Internet Design Information

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Internet Design Information

Photoshop Tips

Make color transparent in GIF image:
in ImageReady tool pallette select the eraser/magic eraser tool (use Shift+? - hover over tool to get ?) Shift+E (multiple times until get correct version of eraser tool want to use) - then erase the areas want to make transparent (turn off anti-aliased if doesn't look right)
show the optimization palette (F10)
click on more options to see transparency info if doesn't display
save out optimized image
Itensify colors in dull photograph:
* don't pump up saturation using Image->Adjust->Hue/Saturation which will distort neutral tones
- instead use layers and blending modes
- make duplicate layer of background - Layer->Duplicate Layer
- change blend mode for new layer from Normal to Overlay - Window->Show Layers, highlight new layer, change blend mode from Normal to Overlay
- to reduce the effect - increase transparency of Overlay layer (use opacity slider in Layers palette) - to increase the effect - add more copies of the Overlay layer
select foreground from background:
- use Magic Wand tool
- to increase efficiency of tool temporaily increase contrast b/w foreground and background
- view individual channels by clicking on their name in the Channels palette (choose the one that most clearly differentiates between them)
- if still doesn't work use a Levels or Curves adjustment - Layer->New Adjustment Layer
partial undo - instead of clicking on Edit->Undo to entirely undo or clicking a state in the History palette, use Filter Fade sliders to gradually reduce affects
increase focus of photo - the Filter->Sharpen-Unsharp Mask can product artifacts in images so use Filter->Other->High Pass filter instead:
- make duplicate layer of background - Layer->Duplicate Layer
- change blend mode for new layer from Normal to Soft Light - Window->Show Layers, highlight new layer, change blend mode from Normal to Soft Light (use Hard Light for extreme sharpening/increase contrast)
- run High Pass filter with Soft Light layer still selected (use Radius to increase/decrease the effect, higher values sharpen more)
- to decrease sharpening can then reduce opacity of High Pass layer for using the Opacity slider
correct digital camera noise:
- select Blue channel in Channels palette
- run Filter->Blue->Gaussian Blur filter - start with small values less than 1 pixel
create gray-scale image:
- add Layer->New Adjustment Layer->Channel Mixer, then in 2nd dialog box check Monochrome option (use Source Channels sliders to customize)
- use Image->Mode->Grayscale to combine back into 1 layer
to take red eye out:
Open the image
Right-click on the image's title (blue box up top) and select Duplicate
Close the original image
Click Windows | Documents | New Window. This opens another copy, but whatever you do to the copy will happen to the image
Zoom on one window to 100%
Zoom on the other window as close as possible to get a close view of the eyes
Have both windows in full view. Resize as needed to accomplish this
Create a new layer (doesn't matter which window)
Use the eye dropper to pick a color from the iris of the eye, which is usually a gray or black tint with eye color. If the iris is completely red, open another photo with the same person and used the eye dropper on that photo
Switch to the brush tool and select a soft-edged brush
Resize the pixel as needed
With the layer selected, right-click on the layer | Blending Options | Blend Mode | Color
In the Layers box, click Opacity and set it low around 30%. Experiment
Paint over the red part of the eye on the new layer
When satisfied with the results, merge down and save or File | Save for Web | Save as a JPG file

Font Tags

To Use for Cross-Platform Support:
<FONT FACE="Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"></FONT>
To Use to make form display the same on Netscape and IE:
<style type="text/css">  </style>

Browser Safe Colors

Hex Colors - values selected must ONLY contain the following:
00, 33, 66, 99, CC, FF (instead of #FF0399 would use #FF0099)

RGB Colors - numbers selected for each RGB value must ONLY be the following:
0, 51, 102, 153, 204, 255 (instead of (49, 0, 0) would use (51, 0, 0))
explanation: each root color is broken into even unit with 256 values (if start at 0 go from 0 to 255) - if have 24-bit color get (256 * 256 * 256) or 16,776,216 colors, but old computers only support 8-bit color - so need to find the largest number that can be cubed (to accommodate the three root colors RGB) without its cubed value exceeding 256 - that number is 6 (6 * 6 * 6 = 216) - if need 6 points on a scale, then need five spaces - since scale started on 0, not 1, divide 255 by 5 and get the result of 51 - therefore, values are 0, 51, 102, 153, 204, and 255

