Free Web Stuff: Februari 2010

Selasa, 23 Februari 2010

11 Useful Sources To Learn and Improve HTML Skills

If You are graphic designer, You should learn also some simple coding too. If You are new to this simple coding, You could find this resources useful. I listed few resources, I prefer to learn from and hopefully You’ll learn something too. This article isn’t very long, because I think You should choose just one place, where to learn from.

Okay, no more long discussions – enjoy!

1. HTML Dog

HTML Dog has been dishing out healthy code treats since 2003, and currently serves up around 1,500,000 page views a month. The idea is to take the somewhat convoluted official specs for XHTML and CSS and present them in a much more readable fashion.

Very useful HTML and CSS tutorial place, teaching You everything step by step – best practices, standards and code with “easy to understand” example. Give it a shot, You won’t regret it! I am only sorry about that, I didn’t knew about this place at the first time, when I tried to learn how to do simple coding. My favorite.

2. W3Schools

W3Schools is the largest web developers site on the Internet. This was the first place where I started to learn basics. Personally I think those tutorials are a bit outdated, but W3C is founding place where just everything started.

3. HTML Code Tutorials

Excellent site providing really helpful and complete guide to creating web pages. There is bunch of other useful resources like HTML Quick List with complete list of HTML tags, forum where to ask unclear questions and of course wide range of tutorial list.

4. HTML Goodies

HTML Goodies intended purpose is to help new and growing website developers learn their trade, and to provide them with tips, guides and reference sets for their use as they become more accomplished. If You are interested in HTML, MySpace HTML, learning the basics and also..colors, how to create buttons and much, much more. A huge resource roundup.

5. Tizag Tutorials

Tizag was designed to teach beginner web programmers how to use HTML and CSS. Also if You are getting deeper in web development, You can learn also JavaScript, PHP, Perl, AjaX, ASP, VBScript, XML, SQL, MySql, some useful tools and much, much more.

6. HTML Playground

Great site allowing You to play with HTML online – check out demo, do everything in 5 steps – choosing tag, read description, select tag from sample code, modify the atributes and finally see demo online. Pretty handy.

7. Your HTML Source

I wanted to highlight this resource page, because of its well written language in easy to understand way. Everything is clearly listed on “Full Index” page teaching You not only how to create Your very first homepage, but also how to style it with CSS, add spice with Javascript and create it accessible and SEO friendly.

8. EchoEcho

This is one more site You must have in Your bookmarks, if You are web developer. You can not only learn whole coding basics there, but also You will find everything from free webspace to host your site to graphics, programs, online developer tools and applets that will help you make it look nice.

9. Davesite

DaveSite also offers comprehensive overview how to use HTML, but this one is special because guide also teach You how to set up Your domain and hosting.

10. BraveNet

BraveNet offers a huge list of different useful resources, widgets, tools. This site has been over the web for about 10 years, so I am sure You’ll find out something useful too. And yes, that’s not all, of course, You can get HTML, CSS and FTP tutorials over there too.

11. AListApart

A List Apart Magazine explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices.

Excellent page to check on the latest web development news and also find out some nifty codes. Must subscribe web page!

This is just small list about resources I found out, but I think this could be enough to choose. These are the best pages I found. And yes, if You know some more please, share with us too.

40 Promotional Sites Where To Submit Your Design Related Links

Since I use social bookmarking/voting sites to promote my articles a lot, I thought I might share these sites with You too – I know if You submit every article in each of these sites regularly, You’ll get many new and regular readers in short time period. I, for example, got 4,000-5,000 unique readers everyday using this method. Of course, there is also much more small and useful tips, but I think I’ll do that kind of article a little bit later.

And I know, there are few another similar articles, but at least for me, I want my own list, showing the more and less useful sites for me in diminishing order. Not all of sites are just for design related articles, but I couldn’t not to include those sites too, since they create so much traffic for me. Also if You use this technique, You get very strong backlinks which are good for SEO and Your site at first place, of course.

I marked social bookmarking/voting sites with registration required with “*” mark.

1. Stumbleupon *

If You get at least 15-20 Your article stumblers in short time period, You can get amazing amounts of traffic, so this is my number one pick. If You use FireFox, install StumbleUpon add-on to easily send Your links to friends.

2. DesignFloat *

3. DesignBump *

4. Vectortuts (don’t click to PsdTuts and Nettuts at the same time)

5. Graphic-Design-Links *

6. Dzone *

7. Reddit *(not working well for design blogs)

Be active and this can be great source of traffic.

