Tools for developers and clients
Programs/Apps/Tools I use
Here’s a list of selected programs/apps/tools I use on a regular basis.
Inspiration (mind-mapping, diagramming)
Irfanview (Image browsing/editing/processing; Windows) [FREE]
- Could not do without this. Have used it forever. Unbelievable that it’s free.
Notepad++ (coding and everyday notekeeping) [FREE]
- Goodbye Notepad; goodbye WordPad; take a rest, Word.
PhpStorm (IDE)
Snagit (screen captures, screen recording)
Sony Vegas Movie Studio (video editing; Windows)
TreeSize Free (file management) [FREE]
Trello (todo lists, project management) [FREE]
- Another cannot-do-without app. In it all day long. Clients know this. My blog posts about Trello.
VS Code (coding) [FREE]
Colors
The Web can display 16,777,216 colors, about 256 of which are variations of gray. So, instead of asking me to “make something gray” or to make something “a shade lighter”, please use any of these fabulous tools to find (and give me the color codes for) exactly what you want. These Web sites also allow you to create color schemes.
Coolors.co for Color Schemes
Beware of rabbit hole!
This is a fantastic online resource for creating color schemes — and more. You can…
- start from the Coolors home page
- generate a palette from scratch
- explore (and copy) trending palettes (e.g., search for “military” or “Christmas”, or click on tags)
- grab colors from your photos to create palettes
- calculate contract ratio of text and background colors
- recolor SVG artwork
Adobe Color for Color Schemes
This Adobe site is similar to Coolors.co, but the color-scheme generator is a bit more technical and perhaps more geared to graphics professionals. Using the Adobe color wheel, you can easily explore specific colors and find the exact one you want.
HTML Color Codes dot Com
Start with color picker and then select harmonies.
Web Fonts
Google Fonts
Jump here and start exploring. Google fonts integrate wonderfully for WordPress Web sites.
Once upon a time, the Google Fonts Web site include a feature that suggested font pairings (i.e., which fonts go with other fonts). If that feature still exists, I can’t find it. In its absence, I suggest you try a Web search like this. If you find good resources, please let me know.
Icons
Royalty Free Images, etc.
Pixabay (free)
Unsplash (free)
Pexels (free)
Microsoft Designer: Create images with AI
Premium Plugins
Here is a listing of premium plugins I most commonly use on web projects. For most projects, I use my developer licenses for these plugins in the early stages of development. After launch, I will typically ask you either (a) to obtain your own licenses for any of these plugins on use in your website or (b) to “sublet” these premium plugins from me, for a price that is discounted from the retail price you would pay the plugin vendors. The links for each premium plugin takes you to its pricing page.