Design quality WordPress themes in a minute with Artisteer

January 30, 2009 • Reviews, WordPress by Emanuele Feronato • 48 Comments

Having a nice and original blog theme is very important if you want to distinguish from the crowd.

Unfortunately, designing a theme from scratch can be difficult due to a lot of variables to consider: header, sidebars, buttons, css and more.

There are a lot of free and not free themes available on the web, but the best ones are downloaded a thousand times every day… not exactly what I would call “unique”…

So I am going to introduce you a software able to create a quality WordPress theme in a matter of minutes, without any knowledge of HTML, Php, Css and so on.

It’s Artisteer and I am going to review it.

The most interesting idea about Artisteer is the “Suggest” button… you can let Artisteer suggest the whole theme, playing with more than 100 variables, or make it suggest only some features, such as typography, color schemes, buttons, menu and so on.

These are three randomly generated themes.

It’s important to know each theme was created in a click. In a review, some pictures are worth a thousand words.

The software is localized in all most popular languages (not italian, though)

I also would like you to see how a feature not so easy to code, like columns layout, can be easily set with a click

If you afraid you can’t choose a decent color scheme, Artisteer helps you with a wide range of preset palettes

Obviously every element of the blog is fully customizable through dialog windows… even interesting effects like shadows can be set in a click

Look… you can create drop down menus without writing a single line of javascript

How many tutorials did you read about round buttons? Here they are…

The header is fully customizable. You can choose from a set of buit-in images or upload your own. Don’t be afraid to miss a feature… there is a complete manual for you to read

The final test… the theme is finally ready anf I am about to export it… this is the fight of the night…

The software created all necessary files ready to be uploaded…

And here it is my blog with the new theme… fully compatible with WordPress 2.7

Artisteer costs $99.95 – about as much as ONE premium theme – until February 15, 2009, and there is a demo to let you test its features.

A must have.

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This post has 48 comments

ThomasTan

on January 31, 2009 at 2:02 am

Desktop is my game’s 2′nd NAME!!! Its called DesktopGames. Still Imaginary though
Gawd

on January 31, 2009 at 2:06 am

Pretty cool, I like that its just clicking buttons basically. :)
Shival

on January 31, 2009 at 8:01 am

Cool, when will your new theme be launched?
I also made a request earlier regarding bitmapdata with as3. Can you please do it again in as3?
Shival

on February 1, 2009 at 2:35 pm

Emanuele, please check your mail. I sent you my new game “Aster Roidd”
David

on March 13, 2009 at 9:50 pm

I wanted to purchase that software and try it out but it is just too expensive for me :(
Dmitriy

on July 30, 2009 at 4:15 pm

There is a new program that allows you to create and download WP themes directly from Photoshop (Divine plug-in). It will be interesting to both beginner and advansed users.
Senthil Ramesh

on October 24, 2009 at 4:52 am

That was a nice one I hope. Giving it a try now. I am glad I discovered a blog like this which gives me a plenty of information.
Kontaktlinsen Vergleich

on October 31, 2009 at 11:07 pm

This is the software I waiting for. Thx for the resume.
Terry

on January 13, 2010 at 5:45 am

Very nice tutorial and blog, thank you for sharing.

Does anyone know where I can find Artisteer project files to learn from?

Would have been a perfect post if the project file would have been shared, but understand if it is being used on a live site.

Terry
Omnia

on February 8, 2010 at 7:31 am

Really amazing , please allow me to add your link on my blog under “helpful recources for all” where I provide freelancers with helpful tools under different categories My blog is the interface of the first freelance portal in the middle East, check it yourself and you wouldn’t regret adding your link at lancerscafe.com
Best Regards
John

on February 21, 2010 at 8:31 am

I just tried Artisteer and I have been really happy with its suggest feature and prebuilt menus and layouts that one can easily modify, apply shadows etc. It really saves a lot of time spent on tweaking css to make it cross browser compatible.It’s actually not bad for cool blog-style themes! Tons of options and fun to play with too. I think it could help a lot of people struggling with trying to get the look they want
matrix

