Adobe posts Muse, iWeb-inspired tool for building web sites “without writing code”

Adobe today released public beta of a new graphics design software, code-named Muse, aimed at web site designers. The release arrived on the heels of , another Adobe tool that takes the pain out of creating motion and interaction on the web. Muse lets you create pretty HTML web sites with no prior knowledge of HTML5 and CSS3 standards, or so Adobe claims: Create websites as easily as you create layouts for print. You can design and publish original HTML pages to the latest web standards without writing code. Now in beta, Muse makes it a snap to produce unique, professional websites. The official 1.0 release is planned for early 2012, when $15 a month ($180 a year). A showcases examples of Muse-built web sites incorporating HTML code snippets from sources including Google Maps, YouTube and Facebook. Muse also features other standard design elements, ranging from widgets and slideshow galleries to navigation menus. You can even host your creation on Adobe’s servers for a fee, in addition to your other hosting providers. Muse is a free download available from . Note that you will need Adobe’s AIR run-time installed in order to run Muse. Full release below the fold. Gizmodo Public Beta of New Software for Designing HTML Websites Without Writing Code SAN JOSE, Calif. – Aug. 15, 2011 – Today Adobe Systems Incorporated unveiled the public beta of Muse (code name), software that enables graphic designers to design and publish professional, unique HTML websites without writing code or working within restrictive templates. Leveraging the latest Web standards including HTML5 and CSS3 where browser support exists, Muse combines precise design and creative freedom with innovative frameworks for adding navigation, widgets and HTML to include advanced interactivity on a site. “The ability to build websites as easily as laying out a page in InDesign is one of the most popular requests from our design customers,” says Lea Hickman, vice president of Design and Web product management at Adobe. “Those who have tested Muse are thrilled that something this intuitive yet powerful is now available.” Designers are invited to learn more about Muse by visiting http://muse.adobe.com where they can download the free beta (English only), see a gallery of Muse-created websites, and access instructional tutorials. Plan, Design and Publish Unique and Interactive Websites: · Easy-to-use sitemaps, master pages, and a host of flexible, site-wide tools make it fast and intuitive to plan the website layout. · Designers can combine imagery, graphics, and text with complete control, flexibility and power, similar to the functionality in Adobe InDesign. Muse provides drag and drop customizable widgets like navigation menus. Users can add fully customizable interactive elements including slideshows, Tooltips and remote rollovers. · Muse embeds HTML code snippets from sources including Google Maps, YouTube and Facebook. · Muse allows for the creation of Adobe-hosted trial sites for testing and review purposes. A site can be sent to clients, converted to a paid Adobe-hosted site or exported for FTP to other hosting providers.