If I have a designer create a website using photoshop, how can I use my Front Page editor to edit it and add text to it. I want to use a WYSIWYG editor like Front Page to add text to my design but don't know how that will be possible to a flat image. What should I ask for and in what format should I ask from my web designer if I want to use Front Page to edit in text and pics. I want to change my website to a more professional looking one than what I created using Front Page. Please reply. Danoz808....
Are you saying the HTML coding separates the tables, borders, and colors used so I can add in text or change things around in Front Page? It makes sense. When asking a designer to create a homepage, would you suggest I ask for a header and footer that is separated from the body which I could manipulate later. Just getting some ideas when I ask someone to create a website for me and the things to ask because I will be using Front Page as my editor. This question is open to all others as well. Just want some feedback. Thanks.
I'm sure someone else will comment on this later, but please don't use Front Page as a web editor. Its pretty old, has absolutely no respect for web standards and creates bad markup which can really mess up a good design. If you have a look on Digital Point for suggestions, if you want to stay with Microsoft products I would suggest Expression Web (Front page's replacement), or if budgets are tight Visual Studio 2008 Express. Other than that Dreamweaver is always a good choice. As Falling Down has already mentioned, a Photoshop file isnt a website, its a picture so it needs to be converted to HTML, a process often called slicing. If you get them to do a tableless CSS based design that would be best, although they aren't the easiest things to maintain yourself, also Front Page doesnt really support tableless designs so you would loose most of your WYSIWYG. In most designs its quite easy to seperate out a header, body and footer of the site, I normally put comments in mine, saying what each section does, the comments get stripped out later, but it really does help the maintenance of the site.
Hi JenniP, Thanks for the great info. So to make things easier for me to edit, you would recommend that I have a HTML designed with tables included so I can use my WYSIWYG editor? I think this is what I am used to doing with Front Page. Please reply. Thanks, Danoz808
Tables would be best, however depends how complex the website is. The WYSIWYG in Front Page really isn't the best. Jen
What would you feel is the best web editor to use for a novice who knows how to use Front Page? Is Expression Web a good choice? I see the program on ebay for about $70.
Try some, download the trial, try Dreamweaver. There are free options out there, although I've not tried them although I'm sure others will chip in with their views. Personally I like Expression Web, but I was given a copy at a Microsoft developers conference. Jen
in your Photoshop, use a tool called Slice Tool (K), then make a slice for every part of your design (header, navigation button, background, footer, etc). Then go to File >> Save For Web (Alt+Shift+Ctrl+S) and save it with html and image file. later than you'll get html page with a image folder contains all slicing image. I am using Dreamweaver to edit and optimize the html page. hope that's help
Thanks for the tips. I will have to practice. I think I'll just hire someone to design the my website in the contest area later. Danoz808...
As others have said, do not use Front Page as the code it will output will be awful. You should preferably get Dreamweaver as I personally see it as the best product on the market or expression web if you wish. Secondly, do not use tables as they are not designed for web layout and can ruin your design. Use Divs and CSS to turn your sliced images into HTML. This can all be done in dreamweaver.
Dont use Frontpage. Why not just learn HTML (its simple enough) and code it by hand using a plain text editor?
I wouldn't use frontpage or any kind of presto code. You can learn HTML easily and code it yourself. I did it and I'm glad. So I wouldn't pay anyone to build your site. Just go to htmldog.com and learn html.
I think that getting a designer to do the site initially is a great idea, and get them to set up areas that are editable and quality css, so you can't do too much visual damage to the site over time. One of the problems I find as a designer is that clients who change their site themselves, have no idea about web standards or the integrity of the design and the whole thing ends up looking like a dogs breakfast after 6 months, which is really depressing as a designer. Rather than waste your time learning html, just ask the designer to install a CMS into the editable areas, if it is only the text you want to change. That way you can add text, links and images into small cosnsistent areas of the site, keeping the overall look. BTW don't build the site in photoshop, that's a good way to create the basic look, but these days, tableless CSS is a much more elegant way to design a site. Di
Maybe you should consider having a designer use a content management system such as Joomla or Drupal. These are both programs that are free to use and better yet they are easy to use. Your designer/ developer can implement this system with a design and then you can change text easily. Most people that I build sites for ask for some sort of content management functionality. Right now I am using wordpress as a CMS for my portfolio. I am still working on the layout but I am happy with it so far. More importantly, I can change the text on my website from any computer. I don't need dreamweaver or another program to update it.
Does a website with CMS (content management system) included have to have any special requirements? Are there extra cost involved to web host a website within CMS or it just another added feature to make it easier when editing text and pics without damaging the web layout? How do you change the text on your website from any computer without using dreamweaver or web software to update it. Are the changes being made to a link to your sight which are directed to each text section or picture area? This is getting very interesting!
I often charge extra for CMS but there should be no extra cost for monthly hosting. Here is the way it works. You basically have a log in area on your website that you type in a username and password. Once you are logged in you have a control panel that lets you add new content or photos and etc. You can share administrative control with other employees/users with varying permissions. Simply put different people are allowed to do different things in regards to updating. Here is a very simple website that I built recently for a client. You can see where the log in area is. http://sweetcharityhandmade.com
Thanks for the info. So the updating information are stored on the server in the same folder as your web contents.