Atom is a free and open-source code editor developed by GitHub, available for macOS, Linux, and Windows. I especially enjoy the smart autocompletion integrated tool that helps you write code faster. You can easily tweak the look by customizing the syntax theme and add packages to extend features and functionality.
Recommended Applications for Web Designers
When it comes to web design, the applications you use play an essential part in your productivity and results. Check out my list of greatly useful applications for web designers and front-end developers below.
Want to know what's inside my web designer toolbox? Make sure to have a look at all the tools and resources I use to get things done.
DesktopServer
Available on both Macintosh and Windows, DesktopServer is an application that should be included in every web developer’s workflow! It has saved me countless hours in creating and testing sites locally before deploying them online. Using this software is as simple as giving your site a name and clicking a few buttons.
1Password
1Password is a Macintosh program that remembers all your passwords for you, and keeps them safe and secure behind the one password that only you know. Use tags and the integrated search engine to quickly find what you’re looking for on any of your devices. 1Password has become my go-to app of choice for password management.
World Clock Pro
If you interact with people in different countries like I do, you know how difficult it is to coordinate a meeting when the parties are in different timezones. Available from the App Store for about $5, World Clock gives you a visual representation of what time of day it is for your co-workers and clients around the world.
Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe Creative Cloud is a SaaS (software as a service) offering from Adobe that gives users access to a collection of software for graphic design, video editing, web development, photography, and cloud services. I personally subscribed to the Photography plan which includes Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC.
Skitch
Skitch is an app that gives you all the tools you need to visually communicate ideas, share feedback and collaborate with clients. Use an existing image or capture a screenshot, then write on it, draw on it, annotate it any way you like, and save it to your Evernote account so that it is available everywhere Evernote is.
Dropshare
Dropshare for Mac is a menu bar app that enables you to upload files, screenshots and even directories to your own server like Amazon S3, Rackspace, Google Drive, etc. One thing I really like about it is that you can set up a custom URL shortener for your upload URLs. This is very helpful when sharing links on social media.
Evernote
Evernote is a cross-platform, freemium app designed for note taking, organizing, and archiving. It allows you to create a note which can be a piece of formatted text, a full webpage or webpage excerpt, an image, a voice memo, or a handwritten note. I use Evernote mostly to store research for both personal and professional projects.
Magnet
When developing a website, you constantly juggle between applications and multiple windows. Here comes Magnet, a Macintosh program that focuses solely on window management. Drag windows to the corners and Magnet snaps them into quarters. Use side edges to arrange horizontal and vertical halves. That’s it!
Color Picker
Color Picker is a Macintosh utility application that allows you to choose any color from everywhere on your screen then preview its Hexadecimal, RGB, NSColor and UIColor code values. The features I like the most is the magnifier tool and the librairies where you can save as many colors as you want for future use.
OneTab
Available for both Chrome and Firefox, OneTab is a free extension you should definitely get. Whenever you find yourself with too many tabs opened (hint: all the time), close them all with a click and save them as a simple list. When you need to access the tabs again, you can either restore them individually or all at once.