Okay so I am a total newbie. I have read some forums and have taken a few tutorials on the basics of html, xml, javascript & css.
So here is my dilema. I kept hearing that Dreamweaver is a do it all for websites. In other words I thought you could design and code your website with all those pretty graphics all in one. However, when I tried navigating through Dreamworks, I can't seem to find any easy way to design a website with the exception of using CSS to change fonts, background colors, etc. I'm I crazy? So now I'm assuming you would also need a design software like Photoshop before moving your design over to Dreamweaver to code and make it functional no?

If so, please tell me if I have this right...

1. Create fully layered design in Photoshop?
2. Open up fully layered design in Dreamweaver and code design, images, text, etc?
3. Make the site functional with HTML and Javascript and off course other languages if needed?

Sorry for the dumb quesitons but I am a newbie who plans to dive into this field and I really want to make sure that if I take the time to learn softwares/coding that I am learning the right ones and also don't waste money on software that I do not need.

My main concern was also pretty much that I thought Dreamweaver could design and code your website but it seems like you need to do the graphical design in another program as Dreamweaver seems to be limited.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have never used dreamweaver, but know some people that swear by it. They are mostly designers though and not really programmers. It's not really a "do it all" program though. There are thousands of ways to develop websites of course, and you need to test different ways and find what works for you.

You could use html/css templates, use open source programs (which have templates as well) like wordpress, joomla, drupal to acheive what you want. Or learn how to code and develop yourself.

I guess it matters if you are trying to put up a site concept real quick or are trying to learn how.

I kept hearing that Dreamweaver is a do it all for websites

Well, what you 'heard' was wrong. Dreamweaver can help with the coding and layout - and CSS IS the way to do that - but it cannot do anything with graphics other than to display them via the HTML code.

So now I'm assuming you would also need a design software like Photoshop before moving your design over to Dreamweaver to code and make it functional no?

Absolutely correct, you need a graphics program.

1. Create fully layered design in Photoshop?

Correct.

2. Open up fully layered design in Dreamweaver and code design, images, text, etc?

No. Dreamweaver can't do a thing with a layered Photoshop file. You will have to 'slice' the design so that it fits properly into your HTML/CSS structure.

Have a look at this: http://www.cssslicingguide.com

3. Make the site functional with HTML and Javascript and off course other languages if needed?

You can't create a website without HTML.

You might also want to read this: http://www.subcide.com/tutorials/csslayout/

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. This really clears things up.