Any web designers around?

[Zach]

Anybody else interested in web design/programming? I like to fiddle with these sort of things, and I've just released my first Wordpress theme.

[Nico Kempe]

I think there are lots of those around here, but what do you want to talk about?

[Natsu]

Weeee! So glad someone opened this thread up!

I was just wondering... Is it possible to use a color gradient as a background for a website using html code? I tried to find the commands, but it seemed that you can only put ONE colour for the background. I used an jpg image of the gradient for a background, but it would be far better if it could be done automatically. Though I don't even know if that is possible.

And... Does any of you know a program that switches colours into hexadecimal? I know there was a library called Colour Wizard or something, but I've never been able to find it. I'm more designing-savvy than web-savvy, and I get totally frustrated when trying to use my designing skills with Dreamweaver: 'I said soft peach saumon tinted, with two hints of yellow ochre, and you are putting soft peach ROSY tinted, ARGH!!'

But of course, the computer doesn't distinguish between the two and I get incredibly frustrated. I wish I could devote more time to the designing than to the coding, but everyone claims that, even if you use an automatic html coder, you ought to know the code so you can correct some parts yourself. However, I have a wonderful knack to forget every html command after five days of having studied it . So, I want to upload all my artistic works (and try to get some money from them, this is Steve's forum after all ), but I haven't been able to put up a website so far. Which is incredibly embarrassing, since almost everyone with fingers, including ten year olds, have done so.

[kthdsn]

I'm a web designer, although more web than design. I do html, xhtml and css, with all the accessibility and search engine stuff.

You can't code a gradient, just a solid colour. If you want a gradient, you have to create a graphic slice and repeat it across the background.

[Nico Kempe]

Originally Posted by kthdsn

I'm a web designer, although more web than design. I do html, xhtml and css, with all the accessibility and search engine stuff.

You can't code a gradient, just a solid colour. If you want a gradient, you have to create a graphic slice and repeat it across the background.

however, if you want to go through the trouble of creating numerous layers or table cells one after another, maybe JavaScript it, then you could create a gradient in HTML, but just as backgroundcolor property it is not available.

[zpivat]

Originally Posted by Natsu

Weeee! So glad someone opened this thread up!

I was just wondering... Is it possible to use a color gradient as a background for a website using html code? I tried to find the commands, but it seemed that you can only put ONE colour for the background. I used an jpg image of the gradient for a background, but it would be far better if it could be done automatically. Though I don't even know if that is possible.

And... Does any of you know a program that switches colours into hexadecimal? I know there was a library called Colour Wizard or something, but I've never been able to find it. I'm more designing-savvy than web-savvy, and I get totally frustrated when trying to use my designing skills with Dreamweaver: 'I said soft peach saumon tinted, with two hints of yellow ochre, and you are putting soft peach ROSY tinted, ARGH!!'

But of course, the computer doesn't distinguish between the two and I get incredibly frustrated. I wish I could devote more time to the designing than to the coding, but everyone claims that, even if you use an automatic html coder, you ought to know the code so you can correct some parts yourself. However, I have a wonderful knack to forget every html command after five days of having studied it . So, I want to upload all my artistic works (and try to get some money from them, this is Steve's forum after all ), but I haven't been able to put up a website so far. Which is incredibly embarrassing, since almost everyone with fingers, including ten year olds, have done so.

Wow we're an opposite then.....I think I'm better at the technical parts rather than the design .
Converting colours to Hex........hmmmmmmmm not sure......although if I want to know the hex value of a colour anywhere on my computer screen, I colour pick it by using a free colour picker such as one at ColorPic, the Free Color Picker for Your PC

[Michael Chui]

Is it possible to use a color gradient as a background for a website using html code?

You can't make a color gradient, but you can make an image (probably GIF) that's extremely thin (5 pixels by 100 pixels) and create a background image that you repeat using CSS.

Does any of you know a program that switches colours into hexadecimal?

Not possible. Run Google searches for hexadecimal, colors, html, etc.; I usually find a decent color to use.

I wish I could devote more time to the designing than to the coding

The answer to this, when learning to program simply doesn't work, is to find someone to do it for you. Not me; I got enough on my plate, but somebody.

