Where to start?

[ProcalX]

I have alot of ideas for some websites jotted down, first off i want to get a personal website up and running just to get me started..

I have experience of php/mysql/html, but i have a lack of knowledge about CSS/Flash/Graphic design.

I was basically self taught using frontpage : /

Someone help me on where to start, i've been told fireworks & photoshop are a good place to start.

I just want to create a clean, centered, rectangle site with an image or two on the left as a depiction of my photography work and the links at the top of the page, with each pages content appearning on the right hand side.

Nothing flash, just neat, simplistic and modern, i'm fed up with the limitations of my knowledge, where should i start from your perspective?

[webguy_dave]

Fireworks and Photoshop are superb tools for doing all the design work for your websites. You say you just want to create simple, clean, modern graphics so fireworks would be ideal for this where as Photoshop is a much more sophisticated tool for creating much more advanced graphics.

The way i learned to design was simply by "playing" around with the design tools and learning that way. Also, i carried out loads and loads of graphic design tutorials on the internet (tutorials that learned me how to create buttons, interfaces, etc etc).

I also went throught the help menus that come with the fireworks and photoshop to gain the basic knowledge and give me a good foundation to build upon.

I greatly reccommend these two sites, they are packed full of excellent fireworks and photoshop tutorials:

http://www.pixel2life.com
http://www.tutorialized.com

...so just to re-iterate, you just have to start going through tutorials, read the programs help files, and basically just "play" around with the tools to learn how to use them.

Hope this helps!!
Dave