Travelers on the World Wide Web expect strong graphics. They appreciate animation that contributes to the subject as long as it doesn’t waste their time. Done well, animation draws attention to important details, shows how things work, and helps site navigation. But, graphics certainly weren’t first and foremost when the Web was created. The language used to display web pages is called HTML—short for HyperText Markup Language. It has evolved and continues to adapt to current needs and new ideas. The latest step in that evolution is HTML5, which combined with other technologies like CSS3, JavaScript, and jQuery, presents the beautiful interactive pages you visit today.

Instead of creating graphics and visual effects manually by writing code, artists can use Adobe Edge—a tool that’s a much better fit for designers. This chapter starts off by explaining how Edge works to write HTML code that a web browser can read. Then it offers a quick introduction to the main parts of the Edge workspace. Finally, you’ll take Edge for a test drive, where you’ll make an image move and create text that fades in and out. Your first hands-on experience will be quick and easy. Consider this first adventure an overview—the following chapters will reveal the details.