Photo Editor

There are many online sources of free photos, but there is something to be said about using your own photos. What’s that fancy camera you bought for anyway? And when it comes to the point, editing your photos is something that will only bring you advantages. The possible issue is the high price that you have to pay for photo editing software like Photoshop.

For basic editing purposes, you don’t have to go the whole way and purchase Photoshop. There are some good photo editing tools out there that are available for free. Here are some of the best choices.

Pixlr

Pixlr is the most recognized brands in the free online photo editing realm. One thing it has going for it is that the layout somehow reminds you of Photoshop, so if you’re used to that, you won’t have to adjust a lot. Don’t be mistaken, though, as the features of Pixlr is really basic – a far cry from Adobe’s software. Still, it has gotten me through years of simple photo editing, so I think it will do for the average person.

BeFunky

BeFunky is for those times when your playful side is at its peak. You can use it via the web site or the Android/iOS app. If you like Instagram filters, plus the ability to do some more manipulations, this photo editor will make you happy.

PhotoScape

PhotoScape for Windows is one of the most full-featured free photo editing software out there. From filters to auto contrast to brightness to cropping to combining photos – there are so many things you can do with the software that you might not want any other program.

GIMP

GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, and it has been dubbed the free version of Photoshop. It is a very powerful piece of software, offering much of what Photoshop does. Of course, with that comes the learning curve that is necessary to bring the best out of the program. This is available for both Windows and Mac.

About the Author
Jehanna Thompson likes taking photos and playing around with them, but knows that she is far from being called a photographer. She thus spends a lot of time reading about photography online and learning from the work of others. For her Internet connection needs, she relies on http://www.hughesnetinternet.net/.

Image via Pixlr

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Simplicity is beauty.

That statement may prove to be a bone of contention, as with many things, web design can be relative. What others may see as beautiful, some may see as horrendous. You have to go back to the basic concept of design: it is not all about beauty, but also whether or not your creation serves a purpose effectively.

Bearing that in mind, here are three things you can do to simplify your website’s design.

Show content above the fold

When you first visit a website, and you have to immediately scroll down because you do not see any content without doing so, what is your reaction? I don’t know about you, but I consider that a horrible user experience! When I visit a site, I want to know what it has to offer right away. Having to scroll down because of ads and other non-essential content is a sure turn off. What you need to do is make sure that there is something of value to be read above the fold.

Take this example.

Above the fold

What you see is what you get when you visit this website about Internet providers. While there is obviously more content to be discovered, you immediately get some essential information – a promo code, a phone number, and plan pricing – without having to scroll down.

Apply the Pareto Principle

The Pareto Principle is also known as the 80-20 rule. It basically states that for many things, “roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.” How does this apply in website design?

Ask yourself this question: What is (roughly) 20% of the content on your page that will provide 80% of value to your readers? 

This could be a snippet of the post, related posts, and badges. Once you have identified those elements, make sure that you focus on displaying them. That way, you provide most value to your visitors. This is essentially reducing your site to what matters most and getting rid of distracting elements that do not provide value.

Reduce the number of pages

Take the time to look at your pages. Are there some pages that are basically duplicates of each other? Are there pages that can be combined to form one page? This makes navigation easier for the user. Don’t fall for the mindset of “the more pages, the better”. Indeed, in many cases, the fewer your pages – as long as they contain all the necessary information – the better the experience for the user.

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Image credit: Cloud computing photo by Shutterstock

The Pros of Cloud Computing

• Data is Safe
  Although some people fear that they might lose their data if they save it to the cloud, the truth is that your information is far safer on the cloud than it is stored in any physical object. Computers, phones, even external hard drives can be stolen, corrupted, or broken. But the cloud is protected by extensive systems that ensure your data’s safety far more reliably.
• Projects are Streamlined
  Probably the most ubiquitous function of the cloud is its sharing capacities; group projects are now a breeze compared to the clunky processes that designers once had to rely on. Other great cloud applications for designers include:
  1. GridFox: An extension to the Firefox browser that superimposes a transparent grid over any web page
  2. GitHub: A hosting service that’s extremely useful for for web designers and developers
  3. TypeTester: A tool that allows you to test and compare several different typefaces side-by-side

  In the near future, there will be even more tools and uses for the cloud; already Codeanywhere offers a cloud-based coding tool, and Adobe Kuler lets you generate color palettes in your browser. And these are probably mere precursors to even more powerful editing capacities that will emerge in the next few years.