[TechnoGuyRob]

I love web programming in general. I'm familiar with many server-side, client-side, and mark-up languages, and various engines. Currently, I'm excited about AJAX, and I'm already creating various apps with it.

[Light]

I'm more skilled with the programming side than the design side, but I'm not too bad with the latter. I'm currently fiddling around with creating my own site. I'm extremely particular about not using tables and having absolute control over the aspects of my site, so I've been coding my own blog system for the site recently.

[TechnoGuyRob]

Light, you are my distant twin! Let us elope in technological felicity!

[htmljenn]

Originally Posted by Natsu

Does any of you know a program that switches colours into hexadecimal?

There are a lot of color converters out there. But being lazy, I tend to just use my Windows calculator to do it. I wrote an article on how to do it this way for both Windows and Mac.

And the PCMan's Web site may be bright, but it does do the job of converting colors, if using a calculator is too much of a pain.

[andrew]

I'm a designer gone developer at the moment. I'm heavily into Flash and actionscript for the past 6 years, though I know all the regular web standards as well too. I'm a designer at heart, but develop design oriented things, like html css actionscript etc. I don't know much non-web design related code.

It's great to see so many others doing the same thing, and a lot of talent too!

[tobyhede]

I'm pretty sure there's a bunch of us geeks around ...

Gradients need images, but you can, however, set the opacity of elements.

For some fun, try script.aculo.us - web 2.0 javascript. Fantastic JavaScript library with a range of Effects that are really easy to use:

new Effect.fade('name_of_html_element');

JavaScript is a great start in the world of code, you can see everyone else's work for inspiration, it's technically pretty easy and it can evolve to as much complexity as you can handle.

[Caveman Joe]

If you have FireFox, I would heartily recommend ColorZilla and MeasureIt. I use both extensions all the time - well, ColorZilla moreso, but they're both very good.

[Natsu]

Wow! Thanks everyone for answering! I see I'm the opposite of almost everyone here... All of you seem to be extremely good at coding and programming. I bet your designs are very good too... As for me, it's just that I'm too picky with colours and designs. It's frustrating to have an idea in your head and not be able to make it.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I got a friend of mine to do the website for me. She refused to receive any money, and I usually send her original drawings as a payment. Only problem is I depend on her schedules. If she's busy, my website is over. So I thought that, even if she does the bulk of it, her being the coder, if I could at least manage updates and all that, I would be free to go on with the work when she was busy. When someone refuses to get paid, you can't demand much. And when you don't have money to pay a pro, you can'd demand anything more.

I'm going to have a good look at trying the gradient background with CSS. And I'm going to all your recommended links about the colours. The colour stuff is something really important to me... I know the important thing is content, but I like the site to be colour-matching, at least.

And, totally off-topic, but unavoidable: Light has extremely good taste in comics .

[Light]

Originally Posted by Natsu

And, totally off-topic, but unavoidable: Light has extremely good taste in comics .

Well, thank you. Since you mention it, you've probably got a similar taste.

Back on topic: I'm very particular about colors when I'm designing. Photoshop is a great tool for designing when you have access to it. I tend to stick to monochromatic color schemes, I've never had much luck with adding more colors.

[Caveman Joe]

Light - try chucking some really desaturated colours in with your monochromatic bits, it can work wonders.

[Light]

That's a really good idea. Thanks for the tip.

[Caveman Joe]

You're welcome.
Slightly off-topic, but may I ask the significance of the text/quotation in your signature? Or is that top-secret?

[Light]

Simply a quote from an anime series called "Death Note". (Which is what brought on Natsu's compliment).

[victorfam]

Just want to say hello to everyone. I'm a beginner in web development and currently tried to develop my own wordpress theme and plugin. I'm sure I will have a lot of question later.

[Natsu]

Originally Posted by victorfam

Just want to say hello to everyone. I'm a beginner in web development and currently tried to develop my own wordpress theme and plugin. I'm sure I will have a lot of question later.

If it is not asking too much, what is wordpress? Another way of codifying for websites, just like html and CSS and that, or something other?


Off topic: Whoever is interested in good (and I mean extremely good plots), go to stoptazmo.com and download Death Note the comic. If you know Japanese, buy it. It is literature, regardless of the comic form. And, with all its flaws at the end, it's something I recommend for reading to EVERYONE who has ever complained of bad plots and bad scripts.