how exactly are Professional Templates Made?

[Michael_Davies]

Hi, please explain this for the more stupid of us (I.e me). I have seen loads of sites selling Professional Webpage Templates - HTML, Swish & Flash, PHP (which I don't know to much about). I was wondering how and exactly with what programs these are made with them, because they are a bit out of my price range but I am sure with the right software (and knowledge) it could be done yourself. So if you guys could tell me, or give me links to some information on how to make these more professional webpage templates it would be great. I want the site I am making to look real good, but dont want to get to caught up on design, I am going to have a lot of writiing and other content, which I think you will agree is more important, but you need a bit of eye candy to attract people. If anyone knows where I can get Professional looking templates for free that would be even better!.

Thanks in advance, by the way here's examples www.gravisphere.com, http://jaycharlesdesign.com/ and http://www.4templates.com/

[fireydeviant]

html- coded and designed with notepad, a text editor, or a code highliting proggy, they make there own images

swish/flash- flash mx, swish, or other proggys, the images are designed, then it is made with frames and stuff, kind of complicated.
php- this is not a design, it is a laugnguage that makes dynamic pages that can out put data from a database or other source, it outputs it into your standard html mostly.

hope that helps

[geffers]

theese may help Michael



site 1


contains:

HTML Tutorials
Learn HTML
Learn XHTML
Learn CSS

XML Tutorials
Learn XML
Learn XSL
Learn DTD
Learn DOM
Learn WAP
Learn Schema
Learn XPath
Learn XForms
Learn SOAP
Learn WSDL
Learn XMLSpy

Browser Scripting
Learn JavaScript
Learn DHTML
Learn VBScript
Learn WMLScript

Server Scripting
Learn SQL
Learn ASP
Learn ADO

.NET (dotnet)
.NET Microsoft
.NET ASP
.NET Mobile

Multimedia
Learn Media
Learn Flash

Web Building
Web Building
Web W3C
Web Browsers
Web Software
Web Graphics
Web Careers
Web Hosting
Web Certification

site 2

contains:

Accessibility
Amaya
Annotea
CC/PP
CSS
CSS Validator
Device Independence
DOM
HTML
HTML Tidy
HTML Validator
HTTP
Internationalization
Jigsaw
Libwww
MathML
Multimodal Interaction
Patent Policy
PICS
PNG
Privacy and P3P
Quality Assurance (QA)
RDF
Semantic Web
SMIL
SOAP/XMLP
Style
SVG
TAG
Timed Text
URI/URL
Validators
Voice
WAI
WebCGM
Web Services
Web Ontology
XForms
XHTML
XLink
XML
XML Base
XML Encryption
XML Key Management
XML Query
XML Schema
XML Signature
XPath
XPointer
XSL and XSLT

Have fun,

[Michael_Davies]

Thanks for both your comments, they are really helpful. Geffers on your statement about using pure code in a text editor, does anyone know (please note I have not tried these sites yet) where I can get a "big book of HTML code" as such?

[blackspawn]

Books about html (what a quick search through amazon can do...):

Creating Cool HTML 4 Web Pages

HTML for the World Wide Web with XHTML and CSS: Visual QuickStart Guide, Fifth Edition

You can always search buy.com too, see the reviews and pick what you think best serve your needs.

[fireydeviant]

if ur lookin on the web: www.htmlgoodies.com
they also have a book, it good

[Michael_Davies]

Thanks for both comments, I have tried HTML Goodies site before but can't say i like it, thanks for the links to the books.

[Kungfucious]

if your lazy like me, you could opt for going the way of the dummy:

Dreamweaver MX

Its really simple to use, kinda like any desktop publisher you may have used, and you can see the code and edit it as u please..
If your really into learning the code you can see it in action as your creating your web page.. i like this way better.. why? because im lazy!

adz

[Colin-uk]

Some of the most common programs used in web design are:

Flash MX
Swish
Photoshop
Paint shop pro
Swift 3D

There are lots of other programs that are also used by professionals, jus try searchin google for web design tools

[fireydeviant]

photoshop is 1337 lol
dreamweaver is ok, its code highliting, html goodies book, is great for learning, and comes with a color chart of hexcodes for colors

[Michael_Davies]

Well I use Dreamweaver 4 at the moment, is MX much better for creating professional looking pages. I have just got Swish, dont know how to do much however and I know a bit about Photoshop and PaintShop Pro as have been using them for a couple of months. Some more info on Swift 3D would be nice. By the way, I am lazy and would be happy to use just a package such as dreamweaver, but it seem to be impossible to make the kind of webpages I gave links to in my first post with this program without a really great knowledge of HTML and Flash coding.

[bacardi99]

http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/tut/intro.html is where I learned the basics before I starting taking other people's codes apart to learn more.

[Michael_Davies]

Thanks that site could be useful...and site one of geffers which I think I will be using mainly.

[Colin-uk]

DesignsXchange is a good place to ask questions about swish/flash

here is the official website of swift 3d, it is used for making 3d vector art in flash.

[bacardi99]

No problem, and good luck!