse, so for the latest features and support, Dreamweaver might be a more future-proof choice.

I have read all the comments posted here, to date. 

I am not a great code person.  Although, I have written code, back in the 90s using MS Word, to make websites.  It was training for Microsoft certification.  I have many coding books, but have not been able to grasp it.  My talents lie elsewhere.

I have owned several versions of Dreamweaver, but I just need a basic website.  The website will not be for purchasing, it is to show a portfolio of work.  It will list services available and a contact form for questions.  It will include samples of work.

I have a question, if you save your Muse website, then send it to HTML, don't you still have the original Muse files to work with to make changes, assuming you are a subscriber?  I see many saying once you publish you cannot edit.  Why can't you go back to the original files and make your changes (especially if new widgets are available to do what you wish that may not have been previously available)?  Or is this just for when one entity makes it and publishes that another does not have access to those files to change the site?  Just looking for clarification here.  Although, I believe it is the lack of Muse files because they didn't do the original creation.

I just found Muse this past weekend when I restarted my CC subscription after having it off for 10 months because the cost was not worth the minimal usage I was getting from the products.  I had reverted to my Adobe Master Suite CS5.

Something else that sticks out, is the lambasting of Muse because newbies find they can create decent websites and then sell them to others who, as they grow, cannot get more functionality from them.

Consider this, those who purchased those services from a Muse user, most likely was looking for cheap.  They got cheap.  Maybe they were informed, at the time of purchase (maybe) that the site would be limited in growth and functionality.  Maybe the $$$$ dictated their decision.  It is possible a very talented designer made the site to the client's needs and budget.  The client never believing it would be expensive to make changes in the future, should they be warranted.  Maybe....

Just saying that not every situation was a "developer" selling a service because they can, but a client wanting as much as they can get, as quick as they can, for as little as possible.  I see that everyday.  Then when they need the growth, they seem shocked to find out their page is inadequate.

I have a very basic question to do with both these programs. I would like to purchase Muse and I have one last question I must ask; does the program work off 32bit operating system. I have to upgrade to 64bit on this substandard machine which gets me by for now. I was thinking of changing to Linux of upgrading my system. It costs the same in changing the motherboard et al to get get a whole new laptop or desktop. Can both these programs or either be run on basic pc 32bit processor? Thanks, Liam

I've been using Muse for over a year now. And all I can say is that it's platform where non-coders with strong graphic design background can also shine or begin their journey to full-time web coding and design.

Some resist Muse because it's like the same issue about Photoshop - That if someone knows Photoshop, they're already designers. So when some non-coding graphics professional uses Muse, they can say that they are a web designer.

Our industry changes, folks. It's not the same as it was back in the 90's and 80's. Tools are introduced every year that aims to give the output our clients want from us.

Think about how the combination of Muse widgets can simulate the same effects of a hand-written CSS or code. I can drop anchors in Muse and make buttons and effects with slideshows and with a really good image and good color combinations and style. Muse is now responsive too - I can do different designs per screen size.

I won't rule out Dreamweaver because it's the pioneer platform of Web Designing. I am still getting around it as of typing this. It challenges me to go beyond Muse and overcome that barrier of not coding.

Our imagination and design intellect is the only thing that separates us from the beginners and non-pros.

It's all going to boil down with output in this industry. I just hope we all stop feeling the indifference and support each Adobe User here who wants to develop themselves in Web Design. Muse is a good start and it can also stay and provide great results for those who are skilled enough to use it.

As a creative director that needs to effectively communicate intent to both developers AND designers, I'll offer my rationale for using Muse in a professional capacity.

My designers and I have limited coding experience, so being able to QUICKLY brainstorm functions and general aesthetics of a client's site internally is very important. I use Muse with my designers to build a functioning mock-up, while my developers hand code the site based on those specifications. For me, Muse is for creating the scale model, an application like Dreamweaver is for constructing the actual building. (For what it's worth, my developers refuse to use any WYSIWYG program, they are hand-coders all the way and prefer Coda or Atom to build sites. Masochists, but perfectionists to say the least.)

So, as an internal visualization tool, Muse excels at quickly creating functional test sites, but in the end is never used to develop the final product for client work or more robust sites where clean code and editing capabilities are key.

The suggestion that MU & DW is the best advice. The right tool & skill set for the right budget.

I thought I'd give an opinion from a complete newb:

It was recommended to me, after I had started to learn a bit of html and css, that I try out Muse as a way to instantly create websites using my artistic creativity and layout experience. Then, when I've learned more code, I can transition to Dreamweaver or plain code using Muse as a layout editor that gets basic site functionality up quickly to show clients.

So obviously I have not started that transition yet but:

I will say that in my first few experiences with Muse, as a complete beginner and as an artist it has been amazing. I was able to create a basic website layout and publish it to my domain host to see my work within just a few hours. While my website is rudimentary thus far and I can't speak to the concerned coders complaining on this forum, it honestly looks beautiful despite not knowing a thing about Muse or hosting prior to today. I would, like one of the responders, highly recommend Muse in the very least for true beginners who are learning code and want something tangible to keep them from getting discouraged.

-giz

Hi All.

I have read through everyones opinions.

Muse...

Quick and easy to get going with. Build a site in no time. Lots of cool features. However, heavy on the coding etc.

Dreamweaver...

To use dreamweaver... don't learn dreamweaver... learn HTML, CSS and Jquery... then dreamweaver starts to make sense.

I have been in the print trade for over 20 years and have been using trainsimple recently to learn new skills as print has changed so much.

I have produced an ibook with interactive quizzes for One Direction (Never published in the end because of licensing issues world wide).

I have produces an ibook for a presentation for McDonalds via the same company... which they loved.

They both had all the drag and drop games. crosswords, word searches etc... and all because I started using adobe edge animate. (I was informed by someone very high up in the pushing industry that what I have done is not possible in ebooks and they were amazed in what I achieved).

I also use adobe BC. I have created sites using muse and Dreamweaver and made them work with a lot of functions with adobe BC.

One programme can't do it all (if it does then there is a lot of work involved)

Combine them and use the right programme for the right job.  Thats what I do.

We are all up against the "free" do it your self websites... (Which are heavy in code but are still good)

So...

You hard core HTML CSS coders... play around with Muse and things like adobe edge.

And you inspirational designers... Start learning some Coding.

There is some amazing stuff coming in the next few years... So don't get left behind and learn new programmes. Just look at the progresion of muse and dreamweaver over the last couple of years.

Muse is built for professional web designers who want to create websites without needing to write code. The code Muse produces is web standards compliant and works across all common browsers and devices - not just modern browsers. We spend a lot of time improving the code Muse produces while still supporting older browsers. If you want to dig deeper into our code check out our engineering blog: Adobe Muse CC Engineering Team

Dreamweaver is built for professional web developers who want to hand-code the websites they create. If you're comfortable writing HTML/CSS/JS then it's the tool for you.

If you happen to fall somewhere in the middle, where you want to design websites without code in Muse but need to add some functionality Muse doesn't yet support, then we have extensibility for writing code that can be used in Muse. Read about it here: MuCow Documentation

Brian Thomas

Product Manager - Adobe Muse