I see a lot of PSD design offers that look very nice. But, I'm not sure if, once they are coded, they are flexible. Once they are done can text boxes be expanded later with more text without re-doing the PSD file? What if a menu needs to have items added to it? Can it be lengthened easily? Should I just stick with HTML/CSS for flexible design? Thanks!
Once psd is coded it isn't a psd file anymore You can edit xhtml/css file as you want and as html technology allows that, so you can change menu structure, text box sizes in html. When designer creates a psd layout, layout should be done so it will looks the same when coded (for example, round shapes are difficult for coding), so there could be difficulties with that.
If you have a menu with a gradient, then you will run into problems trying to expand it in HTML. PSDs are best when you know the number of links you'll have in one menu. If you are going to be changing your design over time, then its best to stick with a simple gradient that can be repeated, that is, if you're using gradients. HTML and CSS are best for flexible designing though, but don't let this discourage you from making/buying a PSD.
I see. I thought that since it was just a bunch of sliced up images that there would be no flexibility in terms of changing the layout slightly. Would a PSD layout work with something like Drupal or Wordpress? Thanks again for the info.
you are talking about the auto sliced PSD template and its generated xhtml. Actually its hard to deal with the auto sliced XHTML and again its not easy to arrange that XHTML structure for WordPress or Drupal, so I normally don't do that. The better way is manually code the PSD XHTML according to the wordpress or Drupal structure. Its possible but keep in mind there is not a direct and easy way to go from a PSD to WordPress or Drupal.
I see, so the way to do it is have the designer produce the PSD layout and then give the layout to a coder who then recreates the whole thing in HTML/CSS or whatever. So the PSD just acts as a guide for the coder correct? I was confused with the slicing etc. that I read about. I can see if the PSD was fully coded then it would be flexible, and, as you mentioned previously, not a PSD anymore. Why do the PSD in the first place? Is it just easier to create something cool looking in PS rather than straight from WYSIWYG HTML editors?
You send the PSD to the coder, then the coder takes slices the images from the PSD and codes it, when there are gradient's, good coder's make the BG repeat, making it flexible. They don't use WYSIWYG, they hand code it. You can make a solid color in pure HTML, but then it would look ugly. Photoshop is for making those 'special effects', or icons you see on websites.
I think it depends very much on the PSD designers understanding on the constraints of XHTML/CSS. I've worked with designers from a print background and often they'll create eye candy but it's impossible to get pixel perfect. At the same time it also depends on how the coder does their job and their skills. You could code up automatically or have a lazy coder who knocks something up with loads of absolute positioning and sliced images. It could validate as XHTML but be totally inflexible. A more skilled coder with time will create something which may look the same at first glance but be made up of elements that will grow to accommodate various content while still looking good. Following good practice, a good coder will also make a template which looks good and is usable on screens of all sorts and prints well. By using proper markup SEO, usability and accessibility will follow.