The Cons of Cloud Computing

Internet Connections are Unreliable
Definitely the biggest detractor to the benefits of cloud computing, your access is dependent on your internet connection. While internet connections and browser capabilities are getting stronger and more reliable every year, you still might be frustrated by a slow connection. There are usually three factors that contribute to a slow Internet connection:

1. The amount of bandwidth you’re using
2. The number of devices that are connected
3. What kind of wireless router you’ve chosen

For example, if you’re watching a high-definition video, that will take up much more bandwidth than reading a blog; use a networking guide to learn more.

Using services like Apple’s iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox has made a significant difference to most designers’ workflow and sharing practices. And while it’s true that any user might encounter technical difficulties with cloud computing, it’s rare for most designers to bother working in an area without a stable connection. So the occasional inconvenience is quite minimal, and thoroughly outweighed by the benefits.

Header Image Credits: tuuux via Compfight cc

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1. Starting Out

If you’ve never used WordPress before, the amount of resources available can be overwhelming. Start with a WordPress guide that will take you through the beginning steps of setting up your WordPress site.

2. Theme Development Framework

Choose your theme framework wisely, as this will be key to the design and functionality of your site. Two of the most reliable are Thematic and Whiteboard. Thematic is ready for WordPress plugins, like Subscribe to Comments, and has a 2 or 3 column design. It also features modular CSS and basic typography. Whiteboard is free and open source and is built with Less Framework for an instant mobile website.

3. Color and Images

Colors and images are very important for your inspiration as a designer, as well as for the overall appeal of your site. If you need color inspiration, or don’t have time to take high quality photos or design vector images yourself, check out these resources:
1. Adobe Kuler
2. Color Explorer
3. Shutterstock

4. Inspiration Tools

Inspiration is key if you want your WordPress site looking fresh and current. If you’re out of ideas check out these three inspiration tools:
1. The Design Inspiration
2. Behance
3. Style Vault

5. Cheat Sheets

If you have only just begun to explore the extensive range of functions available through WordPress, you may find yourself a little overwhelmed. To remind yourself of all the available tools, why not print a handy cheat sheet to save brain space? For rudimentary web design requirements, these cheat sheets from Tuts Plus should do the job, but there are many others available covering more niche areas such as plugins, theme development, widgets and more.

There’s no shortage of information available at your fingertips when building your first WordPress. From technical tips design inspiration, the web is chock full of friendly advice for first time WordPressers, so why wait?

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Flash Storage Arrays For Beginners

Understanding how flash storage arrays benefit web designers requires at least a cursory understanding of how flash arrays work. Disk arrays have been around for a long time. In a nutshell, an array is a storage component that contains several multiple storage devices. Historically, disk arrays have been constructed with traditional, mechanical hard disk drives. Recently, there has been a shift in storage array construction as some companies have started implementing flash storage into disk array systems.

Flash Storage vs. Hard Disk Storage

Hard disk storage is made up of several moving parts. Data is stored on a rotating disk. As a computing system searches for data on the hard disk, the disk spins at a rapid speed, as data is located. Flash storage on the other hand, is made with electronic components. In other words, there are no rotating disks and all data is stored on an electronic computer chip. Flash storage drives are silent, fast and often don’t require much power to operate.

Benefits of Flash Storage Arrays for Large Web Design Projects

Longer Lifecycle – For starters, there are no moving parts. This often translates to a longer lifecycle. Hard disk drives have a lifespan of about five years. Flash drives on the other hand – depending on how intensively they’re used – can last anywhere from five to 20 years. This is particularly crucial for web design firms looking for long-term backups and archives of past projects.

