Fireworks (Macromedia's image-creation and -editing program) is a great complement to Dreamweaver and goes further than most graphics programs because it's one of the first image-editing programs designed specifically for the special needs of the Web.

Using Fireworks, you can automate your workflow, compress and prepare images for Web use, and create animations, fancy rollovers (images that change when you hover the mouse pointer over them), and special effects in a fraction of the time these tasks used to take. When you work with Dreamweaver and another graphics editor, it takes many steps between creating images and getting them into a Web page — one of the most time-consuming parts of building and maintaining a Web site. Fireworks and Dreamweaver together give you shortcuts, making the trips back and forth between the two programs much quicker and easier.

If you don't have Fireworks, you can download the free, 30-day trial. Sure, Fireworks isn't the only kid on the block -- you can accomplish the same tasks in Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Adobe Illustrator, Paint Shop Pro, and a bevy of other graphics programs -- but Fireworks works especially well when combined with Dreamweaver.