Hi there everyone,
I have been a huge Photoimpact fan for years since version 3, until now using complimentary free 'out-of-date' versions. But recently I finally purchased version 11 and as usual, Ulead never disappoints.
Although I am comfortable with the main photo-editing features, I am just starting out with web page creation. I am impressed with what this budget priced photo editor can achieve in terms of web page
building, at least from the point of view of a webmaster newbie.
I started to build sample pages and I'm getting the hang of it, but there are 2 things which are making me reluctantly consider forking out more money for a proper web creation software, which I really do not want to do, because what I've tried so far makes me miss the ease of using Ulead! I'm hoping a simlar PI enthusiast here could suggest something to help:
1. When I create a page and then open it in a web browser, even if I only have one or two images plus banner and menu, it opens as a huge compliation of images, because even the 'blank' areas are treated as
images, often not loading at all and leaving several ugly red 'x's on the screen. And so this make the web page very slow to load. I know this is something to do with 'slicing' and how these images are necessary to keep the page's layout, but is there some way around this - like is it possible to remove some of them (if your web page has a blank background for example)?
2. The other thing that bothers me is how the HTML page seems to be impossible to edit after creation. I wanted to insert a nochex link, which is just a simple couple of lines of HTML code, but when I try to
edit the HTML in notepad or frontpage, no matter where I place it, it usually ends up in the top right corner of the screen. Someone told me that this is because the HTML is changed into 'tables' or something and I need to find out how to insert something into one of those tables - or how to remove that blank image from the position where I want to insert my HTML. Because after I create a page, any area of the page not used by my own pictures or text, is created into one of those blank images/potential red x pieces.
Is this just the price I have to pay for having such an easy web page maker? Does anyone know any tips or web sites with tutorials for PI web page creation? I just bought this sotware and I would really
rather try and optimize my use of it rather than pay more money for another product - after all, the graphics I use in my web pages will be created within Photoimpact anyway and I'd rather keep all my work in one place.
Oh - that's another thing - is there anyway the web components (like menu bars) can be used in another web page editor software? If I have to use another program I would hate to give up all the Ulead stuff.
If only they had a program dedicated to designing web pages that was as easy as that web menu in photoimpact!
Anyway, I welcome any suggestions.
Thanks in advance,
Joey
Creating web pages - can I speed up page loading in browser?
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davenz
Hi Joey
There are a dozen different ways and philosophies regarding web design and layouts. PI uses the tried and true formula of using images within tables to retain layout and preserve structure. The big downside as you have discovered is that it makes it very easy to break, should you want to add content. Plus, the code is not all that clean, nor compliant with the later web standards.
If you are serious about web design, then you will need to look into dedicated software. All the guns use something like Dreamweaver, but the big downside is cost and learning curve. The big upside is that the support is fantastic and there are thousands of users, ranging from beginners to experts using the software and contributing to the various forums. I use a suite called Namo Webeditor (www.namo.com) but their support is on par with this outfit, so I cant in all honesty recommend it to you. That said, it is extremely powerful for the money and very featured. It has its quirks like most software but it does make it easy to create some reasonable looking pages (beware of some of the built in templates though - Asian tastes dont always make for good schemes (and please dont think I am racist for making such a statement - some of the themes really blow the big one)). There is a demo version for download but it doesnt contain all the themes and clipart - the message being that dont go buying it hoping the templates will be any better than the ones included with the demo - they aren't.
There are of course many other titles out there that will do the job, it is just a matter of finding one that sits well with where you are at. Check download.com and search for html editors. Google for them as well. There are also many freeware ones ( www.nvu.com, www.evrsoft.com, www.coolpage.com) that you may find usable, though you would soon grow out of some of them.
Good luck.
Cheers and Merry Xmas if you celebrate such a thing.
There are a dozen different ways and philosophies regarding web design and layouts. PI uses the tried and true formula of using images within tables to retain layout and preserve structure. The big downside as you have discovered is that it makes it very easy to break, should you want to add content. Plus, the code is not all that clean, nor compliant with the later web standards.
If you are serious about web design, then you will need to look into dedicated software. All the guns use something like Dreamweaver, but the big downside is cost and learning curve. The big upside is that the support is fantastic and there are thousands of users, ranging from beginners to experts using the software and contributing to the various forums. I use a suite called Namo Webeditor (www.namo.com) but their support is on par with this outfit, so I cant in all honesty recommend it to you. That said, it is extremely powerful for the money and very featured. It has its quirks like most software but it does make it easy to create some reasonable looking pages (beware of some of the built in templates though - Asian tastes dont always make for good schemes (and please dont think I am racist for making such a statement - some of the themes really blow the big one)). There is a demo version for download but it doesnt contain all the themes and clipart - the message being that dont go buying it hoping the templates will be any better than the ones included with the demo - they aren't.
There are of course many other titles out there that will do the job, it is just a matter of finding one that sits well with where you are at. Check download.com and search for html editors. Google for them as well. There are also many freeware ones ( www.nvu.com, www.evrsoft.com, www.coolpage.com) that you may find usable, though you would soon grow out of some of them.
Good luck.
Cheers and Merry Xmas if you celebrate such a thing.