You can add user link news there, but in order to do that, You must register there.

16. TheCreativityWall

17. CSSDrive

18. FuelYourCreativity

30. deleted

You can add user link news there, but in order to do that, You must register there.

54. Directory For Designers

55. Visual Blast

56. DeadWings Designs

65. Little Box OF Ideas

These are sites that works simply great for me, I submit almost every article in all of these sites. I didn’t add any images, because I know if anybody will use this article as reference, big pictures will only disturb You.

35 Exclusive And High Quality PSD Photoshop Resource Sites

35 Exclusive And High Quality PSD Photoshop Resource Sites
For picture to be perfect, sometimes it lacks some of the details. And then the questions arise. Where to look? What to look for? To speed up this photo editing process, people often choose the easy method of using resources. But the thing is – they are hard to find and costs you valuable time. Of course, most of us already know that a lot of things come from deviantART, but what will you do in the case you don’t find what you need?

I searched for a fairly long time, until finally gathered these resource sites and I hope that it will be useful not only for me but for you too.

1. deviantART

Here you can find almost everything and of course there are plenty of free PSD resources, icons, layouts, textures and much more available. You just need to take your time and do research and I am sure you’ll find what you looking for there.

2. Photoshop Candy

3. FreePSD

4. Official PSDs

5. Ganato Design

6. PSD Central

7. PSGalaxy

8. Download PSD

9. Lord of the Design

10. Bevel and Emboss

11. e-webtemplates

12. Free PSD Files

13. DesignBum

14. Designers Revolution

15. Pixey

16. For Designer

17. PSD Spy

18. Toptut

19. Smashing Magazine

20. Jack Rebel

21. Lorelei Web Design

22. Dezignus

23. BittBox

24. FrooWeb

25. aaronovadia.com

26. Photoshop Files

27. HTMLTree

28. Free Photoshop

29. Keep Designing

30. The Free Logo Makers

31. GFXFever

32. Hidden Pixels

33. psdGraphics

34. PSDList

35. Piksels

48+ Greatest Adobe Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts

As I am big Photoshop fan, I really love their keyboard shortcuts – it really helps to build up working speed using them in Your workflow. Keyboard shortcuts are keystrokes or keystroke combinations to quickly execute some command. If You like using Photoshop as designer, You will evaluate those keyboard shortcuts strength. However there are really huge amount of keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop, there is no way You can remember them all – and that’s really not worth it so I created my own list and included there not all, but just those worthy ones and little more.

And one more fun thing – imagine You go to new design agency – You can really retain great impression as great Photoshop master, if You use those shortcuts often enough in Your workflow. I just saw my boss face when he was watching how I work – I can say – feeling was really good! :)

Notes

I will be using ‘+’ - to define two or more keyboard combinations for example – CTRL + ALT + TAB etc.

I wrote this article using Windows, so if Your are using Macintosh – CONTROL = COMMAND and ALT = OPTION

Global keyboard shortcuts

1.You can check all Your preferences pressing CTRL + K and learn more.

2. Press TAB – to show/hide tool panels;

3. Press SHIFT + TAB to show/hide only Your palette;

4. Press F repeatedly to cycle screen modes;

5. Press CTRL + TAB to switch to Your next document;

6. Press CTRL + SHIFT + TAB to switch to Your previous document;

7. Press CTRL + T to enter free transform mode;

free-transform

Tip: You can scale proportionally from center Your transform by pressing and holding ALT + SHIFT, when You are dragging.

8. Press ALT + DELETE to fill the layer with foreground color or SHIFT + DELETE to fill with background color;

Tip: You can use ALT + BACKSPACE or SHIFT + BACKSPACE to fill non-transparent pixels.

9. Press X to switch foreground/background color;

10. Press D to reset foreground/background color to black/white;

background-foreground-color

Tip: You can use ALT + DELETE shortcut to fill just current selection.

11. If You work in high zoom pressing and holding SPACEBAR comes very handy by giving You hand tool to move small distance.