Faster Data Transfers – In general, flash storage drives are nearly twice as fast as traditional hard drives. This is important for web design companies managing massive projects. In many cases, web design firms need to be able to pull project data quickly.

Simplicity – Web designers are not IT professionals. That means they don’t have hours upon hours to read manuals, and learn the ins and outs of storage architecture. Most flash array storage systems are built around easy to use software applications for managing large sets of data in a storage array. In other words, the learning curve is shallow, which is good news for web design firms.

Speed is infinitely important for successful web development. Many web design firms have stayed away from flash arrays because of the price. Historically, flash-based storage arrays have cost nearly double what hard disk arrays cost. However, new companies are utilizing flash technology in a new way by providing enterprise-level flash storage at hard disk prices.

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Data visualization allows the users to visualize the same thing on the screens of their computer that they usually visualize in their minds.

Image by Paul Mutant

Data visualization is an imaginary process and a lot of examples can be cited in support of this comment. Data visualization allows the users to visualize the same thing on the screens of their computer that they usually visualize in their minds. This allows the user to compare between two things such as both students and doctors are comparing the mortality rate among the men and women who suffer from cancer in two countries like Canada and Mexico.

Data visualization is a comprehensive process which represents information in easier and friendly manner. While searching for a particular information in the internet we often come across with the presentation that has unnecessarily complicated a particular information while presenting.

Number always says the truth

A number of people especially the bloggers are in love with the infographics ever since they saw it for the first time. They consider it much more powerful than data as the number always says the truth.

Though you may get ample of chances of manipulating data to present the things the ways you want but the numbers will remain unchanged. The world of infographics and data visualization are based only on the grey colors and the various shades of this color. This color combination many times helps the users to stay honest.

Image by byDawi

We can take an example of a blogger who has started a segment named Breaking it Dawn. This segment is a digital only segment where the blogger has to work in the newsroom with a reporter. They work hard to put the infographics together so that it can run with the stories he has written.

But there is a few difficulties that a blogger may face while creating these types of contents such as it demand slots of time and hard work along with details if you want to create them successfully without a single fault. But the job is not that tough and you can easily produce one content each day in between working with mobile or social media platforms, working on the layout of the websites, working with reporter to produce or edit headlines or adding images and videos where necessary in the headlines or giving training to the interns, attending meeting in other rooms, curating UGC and performing other tasks. Otherwise it may be monotonous for you to concentrate on a single task for a longer period of time and that is too on the day when the breaking news does not through the wrench upon the blogger.

Image by Lauren Manning

A number of third party platforms are there to develop infographics for the news organization of the blogger. You can develop some really nice basics which are also quite strong graphs and charts. All these are based on your data. Though a number of bloggers prefer using Photoshop as well to do the same task as it offers the complete control to the users.

If you search you may find a number of examples . One such example is comparing and combining the salaries of the local teachers with the average income of the state.

Post Image by Zeptonn

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Back to the Drawing Board: Site Planning – Way back in the first part of this series, we talked about the importance of planning and how designers can never do enough of it. Odds are once the site is designed, there may be a few things she has overlooked in the planning process. Ensuring a quality user experience may mean going back to the original planning documents to rework site elements and design ideas.

Keep an Eye on Your Errors – The bane of every Web designer’s existence is the dreaded 404 error. For those out of the loop, such an error shows up when a page or site file no longer exists and cannot be found. Not only are these errors extremely annoying for the user, but also they can adversely affect search engine rankings if the search engine in question finds too many of them.

Maintain Consistency – Usability tests have classically shown that users like consistency. While this isn’t rocket science, many designers miss the boat on this one. All good sites maintain a certain level of consistency as it relates to layout, button locations, logo design and functionality. Keeping these elements in line with one another will go a long way to keep site users coming back for more.

The More the Merrier: A Browser Compatibility Primer – To reach the maximum amount of users possible, a well-designed site must be easily translated across multiple Web browsers. While we’d all love for all users to stick to our preferred browser, that’s just not the world we live in. The new Web user often utilizes multiple Web browsing experiences, and often simultaneously. A site that caters to all the major browsers available to consumers will be more successful than one whose designer ignores the conundrum of Firefox vs. Internet Explorer, or Google Chrome vs. Safari.

