Header and Image Help

[blt212]

My website header is basically made up of several images and text that I've grouped together. I would like to make one image of everything so when it loads, it loads as one piece. Is there a simple application that will do this. I don't have Photoshop and can't seem to do it with Paint.net....any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Brenda
www.ctrivercandles.com

[Tom Finley]

Re: Header and Image Help

That might not be a great idea, for more than one reason.

1. One image of everything will slow things down. Actually, many image programs allow images to be exported in "slices" so a web page can load smaller parts of an image.

2. If you mean to include the text in your image, that will make your page less SEO friendly.

[blt212]

Re: Header and Image Help

Ok, I would love to not deal with and leave it like it is instead of making it worse. The problem is I don't like the way it looks when it loads...most website header just show up....mine comes up in pieces. I think it looks unprofessional ??? Maybe there's something I can do in Voda to make it work better...

[Tom Finley]

Re: Header and Image Help

I don't have much trouble loading your page on my broadband--the images used on your header don't load all at once but they are pretty quick. I suggest, though, that you rename them. Remove the spaces because that could be one source of your problem. You also save some download time if you use Pixresizer (google it) to reduce the file size of all your photos. They aren't bad, but every little bit helps.

If worse comes to worse, you can go to my website (below) and find my email address. To do so, click on the "@" sign on the menu just below the header on my site. If you attach your header's images and send them to me, I can turn them into one image for you.

[blt212]

Re: Header and Image Help

Thank you for the suggestions....I just created a test page and redid the header after renaming and resizing and I had the same result. If you could turn them into one image I'd be very grateful....I'll look for your email address and send them along....

Thank you very much....

[Tom Finley]

Re: Header and Image Help

You should have it now. Let me know how it works out.

[Watdaflip]

Re: Header and Image Help

Alright, just for information purposes..

If you need an image editing program, you can download one called "The Gimp" for free, and its just about as powerful as Photoshop.

Now, view your website header and hit the "Print Screen" key or "Prt Scn" or whatever other abbreviation it might be on your keyboard. It should be somewhere on the top right of your keyboard.

Now open Gimp (or whatever program you are going to use), hold down "Ctrl" and hit "V" (or right click and paste). Trim out anything that should be apart of the header and save it. If you save an image with the option of "Interlaced" it will load the image in segments instead of waiting for the entire image to be sent and then loaded.

The impact of SEO is miniscule, just make sure you have an alt tag set for your header.

[Collectors-info]

Re: Header and Image Help

You best bet is to do as Watdaflip suggested, but just using the three images. If you try to copy BV text & shapes, they can sometimes distort when reducing or converting them as they are a gif format.
I was playing with your header & the last image on this page seemed to be the best compromise. (Copy it if needed)

[blt212]

Re: Header and Image Help

Thank you for the suggestions...Tom was helpful and sent me the header as one image. I've updated my home page with this header. It still loads separate from the text but seems improved. I'm thinking I should do the text as part of the header and will work on that using Gimp.

Chris, the link "This Page" didn't work for me, but I appreciate your help.

Brenda

[Collectors-info]

Re: Header and Image Help

Ah! No problem if you are sorted. My VH server was playing up, but the nice ladies & gents @ VH got it back working. The image you have there at the moment is a 155kb, which is a little large. Try the link again as the last image is only 18kb & will load a lot faster this page

Good luck.

[blt212]

Re: Header and Image Help

Hi Chris:
I was able to view the link....wow, they all look great but I can see what you mean by the quality of the last one....the photos are really clear. So do you think I should still use Gimp or just add the text in BV. That's what I've done on this page and I think it look good:

http://www.ctrivercandles.com/soycandles.html

Can I also add that you and the members of this forum just rock...I've never been a member of a forum that was so helpful and knowledgeable.....it's great!

Thanks

[Tom Finley]

Re: Header and Image Help

Brenda, it looks like you're replacing the logos on all pages. Be sure to check your home page--it and the soy candles one have a bar of some sort across the top. Same color as the background, so it makes the logo on those two pages look different than the rest.

EDIT: The soy candles one I meant is your "candles.html" page, not the one in your link above. Same with your "ctriverlinks.html" page.

[blt212]

Re: Header and Image Help

Thanks Tom.....I've been changing them one by one and hope to finish sometime tomorrow......

Appreciate the feedback!
Brenda

[Collectors-info]

Re: Header and Image Help

Hi Chris:
I was able to view the link....wow, they all look great but I can see what you mean by the quality of the last one....the photos are really clear. So do you think I should still use Gimp or just add the text in BV. That's what I've done on this page and I think it look good:

http://www.ctrivercandles.com/soycandles.html

Can I also add that you and the members of this forum just rock...I've never been a member of a forum that was so helpful and knowledgeable.....it's great!

Thanks

Hi, wherever, & if possible, always try to add the text as real text & not an image. The SE's cant always relate to what an image is saying in the same way as text will.