Adobe Certified Professional in Web Authoring Using Adobe Dreamweaver

ACP-DW · ● Active · Associate · Adobe

Exam facts

Vendor source — Adobe Certified Professional ↗
Exam delivery — Certiport Authorized Testing Centers ↗
Official FAQ — Adobe Certified Professional FAQ ↗

About

The Adobe Certified Professional in Web Authoring Using Adobe Dreamweaver validates competency in creating, publishing, and managing websites using Adobe Dreamweaver, the industry-standard visual web development environment. This Associate-level certification demonstrates practical knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript integration, responsive design, and modern web authoring workflows.

Introduced in its current form in 2021, it replaced the legacy Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) Dreamweaver CC credential and remains the primary Adobe certification for web designers and front-end developers using Dreamweaver. Unlike its predecessor, the ACP exam (delivered exclusively through Certiport's OnVUE platform and authorized testing centers) includes a significant performance-based component: candidates work directly in the live Dreamweaver application to demonstrate real-world skills alongside traditional multiple-choice questions.

The certification targets professionals with approximately 150 hours of hands-on Dreamweaver experience and validates practical competency in site architecture, information organization, semantic HTML structure, CSS-based responsive layouts, accessibility best practices, and site deployment workflows. The exam is particularly valued for entry-level web designer and junior front-end developer roles in creative agencies, freelance work, and in-house marketing/web departments.

Domain context — Web Design & Development

Web design and development encompasses the creation, styling, and interactive enhancement of websites and web applications. It bridges visual design (layout, color, typography) and front-end development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, responsive patterns). This domain ranges from entry-level web designers focused on visual composition to senior front-end developers managing complex interactive systems and frameworks.

Dreamweaver occupies a unique position as a WYSIWYG (visual) editor that also allows direct code editing—appealing to both designers transitioning to development and developers seeking rapid prototyping. While competitors like VS Code have gained market share for pure development work, Dreamweaver remains strong for teams that prioritize visual design-to-code workflows and integrated site management features (FTP publishing, asset organization, template systems). The ACP certification validates this specific toolset and the modern web standards knowledge required to use it effectively.

Read full deep dive — Adobe Creative Cloud → (file not yet created)

Topics covered

The ACP-DW exam blueprint covers web authoring fundamentals across six main domains:

• Workspace and Basic Navigation — Dreamweaver interface, project setup, workspace customization, file and folder management
• HTML Content Creation — Semantic HTML structure, headings (h1–h6), paragraphs, lists (ordered/unordered), emphasis, line breaks, blockquotes, spans, div containers, forms and data tables, accessibility attributes
• Media and Images — Image insertion and optimization, alt text, responsive image sizing, video and audio embedding, image scaling, SVG basics
• Links and Navigation — Internal links (relative and absolute paths), external links, email links, telephone links, named anchors, link targets
• CSS Styling and Layout — External stylesheets, internal styles, inline styles, CSS selectors and properties, @media queries, responsive design patterns, CSS Grid, Flexbox, Bootstrap integration
• JavaScript and Interactivity — Basic JavaScript integration, event handlers, form validation, DOM manipulation basics, third-party library integration (jQuery, Bootstrap components)

Source: Adobe Education Exchange — Web Authoring Using Adobe Dreamweaver ↗

Common skills at Web Design & Development · Associate

Foundational web design and development skills expected at Associate level — applicable across multiple front-end and web design certifications.

• HTML5 semantic markup and document structure (proper use of structural elements: header, nav, article, section, footer, etc.)
• CSS fundamentals (box model, positioning, flexbox, grid, cascade and inheritance)
• Responsive design and mobile-first principles (viewport meta tags, media queries, fluid typography)
• Color theory and visual hierarchy in web layouts (contrast, emphasis, typography pairing)
• Cross-browser compatibility testing and debugging (DevTools, browser-specific issues)
• Accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 baseline, alt text, keyboard navigation, semantic HTML role attributes)
• Web performance optimization basics (asset compression, lazy loading, image formats)
• Version control workflows (Git fundamentals, commit messages, branching patterns)

Recommended courses at Web Design & Development · Associate

Course selection notes: The Adobe Education Exchange (free) courses are official and exam-aligned but assume prior Dreamweaver exposure. Mindhub's dedicated ACP prep course bridges that gap and includes interactive labs. Udemy courses offer breadth but vary in instructor quality—filter by ACP-specific content. LinkedIn Learning is best for reinforcement after initial study. Platform Training provides structured, instructor-led prep but at premium cost.

