Professional Web Design: Techniques and Templates- P12

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Professional Web Design: Techniques and Templates- P12: This is the must-have book for designers who want to expand their skills and improve the quality of their designs. Learning CSS technology and continually improving one's design and developer skills is essential for every Web designer in today's marketplace. The goal of Professional Web Design: Techniques and Templates is to educate beginning-to-intermediate Web designers on the various issues involved with Web design through general discussion, case studies, and specific tips and techniques....

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532 Chapter 18 ■ Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Figure 18.27 Winning version of the redesign of the page in Figure 18.25. Copyright † 2010 Medcomgroup.com. Used with permission. to simplify, improve usability, and to increase the professional appearance to help increase credibility (see Figure 18.28). Due to budgetary restraints, there was only one design created for this page, and no A/B experiment was conducted. The redesigned page, however, did convert 16 percent of users (see Figure 18.29). The next logical step would be to start testing versions of this page to increase this conversion percentage. Summary There are many variables when it comes to increasing CRO. They can be remembered by the acronym FLICC: functionality, layout, imagery, color, and Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
Summary 533 Figure 18.28 Preexisting version on the rental page. Copyright † 2010 Medcomgroup.com. Used with permission. content. Understanding these areas is the first step in understanding how to increase conversion rates. Fortunately, unlike years ago, testing is now a very viable option, thanks to Google’s free Web site Optimizer application. The application allows designers to conduct A/B and multivariate tests. Included case studies give the designer an idea of the what experiments will show, which, many times, is a better use of money than simply paying to acquire more users through SEO. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
534 Chapter 18 ■ Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Figure 18.29 Redesigned version on the rental page. Copyright † 2010 Medcomgroup.com. Used with permission. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
chapter 19 Customizing the Designs Included in This Book There are 230 templates included with this book, which contain both pure CSS and table-based XHTML Web designs, email signatures, e-newsletters, and Photoshop designs, which do not have code written for them. All the files are constructed in similar fashions, respectively, which makes understanding and customizing them a fairly consistent process. This chapter not only explains how to customize such templates, but it also provides basic Photoshop tips that can be used to customize the templates quickly. Steps to Customizing a Template There are six basic steps to customizing a template. The basic process involves customizing and saving a Photoshop file, which outputs PNG, GIF, and JPG files that are then displayed, along with any text, by preprogrammed XHTML (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets, and possibly JavaScript files. Following are the six steps: 1. Open the main Photoshop file. The design used for this chapter is design 57 (see Figure 19.1). 2. Customize images and colors in the Photoshop file(s). 3. Optimize and save necessary images that will be used by precoded XHTML, CSS, and possibly JavaScript files. 535 Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
536 Chapter 19 ■ Customizing the Designs Included in This Book Figure 19.1 The design that is customized in this chapter. 4. Open XHTML, CSS, or JavaScript files with an HTML editor. 5. Customize text and any other code. 6. Test the design. Step 1: Open the Main Photoshop File After copying the files from the DVD and pasting them into a directory, the designer needs to locate and open the main design file (design_57.psd) in Photoshop (see Figure 19.2). Note Figure 19.2 represents one example of how the files would look on a hard drive after being saved from the DVD. If the reader were looking at the files from the DVD, the design_57 folder would appear under the DVD drive (the E: drive in this case). This is all relative to the individual's system. Note The templates included with this book are saved in Photoshop version 6 or higher. Adobe has continually changed how its software handles text, and the newer versions are no exception. When opening a file in a more recent version, Photoshop will ask if the reader wants to update the file (see Figure 19.3). Selecting Update will cause the vector-based text to have its positioning slightly readjusted. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
Steps to Customizing a Template 537 Figure 19.2 The location of the files after being saved to the hard drive. Step 2: Customize Images and Colors Making and saving changes in Photoshop (see Figure 19.4) will change all the images in a design and many of the colors as well. Colors that are not changed when saving a Photoshop file can be changed in the XHTML or CSS files. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
