Finished with the Web Page!

Removing my old stuff and putting on the new worked. I had to call the help line because I forgot to save the page as "index.html." Now it's fixed. Hurray! Here's the link:


http://mkiley.myweb.usf.edu/

Web Page: Approaching the End

I decided that the logo was too blurry as part of the background. The octopus is acceptable, though. I went back to photoshop and made a new background with just the yellow and the octopus. Then I found a quality image of the logo and inserted it. After finagling around for a while, I put the text in tables.

Sometimes Kompozer does things I don't understand, e.g. won't let me change the text color on my links, but I got along much better with it this time than I did last semester. I decided not to use Seamonkey since I was already a little familiar with Kompozer.

My final problem is getting my new page to show up on my old website from last semester. I have not been able to add it with a link; it just won't show up for some reason. Since I am not being graded on what I did last semester and I've tried everything, this is my last option: Take down last semester's project and replace it with the new one. I will provide screen shots here of my older pages.

Truth be told, I prefer the look of last semester's page. I am not disappointed, though, because I did what I set out to do. I learned more skills on Photoshop Elements, such as cutting out an image, placing it on a new background, and removing an element from the image itself. Mission accomplished. My only other gripe is that the octopus image I picked out has since been used over and over on the Internet to make fun of the Octomom!

Here are images of my old site (the screen shots don't capture the whole page):

The pictures are a little small, but you get the picture. Now I will take these off and put up the new one. Wish me luck!

Web Page Update

I asked Julius for assistance on how to make the background I created in Photoshop appear the right way in Sea Monkey. His solution was to stretch the image as far as it could go so that it wouldn't repeat. It's a little blurrier than the original, but it is better than what I was able to do.

Next problem: Now I am looking for a way to create the octopus and background without logo. The logo just looks too big and blurry when it is stretched. Here comes the really frustrating part: I can't remember or figure out how to get layers to show on the right side in Photoshop. Arrrgggh! That is so basic, yet I've been fiddling with it for at least a half an hour now. I just took another shot at it. No luck! It is too early to call my sister. This is so basic! I'll have to put it to bed right now.

This is like forgeting the first step of how to ride a bicycle. I've been staring at the bicycle now for more than half an hour.

My husband just woke up and told me how to make the layers show up. Just click on the arrows to the left to expand them. DUH!!! I knew it was something simple!

Web Page Update

As I said, I've been away from my work for a long time due to illness. I went back to check on the progress of my webpage. I finally did figure out how to cut an image out and put it in a background with Photoshop Elements. I put an image of our library logo, too. I'm imagining my page is going to be part of a site devoted to Hastings Youth. Last semester, I made a site for Instructional Graphics. It was very new and difficult for me, but I managed to produce a rudementary site. However, I wasn't able, with all that new material, to learn how to manipulate images, etc. That is what my next step in learning is going to be. I have now, through tedious trial and error, figured how to cut out an image and put in on a background. This is what I have so far. The page is for a lapsit program. Now I have to figure out how to get that as the basis for my page in Sea Monkey. I tried inserting it as a background, but that just made numerous copies of the same image. I just tried saving it as an index.html, but that just came up a gobbledygook. I think I will ask the class.

We Interrupt 23 Things for Photoshop Update

It is so very difficult to learn this stuff without someone sitting next to you to tell you what to do. I can't tell you how many Youtube videos I have consulted. I spent hours again yesterday with the octopus image I am trying to use on my website. I even drove my sister crazy trying to learn it over the phone from her. I ended up running out of gas.

I am probably putting a disproportionate amount of time into this. After all, I could just use a photograph and not worry about changing the background, etc. However, I want to get something new out of this web building experience. I struggled last semester with Instructional Graphics, and I want to keep progressing, even if the pace is slow.

I am happy to report that I finally got the image onto my background and managed to save it! I'm now learning how to work with text in photoshop. I am satisfied with todays work and am going to get back to the 23 Things.

Photoshop Elements

I was ready to go yesterday, but the wind gradually got taken out of my sails. I spent hours trying to learn the most basic things about Photoshop elements. All I wanted to do was remove an image from the background and put in on top of a new background. I am sure the process cannot be that difficult, but finding the right teaching tool is so frustrating. I went to Youtube and saw various videos, but there was always something I didn't catch, or the screen was blurry and I couldn't see what they were doing. I wish I had a tutor! I got a book from the library, but that is confusing me, too. Our library has no DVD's on it. I've looked at Help. . . There is just so much and I get pulled in different directions. I have got to be careful about allocating my time in these projects and not getting stuck.

Photoshop Elements: Leave the fear behind!

I am actually going to try to keep track of my topics of learning by (get this!) assigning particular topics to their corresponding postings. Maybe I will be a true librarian some day after all!

My husband bought this (Photoshop Elements 3) years ago, and we still don't know how to use it! I am extracting the things that I am likely to forget from the Help tutorial.

Layers:

adding layers increases file size.

Each layer remains independent until you merge them. Layers may be linked to work on them simultaneously.

Ordinary layers are pixel-based, but you can create type layers and shape layers that are vector-based.