RGB to Hex Chart

RGB	Hex
0	00
51	33
102	66
153	99
204	CC
255	FF

(153, 204, 51) would equal #99CC33

Color meanings and perceptions around the world

COLOR	PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE	NOTES OF INTEREST
Red	Power, energy, warmth, passions, love, aggression, danger	Red changes meaning in the presence of other colors. With green, it becomes a symbol of Christmas. When combined with white, it means joy in many Eastern cultures.
Blue	Trust, conservative, security, technology, cleanliness, order	Used in the U.S. by many banks to symbolize trust.
Green	Nature, healthy, good luck, jealousy ("green with envy"), renewal	Doesn't do well in a global market. There are problems associated with green packaging in China and France. Green has been successful in attracting investors in the Middle East.
Yellow	Optimism, hope, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice (a coward can be described as "yellow"), betrayal	Yellow is a sacred color to HIndus.
Purple	Spirituality, mystery, royalty, transformation, cruelty, arrogance	Purple appears very rarely in nature.
Orange	Energy, balance, warmth	Signifies a product is inexpensive (in the U.S., and outside of Halloween and St. Partick's Day).
Brown	Earth, reliability, comfort, endurance	Food packaging in the U.S. is often colored brown, to great success. In Colombia, brown discourages sales.
Gray	Intellect, futurism, modesty, sadness, decay	Gray is the easiest color for the eye to see.
White	Purity, cleanliness, precision, innocence, sterility, death	Signifies marriage in the U.S., but death in India and other Easter cultures.
Black	Power, sexuality, sophistication, death, mystery, fear, unhappiness, elegance	Signifies death and mourning in many Wester cultures. In packaging, conveys elegance, wealth, and sophistication.

Color and culture: some general meanings of color around the world

Color	Meaning
Red	In China, a symbol of celebration and good luck.
Purple	Associated with mourning or New-Age and alternative religions in some cultures. Should be avoided in many instances. Interestingly, purple is rarely found in nature.
Blue	Color of immortality in China, holiness for the Jews, color of Krishna in Hinduism. Blue is the safest global color.
Green	Green tends to be calming and antidepressant. It is associated with money in the U.S., but not in many other cultures.
Yellow	Sacred and imperial color in Asian cultures, represents joy and happiness in several Western cultures. Women tend to respond quite positively to many values of yellow.
Orange	Symbolizes that a product is inexpensive in the U.S., so it should be avoided when designing sites that are expressing sophistication, elegance, and luxury.
Brown	Brown is usually quite neutral and associated with nature.
Black	Represents mourning in many cultures, also evil, and dark spirits. Paradoxically, black is seen as sophisticated and elegant, especially in cosmopolitan, prosperous areas.
White	Salvation, holiness, purity in most Western and many world cultures, but mourning in some Western and many Eastern cultures. Should be used with care in certain instances. Because white is such a necessary color for contrast and design, it's wise to mix it with another color that has stronger, more obvious significance.

Sample Palettes

The palette on the left suggests conservatism and trustworthiness, power, precision, and order; while the one on the right expresses warmth, energy, nature, and health.

Palette

Shapes and their associated psychological responses

SHAPE	PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE
Circle	Connection, community, wholeness, endurance, movement, safety. Refers to the feminine:warmth, comfort, sensuality, and love.
Rectangle	Order, logic, containment, security. Rectangles provide a fourth point, which is mathematically the foundation for 3D objects, suggesting mass, volume, and solids.
Triangle	Energy, power, balance, law, science, religion. Refers to the masculine:strength, aggression, and dynamic movement.

Popular type categories, with a general category description and attributes associated with the type families within the category

TYPE CATEGORY	DESCRIPTION	GENERAL ATTRIBUTES
Serif	Typefaces with strokes, called serifs, decorating the letterforms. A common example is Times.	A formal type style. Serifs tend to express organization and intellect. Very elegant and conservative in most instances.
Sans-serif	Typefaces with rounded letterforms and no strokes. Popular sans-serif fonts include Helvetica and Arial.	A less formal, more warm and friendly type style, a sans-serif typeface typically makes an excellent screen font as it is clear and easy to read.
Monospace	Each letter in a monspace face takes up the same amount of space as any other letter. An I is as wide is a W. A good example of a monospace font is Courier.	Reminiscent of typewritten documents, monspace type has been used in Web design for code samples and preformatted text. In recent years, monospace fonts have become popularized by alternative "grunge" designers.
Decorative	Typefaces that are very variegated in design. Author and designer Robin Williams has suggested that if you see a typeface for body text that makes you sick to your stomach, it's probably a decorative font!	Because of their variations, decorative fonts can evoke a wide range of psychological attributes. They are best used for titles and decorative type, and should be avoided as body type.
Script	Typefaces that mimic handwriting. These typefaces are also know as cursive.	A sense of elegance, sophistication, and a personal touch can be evoked by script faces. Use them sparingly, as you would a decorative face.