538 Chapter 19 ■ Customizing the Designs Included in This Book Figure 19.3 Photoshop dialog box asking if a file should have text updated. Figure 19.4 Design in Photoshop with customized colors and photos. Step 3: Optimize and Save Necessary Images Once changes have been made to the Photoshop file, the designer will need to save the file so that the necessary PNG, GIF, and JPG images are saved from the sliced Photoshop file. Following are the steps to do so: 1. Select the Save For Web option from Photoshop’s File menu (see Figure 19.5). Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
Steps to Customizing a Template 539 Figure 19.5 Design being optimized with Photoshop's Save For Web function. 2. Click on the Slice Select tool from the menu on the left (see Figure 19.6). 3. Select a slice to be optimized and select the compression on the right side of the window (see Figure 19.7). Note If the designer changes the type of image a slice is saved as, such as GIF to JPG, the file extension must be changed in the CSS or XHTML template as well. For example, if photo_middle_right is changed from a JPG file to a GIF file, all references to photo_middle_right.jpg in the template must be changed to photo_middle_right.gif. 4. Ensure that all changed slices of the template are still compressed to the best level possible. 5. Select Save in the top-right area of the Save For Web window. 6. Select Replace in the Replace Files window. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
540 Chapter 19 ■ Customizing the Designs Included in This Book Figure 19.6 Slice Select tool in the Save For Web window. Figure 19.7 The slice that has its file type and compression assigned in the Save For Web window. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
Steps to Customizing a Template 541 Note Once a user clicks on Replace, Photoshop will save all slices as either PNGs, GIFs, or JPGs from the file and place them in an Images subdirectory below where the design_57.html file is saved. Step 4: Open an XHTML (HTML), CSS, or JavaScript File All three file types can be opened in any HTML editor. In Figure 19.8, the sample file is opened in Adobe’s ColdFusion Studio. This software is pretty much extinct in Web development; however, any quality software will be somewhat similar in style. It also shows that the designer does not need the latest and greatest software for such development. A reader, in fact, could even use basic text editing software, such as Notepad, which is included with Microsoft operating systems. Figure 19.8 A file opened in Adobe's ColdFusion Studio HTML editing software. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
542 Chapter 19 ■ Customizing the Designs Included in This Book Step 5: Customize Text and Code Once a template file has been opened in an HTML editor, it can be easily mod- ified and saved however the designer may choose. Following are suggestions for customizing such files: ■ Always save a backup to revert to or pull original pieces of code from, if necessary. ■ Check pages in a browser frequently (refer to step 6). ■ Switch the CSS or border value to 1 where code is being customized. This allows the designer to understand better how the design is constructed. ■ Ensure that the location and image name for each menu item is consistent when working with XHTML templates that use mouseovers in the menu (see Listing 19.1). No two menu items can have the same location and image names. Listing 19.1 Unique JavaScript Names for Mouseover Code menu item 1 Note This suggestion is only applicable to the table-based XHTML templates included with the book. Step 6: Test the Design As soon as a designer makes a change to a template, it should be opened in a browser or, better yet, in various browsers, depending on how thoroughly the Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
Steps to Customizing a Template 543 designer wants to test the code. Then, as changes are made to the template from the HTML editor, the designer should refresh the browser(s) continually to en- sure that the changes were made correctly. To open a design in IE, for example, the designer follows six steps: 1. Click the browser’s File menu. 2. Click Open. 3. Click Browse. 4. Click on index.htm, which is the homepage for the design in Figure 19.9. 5. Click Open to open the file in a browser. 6. Click OK to confirm opening the file. Figure 19.9 A locally saved index.htm file to be opened in IE 6. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
544 Chapter 19 ■ Customizing the Designs Included in This Book Photoshop Tutorials This section includes tutorials on basic techniques a designer or developer will usually need to know in order to customize a design. They include replacing photos, resizing photos, changing colors, and undoing or redoing actions. Replacing Photos Not all designs can have photos simply replaced in the code. With many mor- tised designs, the process of replacing a photo first begins with the Photoshop file, using masks. Following are instructions on replacing a photo in a Photoshop template, using the original photo as a mask. 1. Make sure that the Layers panel is visible (see Figure 19.10). 2. Click on the Window menu in the top menu bar. 3. Click on the Layers option (see Figure 19.11). 4. Make sure that the Layers tab is selected in the panel. If it is not, click on it (see Figure 19.11). Figure 19.10 The Layers panel in Photoshop where different layers may be selected. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