Practice exams

Books

Note: Published books are based on the ACA (Associate) exam blueprint from 2015–2016. The current ACP (Professional) exam released in 2021 uses the same web authoring fundamentals, so these titles remain relevant preparation resources, though supplementary study of 2021+ exam objectives is recommended.

Typical job titles at Web Design & Development · Associate

Web Designer · Front-End Developer · UI Developer · Web Developer (Entry-Level) · Digital Designer · Junior Web Designer · Web Authoring Specialist

(Job titles drawn from current job-board postings that list Adobe Creative Suite skills or web design certifications as required or preferred.)

Salary

Salary note: Entry-level web designer positions (with 0–2 years experience) typically fall at the lower end of these ranges. Front-end developer roles (which often build on Dreamweaver + JavaScript skills) command 15–25% higher salaries. Regional variation is significant; London, Amsterdam, and Berlin command premiums over national averages.

Skills validated

Specific technologies and workflows tested by the ACP-DW exam — distinct from general web design fundamentals.

• Adobe Dreamweaver visual editing and code view workflows (Design panel, Code view synchronization, Split view)
• HTML5 semantic elements and document structure (DOCTYPE, head metadata, semantic tags vs div soup)
• CSS external stylesheets and media queries (linking best practices, cascade rules, mobile-responsive breakpoints)
• Responsive design with Flexbox and CSS Grid (flexible containers, auto-fit/auto-fill patterns, gap properties)
• Bootstrap framework integration (grid system, utility classes, component copy-paste integration into Dreamweaver)
• Image optimization (file formats: PNG vs JPG vs WebP, alt text authoring, srcset for responsive images)
• Form creation and accessibility (label association, input types, ARIA landmarks, error messaging patterns)
• JavaScript event handling and DOM manipulation in Dreamweaver (inline event attributes, external script linking, basic DOM queries)
• FTP/SFTP publishing workflows (Dreamweaver's built-in site management, file sync, remote connection setup)
• Accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1 Level A/AA, screen reader testing, keyboard-only navigation)
• Cross-browser testing practices (how to identify browser-specific rendering issues, testing tools)
• File and site management in Dreamweaver (templates, library items, asset organization, site definitions)

Related certifications

• Stacks with: Adobe Certified Professional in Visual Design Using Adobe XD ↗ (file not yet created)
• Next level: Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) credentials in Dreamweaver or UX/UI specializations (legacy; integration into ACP pathway under development)
• Replaces: Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) Dreamweaver CC (retired; ACP introduced 2021)
• Equivalents at this level: Google Mobile Web Specialist ↗ (file not yet created) · Front-end fundamentals via Codecademy / freeCodeCamp (non-vendor)
• Vendor overview: Adobe Vendor Overview → (file not yet created)

Sources

• Adobe Certified Professional Official Site
• Certiport Testing Centers & Exam Delivery
• Adobe Education Exchange — Web Authoring Using Adobe Dreamweaver
• Adobe Certified Professional FAQ
• Glassdoor — Web Designer Salaries (USD)
• PayScale — Web Designer Salaries (ZAR)
• Glassdoor UK — Web Designer Salaries (GBP)
• Coursera — Web Designer Salary Guide
• Jobted ZA — Web Designer Salaries
• Mindhub — E-Learning and Practice Exams
• O'Reilly — Learn Adobe Dreamweaver CC Study Guide

Last verified: 2026-05-01
Parent ecosystem: Adobe Creative Cloud →
Vendor overview: Adobe Overview →