Keep it Simple – Lastly, users have the most positive experiences on sites that make navigation and content consumption easy. This means creating a site that’s both simple and eye-catching. The best designers in the business know that a simple, functional design is the most sustainable way to approach Web development. There are plenty of usability and user experience (UX) studies available that highlight this reality.

Since the Web is constantly changing, design practices are constantly evolving along with it. This means that Web design will always be a learning process where industry-current technology trends are in a constant state of flux. Proper design education can be found in both online and traditional college-level classrooms all over the world. Usability involves seeing the big picture of a design project to ensure that it’s meeting its goals by effectively engaging the end-user. For Web designers of every skill level, this undoubtedly involves hours upon hours of trial and error. Keep in mind that all Web design is a constant work in progress.

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Decreasing Page Load Times – One of the most common ways a site starts performing sluggishly has to do with load times. Inexperienced designers often use the largest, high-quality images and files thinking this will make their site look amazing. While this may be true, there’s much more to Web design than simply creating a great-looking site. Using large files will cause pages to load slowly. Today’s Web users won’t stick around to see high-quality images and videos that take a long time to load. In short, a slow site chases visitors away.

Customizing Titles – This goes back to leveraging the popular search habits from average Web users. When designing a site, each developer should consider the types of searches that may be queried among the site’s potential users. Each page should be titled accordingly to match the incoming search volume and the types of searches performed. This makes it easy for Web users to find your site’s individual pages.

URL Integration – The URL is the lifeblood of any site. It’s important to print the URL wherever possible throughout the contents of the site. Use the simplest URL possible, and brand it everywhere throughout the site so it’s memorable to each visiting user.

Updating the Site – Web users are constantly in search of new information. A site that offers fresh, valuable content on a regular basis will keep users coming back for more. Designers should create a site structure where content can be easily and frequently updated to benefit the site’s user-base.

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) – Content Delivery Networks are made up networked servers set in different geographical locations. Essentially, each server has a copy of all a site’s files, so that when a Web user accesses your site, the user’s computer accesses the site files from the server closest to her geographical location. The main downside to using CDNs is wrapped up in price. Depending on a site’s needs, a CDN can be more pricey than necessary. But if the site in question requires the use of large site files, a CDN may be helpful for site performance.

Avoid Archaic Web Design Practices – Lastly, stay away from antiquated design and SEO methods. Humans and search engine robots can see right through these cheap techniques to gain search traffic. Old school Web design often includes the use of frames and tables; a more specialized knowledge of Web design is required in order to best optimize a quality site.

Perhaps the most interesting and exciting thing about modern site optimization is that if designers put in the hard work to create a site that’s user-friendly, search engines and users will pick up on that and reward the site accordingly. Good site optimization is simply smart Web design.

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1. Knowing Your HTML – For the beginning designer, there are plenty of what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) site designers out there. These apps are essentially a healthy combination drag-and-drop and/or beginner level design structure for web designers learning the ropes of content management systems (CMS).

While this may be a great way to learn design concepts, at some point every designer is going to need to break out on their own and learn the basics of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Most websites are designed with a combination of HTML and CSS coding languages. Learning HTML will give designers the ability and insight to find and fix glaring design problems throughout the site.

2. Sizing Layouts – Until very recently, the standard layout size of a Web page was around 800×600 pixels, which was optimal for screens with a 14-inch diameter or smaller. According to a recent study by W3schools, fewer than 14 percent of Web users utilize this resolution. Now the standard layout size should be around 1024×768 pixels.

3. The Crime of Lengthy Text – The bottom line is that the modern Web user has a shorter attention span than ever. Page titles and page content must be succinct to keep the average user’s attention. It’s important for all good Web designers to get into the habit of creating succinct page titles and to use brevity in general throughout the site.