Also You can use it greatly with the marquee tool (or rectangle, shape tool etc.) – just start dragging on the document, and press SPACEBAR while holding Your mouse and move it to desired place, resize as You want it and repeat circle until You are pleased;

rectangle-marque-tool

12. When You are working, there are lot of experimenting going on, so very handy becomes undo/redo shortcuts :

Press CTRL + Z to undo/redo previous activity;

Press CTRL + ALT + Z to undo multiple times;

13. While working with big files, it is very important to save often (every 5-10 min) – press CTRL + S to save Your document;

14. I always use this one – press CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + S to bring up ’save for web & devices ‘ dialog;

15. If You often use filters remember this keyboard shortcut, to repeat previous accomplished filter : CTRL + F

16. To draw precise, symmetrical circle or square or straight line press and hold SHIFT, while drawing it.

precise

17. To temporarily switch to move tool while using another press CTRL + CLICK + hold you mouse

18. Open FILL dialogue by pressing SHIFT + BACKSPACE

fill

19. You can test Your fonts easily by selecting Your text, then selecting “set font family” form and just pressing UP or DOWN buttons.

testfonts

20. A always hated that I just can’t simply apply my text by pressing ENTER button..that was until I heard about some great keyboard shortcut!

So how to approve and escape text editing mode? – easy. Just press Your numeric ENTER or CTRL + ENTER

21. Increase/decrease brush size pressing [ or ] – (left bracket or right bracket)

Toolbar

22. Use Your toolbar shortcuts to switch between tools faster!

Memorize shortcuts of tools You use the most.

You can easily see keyboard shortcut by mouseover on certain tool :

Use Your Zoom tool wisely!

23. Double click on zoom tool to zoom Your document 100% size;

Tip: You can press CTRL + ALT + 0 to get actual pixels too (100 % size)!

24. Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom in/zoom out Your document:

Zoom in – CTRL + +

Zoom out – CTRL + -

zoom-keyboard

use Your mouse scroll wheel to zoom in/zoom out - ALT + SCROLL WHEEL UP/ALT + SCROLL WHEEL DOWN

25. To temporarily switch to zoom tool, while using another press:

Quick zoom in: CTRL + SPACE + CLICK

Quick zoom out: ALT + SPACE + CLICK

26. Use keyboard shortcuts CTRL + 0 to set Your image fit to window;

27. Press CTRL + W to close just Your current open document;

Palette

Note : check out Your palette keyboard shortcuts pressing ALT + W

28. Layers menu

Note: press F7 to show/hide Your layers menu.

29. Press CTRL + SHIFT + N to create new layer with dialog box;

30. Press CTRL + SHIFT + ALT + N to create new layer without opening dialog box;

31. Press CTRL + ALT + J to duplicate active layer with dialog box;

32. Press CTRL + J to duplicate active layer without opening dialog box ;

33. How to navigate between layers:

Mouse click on active layer and press SHIFT to select several layers:

shift-layer

Press and hold CONTROL to select or deselect definite layers;

34.Press CTRL+G to group selected layers in one group:

Tip: use CTRL + SHIFT + G to ungroup layers

ctrl-g-layer

35. Collapse or expand all groups in Your layers palette by pressing CTRL + CLICK on the group’s triangle:

ctrl-click

ctrl-click-image

36. Show/ hide Your layers by and holding Your mouse and dragging it up/down. Repeat to do inverse action:

visibility

37. To mask layers, do this trick – hold ALT + MOUSEOVER on the line between layers:

mask

38. Click and drag background layer to make duplicate. I suggest to use this action starting every new file:

background-copy

39. Press ALT + CLICK on icon – to show/hide all layers, except active one:

show-hide-all

40. Press CAPSLOCK to show cursor precise/standard mode;

41. Press CTRL + CLICK on layer layer to make selection:

control-click-selection

42. Press CTRL + I to inverse current selection;

43. Press CTRL + D to deselect current selection;

44. You maybe knew about deselect shortcut, but did You know how to reselect previous selection? Just press CTRL + SHIFT + D !

45. Press CTRL + E to merge selected layers or press CTRL + SHIFT + E to merge all visible layers into one;

46. If You ever wanted to make Your text longer or little bit shorter with tracking, You can do it easy with keyboard shortcuts – so first select Your text and then press CTRL + ALT + > or CTRL + ALT + < to set wider or thinner indent.

47. You can easily change Your layer or brush opacity opacity by just pressing number keys – 1 = 10%, 2 = 20%, 3 = 30% etc.

48. And lastly I want to provide You with great *.pdf file I found out there.

It is 4 page PDF document with ALL possible ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS3 shortcuts ! It’s great isn’t it? You can check out the list and maybe You’ll find some more great shortcuts You didn’t know about! Good luck shortcutting!

Oh, well and here is the link :