Between the Lines

Larry Dignan, Andrew Nusca and Rachel King

Adobe dumbs down website building with Muse

By | August 15, 2011, 9:56am PDT

Summary: Adobe has unveiled a new software tool for graphic designers that simplifies website creation.

Adobe has expanded its design software collection with the introduction of Muse, which is basically InDesign for website creation.

The concept of the program itself is quite simple, and it is meant to be so. Muse enables graphic designers to create and build websites quickly and easily without confining templates or any kind of code input. The pages will still be written behind the scenes in HTML5 and CSS3.

Some of the available tools and features in the current version include:

  • “Easy-to-use” site maps and master page
  • Drag-and-drop customizable widgets (i.e. navigation menus)
  • Ability to embed HTML snippets from YouTube, Facebook and other sources
  • Customizable interactive elements (i.e. slideshows, remote rollovers, etc.)

Users can also create Adobe-hosted trial sites for testing purposes. To be sent to clients, the site has to be converted to a paid Adobe-hosted site or exported via FTP to other hosting providers.

Now in beta mode for free, Adobe Muse is available to download and use starting today, and it requires Adobe AIR to run. However, it’s only available in English for the moment.

The debut of Muse follows another big release for Adobe. Earlier this month, Adobe unveiled Edge, a new motion and interactive design software program for developing natively in HTML5.

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Topics

Rachel King is a staff writer for ZDNet based in San Francisco.

Disclosure

Rachel King

Rachel King has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted in this blog.

Biography

Rachel King

Rachel King is a staff writer for CBS Interactive in San Francisco. Before serving as a contributing editor at ZDNet in New York City for two years, she previously worked for The Business Insider, FastCompany.com, CNN's San Francisco bureau and the U.S. Department of State. Rachel has also written for MainStreet.com, Irish America Magazine and the New York Daily News, among others. Rachel has a B.A. in Mass Communications and History from the University of California, Berkeley and a M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, where she served as art director for the student magazine, Plated.

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prom dresses
Prom dress 15th Oct
This is how I can create and share from within Illustrator online reviews for clients and colleagues down the hall or around the world and publish new review to the web and see comments in Illustrator so you can track feedback on specific design elements.
0 Votes
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Title uses "Dumbs down"
People 15th Aug
Summary uses the better word, simplifies.

Since when does simplification = dumbing down?

Seems like an honorable goal to me.

Sensationalize much?
0 Votes
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@People - to depend less on expensive skilled labor is alwayd good...

Until you run out of customers with money...
0 Votes
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RE: Adobe dumbs down website building with Muse
HypnoToad72 Updated - 15th Aug
Technology always simplifies and dumbs down. That's why web developers will suffer while designers will still get crumb$...
0 Votes
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Very Cool
Dori79 15th Aug
I think it's great that Adobe is releasing new products. I'm still pretty much a hack with Photoshop and Illustrator though... Unfortunately, the learning curve is beginning to get to be too great for some of us. **** mens jewelry****
@Dori79
How much spamming pays? wink Is anyone buying that "mens jewelry" stuff?
I think it is the missing link between all the print/web design programs out there. See some other thoughts http://browsingideas.com/adobe-muse-web-design-software-for-print-designers/
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prom dresses
Prom dress 15th Oct
This is how I can create and share from within Illustrator online reviews for clients and colleagues down the hall or around the world and publish new review to the web and see comments in Illustrator so you can track feedback on specific design elements.

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