4. Updates Are Crucial – Good Web design includes having a site element that can always be updated. This usually includes a news ticker widget, a micro blog or a social media feed on each page. This will also go a long way to boost a site’s performance among search engines.

5. Lowercase vs. Uppercase Filenames – The goal of any website should include being easily found by search engines. When saving files to a site, it’s important to remember how search engines behave. When a search engine crawls a website, it only reads filenames in lowercase type. Every designer should name his or her uploaded files accordingly.

6. The Background – A website’s background can either make the page content stand out or completely distract from the site’s focus. Be sure to use subtle backgrounds on the main body of each page, and only select eye-grabbing backgrounds when they serve to make smaller site functions stand out.

7. Know When to Launch – Some designers jump the gun and launch a site too soon, while others wait far too long to release the site for public perusal. It may good to list a launch date in the planning phase. In any case, know when good is good enough, and when good enough isn’t good at all. Users notice when a Web designer strikes a healthy balance between the two.

8. Use Photos Correctly – Photos can drastically affect a site’s load time. A slow-loading site isn’t always the hosting provider’s fault. For instance, if a designer misuses JPGs and GIFs, the site can slow down significantly. As a general rule, only use JPGs for full-color photographs, and GIFs for logos, text blocks, etc.

9. Stand Out – As mentioned earlier, Web users get bored easily. In fact, it’s common knowledge in the content marketing industry that Web content needs to grab a user’s attention in a matter of seconds. A similar rule applies to Web design: if the page takes longer than 10 seconds to load it needs to be reimagined.

10. Call Your Users to Action – Finally, good Web design walks a user through the site’s content to the final goal. This goal could be anything from signing up for a subscription service or purchasing a product. Whatever the end goal is, the site’s content must call the user to action. In the Web design world, a call to action can be as simple as a graphic button, or as complex as a flash video animation influencing a user to interact with a website.

Good Web design isn’t necessarily rocket science, but it isn’t necessarily a walk in the park, either. Each designer must implement a combination of best practices and innovative ideas to reach the desired segment of Web users.

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In any case, now that you’ve gone through the rigorous planning stage for your website, it’s time to find a home for your site. For the uninitiated, web hosting refers to a service that allows users to rent space for their site’s data. Data can then be managed and distributed via the hosting service. Without a proper hosting service, nobody will see your site.

Choosing A Host

When choosing a host, it’s important to go with an established hosting service. Why? For starters, it’s impossible to gauge if a provider is able to handle your data unless they have a track record of providing stellar service to their customers. In most cases, just one or two people run many of those too-good-to-be-true, low-priced hosting companies. This usually means they don’t have the proper bandwidth to handle massive datasets, which translates into an increased risk of downtime. Don’t gamble your site’s success on a faulty hosting service; know what you’re getting into before you get into it.

Consider Popular Search Habits

Once you’ve settled on a high-quality hosting provider, it’s time to settle on a domain name. When selecting a domain for your site, it’s important to leverage popular search habits that have been determined by search engine optimization (SEO) experts over the last 10 years or so. This is where business fundamentals come in handy. For instance, if you run a small electric guitar repair shop, search engine users may search for your site under the term electricguitarrepair.com. This is why it’s helpful to purchase – in addition to your company’s established domain – several domains that relate to your site’s industry. Keep in mind that each landing page will require extra design. Try not to create more work for yourself than you can realistically complete.

Ensuring Your Hosting Company Provides Quality Service

Now it’s time to test the waters of your hosting company. One easy way to know if you’ve gotten yourself into a terrible hosting situation is by monitoring the quality of service in real time. Keep a close eye on your site’s performance. If the site keeps timing out or the server keeps going down, kick the hosting provider to the curb. The modern Web user is increasingly impatient. If there are repeated server outages, you might as well say goodbye to a segment of your visitors forever. No online business or site can afford repeated server outages.

Don’t make the mistake of taking the hosting decision lightly. A quality hosting service provider will make your website shine, and with careful research you can avoid some of the pitfalls of choosing the wrong provider. You will have a high-performing site, and your users will ultimately thank you for it.

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