on May 17, 2010 at 12:05 pm

Working with artisteer for 3 weeks now, just amazing!
A simple design is set up in minutes, now I’m learning myself how to use small details to perfect the theme.
(Need to learn how to translate into dutch too)
cam mozaik

on May 24, 2010 at 4:59 pm

Thanks a lot! I am just learning Information.
Php and this was very easy to follow and helped a lot.
You really took time to explain every little bit.
Thanks again.
Hunter Gatherer

on June 25, 2010 at 8:48 pm

If you’re using Artisteer for theme development, you’re out of luck with WordPress 3.0 right now. It doesn’t support the new features in WordPress 3.0. Their development team is silent on it with no anticipated delivery date for an upgrade that is functional with 3.0.

If the fix it quick, I’ll change my tune. It was a great product, with few flaws under other versions of WordPress.

Until then, stay far, far away from Artisteer.
mike white

on July 7, 2010 at 2:12 pm

Great post. Will definitely be looking at Artisteer and hope that it will soon be supporting WordPress 3.0.
Ed

on July 13, 2010 at 2:51 pm

I use Artisteer also and will recommend it in a heartbeat to anyone new at web designing. You can create professional themes without any knowledge of PHP or CSS.
Ian@Giochi Gratis

on July 13, 2010 at 6:37 pm

nice tutorial
when will Artisteer support wordpress 3.0?
Stas

on July 19, 2010 at 2:13 pm

I use Codelobster PHP Edition with special WordPress plug-on for design WordPress themes.
Gold Coast girl

on July 22, 2010 at 7:28 am

Thanks for this brilliant post. I’m constantly in awe of WordPress. Really helpful article thank you.
Rick Allen

on August 3, 2010 at 4:54 pm

Just downloaded their pre-release upgrade version for WordPress 3.0 (I already have purchased Artisteer a while ago)..
On their site they say:
Artisteer 2.5 pre-release for WordPress 3.0 compatibility July 30, 2010

We are finalizing a new Artisteer update for WordPress 3.0 users and would like to share the current development version with customers who want to run early tests.

Artisteer 2.5 for Windows pre-release version (2.5.0.29814)

Here is a general summary of WordPress related changes, including WP 3.0 compatibility:

Custom Menu support
Multi-column widgetized footer area
Additional top and bottom widget areas
Post thumbnail / featured image support
Settings -> General -> Date Format option now works with Artisteer themes (previously the date format was retrieved from translations)

A remaining task for us to complete version 2.5 is to stylize the footer, either by options defined within Artisteer for Block, or for Article/Post.

Version 2.5 also includes fixes for minor issues reported to product support, including product stability improvements.

Another update, including Mac version, is expected mid-week.
MAR

on August 14, 2010 at 1:35 am

Artisteer is a great program. I do wish it came with more clip art though.
Web design Brisbane Adriana

on August 25, 2010 at 5:11 am

I think Artisteer is worth it. I t is not that expensive, and makes it easier to design your own web page. BUt I should add that before starting the design, you should understand the goals of the company. Need to remember that graphics is just another way to talk, but every image has a phrase implied in it.
Graphic Chick Brisbane

on August 25, 2010 at 6:53 am

I am new to WordPress but I love it and cant believe how much is possible.
Gold Coast girl

on August 30, 2010 at 3:33 am

Thanks for this helpful post. I’ll be sharing it with my friends.
1001webs

on September 5, 2010 at 3:32 pm

Great post, we specially appreciate all the screen-shots.
We also think Artisteer is an awesome piece of software. We specially like the way it handles CSS, perhaps you should have expanded that feature in your review.

Thanks anyway :)
5S

on September 7, 2010 at 6:55 pm

I have been using Artisteer for a couple months on a number of our company web pages all I can says it try out the free trial of it I did and purchased it the same day. If you want flexibility in WP then this is it.
yobcdarryl

on October 15, 2010 at 2:45 am

Does anyone know if yu can put the code in fanpages of facebook by changing to code in any way.
mexican mail order brides

on October 19, 2010 at 2:22 am

I’ve been on the fence with Artisteer. Trying to answer a question, maybe you can tell me. I want to create WordPress themes that I can distribute, that have Adsense placement already, so that someone can simply put their publisher ID.

