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A Word About Slicing and Exporting Pages
Both Macromedia Fireworks and Adobe Photoshop provide image slicing and exporting functions. However, I prefer the slicing and exporting tools found in Fireworks better than in Photoshop. On the other hand, I like the typographic effects, image editing features, and overall design control I get with Photoshop. Navigation and button bar in Macromedia Fireworks (You can make navigation bars and buttons in Macromedia Fireworks quickly and easily. Buttons can be sliced and exported to make navigation bars for use in Macromedia Dreamweaver.) As well, in many cases, I have legacy documents that are in Photoshop file format. My point here is that I use both applications when I design Web site screens. You might favor one over the other. But for slicing, exporting, and integration with Dreamweaver, Fireworks wins hands down in my opinion. Not to worry though, Fireworks opens native Photoshop files with layers and the text is completely editable.
As long as versions are up to date, the integration is seamless. You could design all your pages and navigation graphics in Photoshop and then open them in Fireworks to optimize, slice, and export. If you create pages in Photoshop, you can save the files as PSD format. Then, you can open the PSD file directly in Fireworks. You can tweak the page and slice and export. Lastly, you can save the file as PNG so that it is easily edited and re-exported in the future. Macromedia was purchased by Adobe in April 2005, but Fireworks and Photoshop still remain individual products.
In the future, it will be interesting to see how Adobe integrates the applications to create a Web graphics tool that will enable even the newest Web portfolio designer to create Web screens and output them to Web pages quickly and easily. The process is good now, however there always be improvements made to digital workflows as technol- ogy progresses. We have overviewed various pieces in the Web production process up to this point.
Best Colors For Web Designing
There are many web design tutorials that cover Web color in detailed scientific terms. However, for our objectives, let’s briefly discuss Web color and how it will be used in the Web portfolio. You will need to develop a color scheme for your Web portfolio pages. This means that you will designate colors for your page background, the type used on the page and any other static elements that reside in the page. There are two types of color that can be used in Web graphics. The colors can be associated with the Web graphic file formats we just mentioned: GIF and JPG. GIF
GIF files use index color. Index color consists of 216 common colors found on all computer monitors and within all Web browsers. These common colors reside in a Web palette. The Web palette of colors is available in Macromedia Fireworks and Adobe Photoshop so they can be used in design of Web screens without variance of color when the pages are on the Internet. Also, the Web palette is the standard color palette in Macromedia Dreamweaver and Macromedia Flash. This allows us to achieve consistent color across Web applications and Web browsers.
We use Web colors for:
Benefits Of A Content Managed Website
Having a content management system (CMS) built into your website design is one of the most commonly requested requirements from our customers. But what are the benefits of a CMS and why would your business need one?
1) Manage the content yourself A CMS enables you to update your site’s content as and when you need to. You are in complete control of updates and do not have to wait for your turn in the development queue for your changes to be implemented – changes are instant too. With our CMS your website can be updated from any where and on any computer using a simple administration area and an internet connection of course!
2) Cost free updates! Along the same lines as point one but worthy of it’s own point is cost free updates. As you manage the content yourself you do not need to pay a third party to do the changes for you. For instance, say your developer had a minimum charge of £35 you could end up paying at least £35 every time you request a change no matter how small. With a CMS you can eliminate these charges and save yourself money.
3) Keeping it fresh and up-to-date Updating your content on a regular basis shows customers that you company is evolving and will keep them coming back to visit. For example, a news area will allow you to publish all your company’s news and let customers keep up to date with your company’s developments.
