How to Design Websites Using Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop can be used to create websites, artwork and edit images. It is mainly used by designers. While it does not support actual HTML or CSS creation it provides tools for making the graphic elements of the page and planning the appearance. It can also optimize your images for internet through a save tool.
- Create a new project in Photoshop with dimensions set as required by your webpage. Use a common screen resolution to make it accessible for multiple computer varieties.
- Use the color picker to choose the background color for your page. Use the filler tool to fill the project with the desired color.
- Select New Layer from the Layers menu. Create all the text boxes, labels, tables and color fields on this layer.
- Select the text tool and click on one of the color fields to add any text that you want your webpage to have. The font, style and size can be adjusted using a menu on the top left hand corner of Photoshop. Add a title in the front in large font.
- Select a new layer again and use this to add any images or graphics elements to your page including attractive logos. To add the images, import them via file menu and select the required images with the rectangular select tool. Copy and paste them in your project using the edit menu. This is a useful option when you choose to have a unified design for your webpage with certain parts serving as button links.
- Go to the menu and save your project as .psd file using Save As. This lets you make adjustments if required.
- Select merge visible from the layers menu to merge all your layers into one.
- Once this is done save the project for the web using the option in the menu. Select the image that you want on your page, preferably in jpeg or gif form, and click save.
- This will render Photoshop to slice up your image and save each part as a unique image in a devoted project folder. Then images can be loaded into a webpage editor.
- The individual slices can then be programmed to act as links.