DH Templates - Creating Graphics for website?

Creating Graphics for website?

Hi all, I am in the initial stages of creating a website which will be based on CSS and XHTML I know there are loads and loads of free templates out there but what I really want to do is create my own grapics. Is Macromedia Fireworks a good package to use? Can anyone suggest anything better so that I can create some nice graphics for my website header, footer etc? Thanks

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I like free stuff! For my websites, I use ms paint to create my graphics. I use Irfanview, ( http://www.irfanview.com/ ), to convert the graphics from whatever to .bmp so that I can edit them in ms paint. I then use IrfanView again to convert them back to either .gif or jpg. Although I have both 'Photoshop' and 'Paintshop Pro'. I dont use them for much (too complicated for me I think). For special effects I use "DeKnob" http://home.hccnet.nl/s.j.francke/deknop/deknop.htm and "Rainbow Font" http://www.mermeliz.com/download/rbfont21.zip To compress my graphics so they load faster I use 'WebGraphics Optimizer': http://webopt.com/ (For examples of the graphics I have made using these tools you can see them at mermeliz.com, mermeliz.net, and allbgs.com)
if you want animation and a great way to present your website with style i would suggest using Macromedia. if you are editing pictures to put into your website as well as design intricately i would suggest Photoshop for it can handle your needs. i mainly use the two to create a website, i use photoshop to edit pictures and macromedia flash for animation, presentation, and layout. to get to the point, those are the things that works for me, you maybe familiar with macromedia and photoshop and it may work as well for you. but, if you are not, there are other medias out there that you are maybe familiar with. with patience and hard work im sure you can get the output your looking for if you optimize your time and work really hard at what you know instead of learning a new program which can set take more of your time. however, if you do have the time to learn new software programs about design for the betterment of your website, learning a few tricks might help.
You can find step by step guide how to create a website to website like http://webdesignehelp.in/