Essential webdesign hints - part 2

In this moment the maximum width of design should be ~1000px. It’s true that a lot of people have much bigger screen resolutions on their monitors, but about 25% still using 1024×768px res. Furthermore not everybody likes to surf with browser on full screen mode. So that’s the border for designers. Ofcourse this is my subjective opinion. Moreover we can make flexible layouts using css.
With this we can start designing with for example 980×1600px. But what, if we want to create very wide background as I did on my blog? And here with help comings guides… Let’s make them your good friends.

What guides really are? Just a simple lines. But there is special magic in them. They can help you not only in design process, but in slicing whole layout too. Where to find them?

Why guides are essential? They perfectly realise the plan of sketch. Everything to this point is math. Your imagination starts working just after them. Don’t be scare of those light-blue lines… I blame myself for I didn’t knew about guides earlier, and you should too if you don’t know what they are.

By going thru example above we can make document 1600×1600px wide and then place guides in the middle of document. How to put them correctly? Well, it’s very easy. Firstly, we will place first guide (those on left).

Here’s a formula: (1600-980) : 2
[wide minus content divided by two]
The outcome is 310px, right? :) So place first guide vertically with 310px from left. And what with second guide? It’s even easier. 1600-310=1290px
[wide - first outcome]
It take’s you a few seconds of counting, but saves a lot of nerves in further working. Believe me.

We can place guides vertically (as we did above) or horizontally. When we will move or create shapes, selections or layers near guide, they all will stick to it. Helpful, isn’t it?

But what, if our design is in color as our guides and we don’t see them correctly? The answer is in Preferences of Photoshop.

Also in View menu You can lock Your guides (they are unable to move) or delete all of them. If You want delete only one, just move it outside the design and it will disappear.

Now guides are Your friends? I hope so.

PROMOTIONS

After 70-284 and 650-393, majority of the professionals prefer writing their 642-446 as well as 642-503 and hence write 156-215 right away.

In Articles by Majk