Any help would be appreciated!

adele
Grass hopper

on November 4, 2010 at 10:23 am

Nice, it really looks very easy to work with, I am looking forward to giving it a go.
Eric

on November 25, 2010 at 12:02 pm

I have been using it for a while, it is just brilliant.
I asked them to expand to templates for online shops like eCommerce.
I am still struggling a bit to have my Artisteer WordPress templates to be widget ready, THAT would be the best, like a rotating header…
toko online

on December 11, 2010 at 6:16 am

nice tutorial dude!

will try artisteer soon
Sarah

on December 15, 2010 at 7:03 am

I have never developed a wordpress theme before and i had this misconception that it would be really hard to do. i thought you would need to be really good at CSS and programming.

You have proved me wrong.
Tom Chuong

on June 17, 2011 at 1:42 pm

Hey Emanuel,

I like your review on Artisteer. And I think your screen shots were great too since it helped me see how the software worked before downloading it. More than likely, I’ll be checking out the free trial, and probably making a purchase soon.
Richard Price

on July 21, 2011 at 12:17 am

I bought Artisteer a while ago and it is fantastic. It used to be a real pain finessing the fiddly parts of the template. Now I can now create a fantastic template that wows my clients in under an hour. An amazing investment if you are in the web development business.
Dyspraxia

on September 5, 2011 at 3:05 am

I have been looking for a way to make my own themes without needing much coding experience -this looks perfect!
hasan

on October 22, 2011 at 11:59 pm

cool ill try to do mine now !!
spieler

on November 1, 2011 at 6:18 pm

Great post. Will definitely be looking at Artisteer and hope that it will soon be supporting WordPress 3.0.
graphic design junky

on February 6, 2012 at 1:28 am

thats a pretty sweet piece of software – even if only for client mock-ups. Thanks for sharing!
Rob, Robot Vacuum

on February 6, 2012 at 5:40 am

I have received a 2 column design from our designer using Atisteer 3.1. Every thread seems to say just match div tags and away you go. My experience isn’t even close. I can get the header to match but then after that things fall apart.

As a baseline I have excellent HTML but moderate CSS skills. I am more of a server developer. I am just looking for a steer not for anyone to solve it for me. Any help would be appreciated
cambalkon

on July 8, 2012 at 12:40 am

I have received a 2 column design from our designer using Atisteer 3.1. Every thread seems to say just match div tags and away you go. My experience isn’t even close. I can get the header to match but then after that things fall apart.
Artificial Grass Melbourne

on July 9, 2012 at 1:34 pm

yeah artisteer is awesome for basic stuff. Anything else I would just go for a sweet wordpress theme that is already built.
Artisteer Awards, Articles & Reviews, Videos & Tutorials « imthymohamed

on July 12, 2012 at 9:17 pm

[...] Design quality WordPress themes in a minute with Artisteer [...]
sineklik

on July 24, 2012 at 3:03 pm

I am still struggling a bit to have my Artisteer WordPress templates to be widget ready, THAT would be the best, like a rotating header…
dugun salonu

on July 26, 2012 at 5:11 pm

yeah artisteer is awesome for basic stuff. Anything else I would just go for a sweet wordpress theme that is already built.
küpe?te

on August 19, 2012 at 10:45 pm

I am still struggling a bit to have my Artisteer WordPress templates to be widget ready, THAT would be the best, like a rotating header
bmw servis

on November 7, 2012 at 3:35 pm

Nice, it really looks very easy to work with, I am looking forward to giving it a go….
Michael

on February 22, 2013 at 12:10 pm

I wouldn’t suggest paying for this program. In my experience with the amount of bugs I encountered it is actually quicker to code a website from scratch. Customer support only offers you a load of dribble and will not refund even after multiple problems. Expect to pay to be their software tester b*tch.
Mohsen

on March 9, 2013 at 2:11 pm

is’t possible to make template news or ads by the Artisteer program, and how?

italian geek and PROgrammer

This post has 48 comments

ThomasTan

Gawd

Hunter Gatherer

Michael