Photoshop Tutorials 545 Figure 19.11 The Layers panel can be accessed from the Window menu. 5. Open the image to be inserted into the existing image. 6. Select the entire image (Ctrl-A for Windows; Cmd-A for Macintosh) and then copy that image (Ctrl-C for Windows or Cmd-C for Macintosh; see Figure 19.12). 7. Select the layer of the photo in the design (in this example, it is the upside- down photo of the man) that is going to be replaced. Note Windows users can right-click the photo to be replaced and then select the layer's name, which will send the user directly to that layer (see Figure 19.13). The user may have more than one option to select, so if they are not already named, it might be necessary to click on the various layers until the correct one is selected. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
546 Chapter 19 ■ Customizing the Designs Included in This Book Figure 19.12 The image selected that will be used in the design. Figure 19.13 Possible layers to select if the user right-clicks on an image. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
Photoshop Tutorials 547 8. Click on the layer in the Layers panel. Once this layer has been selected, the content on the layer will be available for editing. Note A layer can be made visible or invisible by clicking the eye icon on and off, located to the left of the layer name (see Figure 19.14). Toggling the eye on and off is a good way to test if the correct layer has been selected. 9. Activate the layer’s image by selecting the entire layer area (Ctrl-A for Windows; Cmd-A for Macintosh) and move the layer up one pixel (one click) and down one pixel by using the up and down arrow keys (see Figure 19.15). Note The image is selected when the marching ants (moving dotted lines) are marching around that specific image or at least the part of the image that is viewable within the borders of the Photoshop file. Prior to moving the image up and down one pixel, ants will be marching around the border of the entire Photoshop file. If the marching ants are displayed in a square or rectangular shape that is larger than the image (see Figure 19.16), then the image is already set as a mask. If this occurs, the user must turn off the photo by turning off the eye for its layer and restarting this tutorial at step 3, this time selecting the correct layer (the square image that contains the actual photo). 10. Insert the image already copied in step 6 (see Figure 19.12) by pressing Shift-Ctrl-V for Windows or Shift-Cmd-V for Macintosh. The image will then be placed inside the existing image (see Figure 19.17). Figure 19.14 Toggling the eye icon on a layer will turn it off and on in the Photoshop file. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
548 Chapter 19 ■ Customizing the Designs Included in This Book Figure 19.15 The image that will be used as a mask must first be selected. Figure 19.16 How the marching ants would appear if the image were already saved as a mask. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
Photoshop Tutorials 549 Figure 19.17 The design after both the selected image and the one in the center have been added into their respective masks. Resizing Photos Following are instructions for resizing a photo in Photoshop. Although this tutorial explains how to resize a photo in a mask, the same process occurs when resizing any photo or image on any layer. 1. Make sure that the Layers panel is visible (refer to Figure 19.10). 2. Select the layer of the photo in the design (in this example, it is the couple hugging) that is going to be resized (refer to Figure 19.13). 3. Click on the layer in the Layers panel. Once this layer has been selected, the content will be available for editing. 4. Activate the layer’s image by selecting the entire layer area (Ctrl-A for Windows; Cmd-A for Macintosh) and move the layer up one pixel (one click) and down one pixel by using the up and down arrow keys (see Figure 19.18). Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
550 Chapter 19 ■ Customizing the Designs Included in This Book Figure 19.18 The photo after it has been activated in the window. Note The image in Figure 19.18 extends below and to the right of the design. The marching ants, how- ever, will remain inside the Photoshop file. 5. Activate the outer frame of the image by pressing Ctrl-T for Windows or Cmd-T for Macintosh. Once the outer frame is active, small square handles in the corners will appear (see Figure 19.19). 6. Resize the image by clicking and dragging any of the corners on the frame that turn the mouse into an up or down arrow. Note Often, the image will need to be resized proportionately. Holding the Shift key and the handles simultaneously while dragging will ensure that the image's proportions remain the same. 7. During the resizing process, the image can also be moved. To do so, select the Move tool (see Figure 19.20) in the toolbar and click and drag the image rather than the handles. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX
Photoshop Tutorials 551 Figure 19.19 Small handles will appear when the image is ready to be resized. 8. Deactivate the marching ants by pressing Ctrl-D for Windows or Cmd-D for Macintosh after the image has been resized and located correctly (see Figure 19.21). The border and corners will then disappear. Changing Colors Changing the colors of a design often begins with the Photoshop file because the colors are saved as images, rather than browser-generated colors. Following are instructions on changing colors of solid objects in a Photoshop template. 1. Make sure that the Layers panel is visible. 2. Select the layer of the photo in the design (in this example, it is the couple hugging) that is going to be changed. 3. Click on the layer in the Layers panel. Once this layer has been selected, content on the layer will be available for editing. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. Game Developing GWX