The Weight Loss Secret

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by Sharp Bowen

Should I be concerned about losing weight and muscle? Weight loss of as little as 5 percent of body weight can interfere with your body’s response to your cancer treatment.1,2 Preventing weight and muscle loss may make you feel stronger, which may help you be more active and improve your quality of life.We tell your patients that you are their physician and that we are here in a specialty role only.

when I reach my goal, will I keep on losing weight? No, you won’t, and here’s why. The body will right itself by setting its own limits. The body will naturally stabilize itself. Just as when my triglyceride levels were over 600 and fell to 98 in less than a year, they stabilized on their own. The body knows what to do and you can help regulate it at your desired weight by the variety and amounts of the natural foods you eat.Regardless of what you have “heard” about the issue of “loose skin” after a large weight loss, let me tell you the truth from my firsthand experience–you lose the elasticity in your skin and it can only be taken care of with surgery. Sure, there are some people who still should lose a little more weight, but most of the skin will just stay there. That’s the way I has been for me since I lost nearly 200 pounds.

How soon should I start losing weight? Weight loss varies from individual to individual. The amount of weight loss will depend on your daily diet, the amount of exercise you get and how over weight you are. Individual weight loss may be any where from 2-10 pounds per week. However, some people lose sizes before they start to lose weight, because they might be gaining muscle while they are losing fat.Regaining weight and building lean body mass take time. Allow at least two to four weeks to see progress. A study of Juven in people with involuntary loss of lean body mass associated with cancer showed a median gain of 2.

What are the health benefits of losing weight with HMR? Losing weight can result in dramatic health improvements. That’s because excess weight and obesity are risk factors for a number of chronic health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, joint problems, sleep apnea, and more. Participants in the HMR Program often find that they are able to reduce or eliminate the medications they are taking for many of these conditions.It appears that a very important part of the program is knowing how many calories are in what you eat, but I don’t see any specific recommendations as to where I can find this information. We’ll be posting a set of links to sites that offer calories/nutritional info, but there’s also a good book, Barbara Krause’s Calories and Carbohydrates that I use.

bull; What foods should I try to avoid when losing weight? Try to avoid foods that have a high glycemic index rating. These foods include white breads, some pastas, potatoes, sweetened cereals, candy bars, soda pop, honey, and table sugar. These foods give you a quick burst of energy but then they leave you feeling hungry and lethargic a short time later. Recommended foods would be those with a low glycemic index rating, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These foods leave you feeling full and raise blood sugar levels slowly and steadily.It appears that a very important part of the program is knowing how many calories are in what you eat, but I don’t see any specific recommendations as to where I can find this information. We’ll be posting a set of links to sites that offer calories/nutritional info, but there’s also a good book, Barbara Krause’s Calories and Carbohydrates that I use.

when I reach my goal, will I keep on losing weight? No, you won’t, and here’s why. The body will right itself by setting its own limits. The body will naturally stabilize itself. Just as when my triglyceride levels were over 600 and fell to 98 in less than a year, they stabilized on their own. The body knows what to do and you can help regulate it at your desired weight by the variety and amounts of the natural foods you eat.We tell your patients that you are their physician and that we are here in a specialty role only. During the weight loss phase, we see your patient weekly, and we often need to make medication adjustments for patients who have diabetes or have hypertension.

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December 4, 2008 by Sharp Bowen  
Filed under Web Design

Templates for Your Website

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by Herb B. Lewis

In the early days of the web there were not many options to help you build a great website. You could either hire an expensive web designer to make the entire site for you or you could create the website yourself. Paying a webmaster can get expensive, in the old days creating a site yourself required you know HTML. Most people don’t have time to learn to do this.

Many webmasters use a template to start your site and you can to. This is the golden age of the web and entrepreneurs have a lot more choices when it comes to creating a simple, professional website.

To find templates Google, “website templates” and several million pages selling templates will show up. Google, “free website templates” and several million pages with free templates will show up.

Most of the pages that come up in your search will show the designs on their site for you to preview before you download them. Select a template that you like that goes with what you sell, download it and then add your information. The HTML and design is done for you, all you have to do is tailor it to fit your needs.

The template will not be made with your photos and text; you have to add this yourself. Once you have the basic site on your hard drive, editing is simple. Editing involves adding your own logos, text and graphics to the template to make it yours.

Templates can be edited with a free HTML editor that is easy to download and install on your computer. When you buy a website template make sure it is compatible with your HTML editor. Search Google for, ‘free HTML editor” and several will come up. They are very easy to download and install on your computer.

A website template is just the thing for starting an online business because it is not expensive and they can be simple to modify. You still have the option of having a webmaster edit the template for you. If you do this be sure to have all the text and graphics ready so they can just cut and past it into your template. Many of the template companies offer a custom design service at a reasonable price.

For less than fifty dollars you can buy a high quality website that can look better than a professionally designed site that will cost you much more. If you learn to modify the site yourself you have much better control. You can make changes when you want. Having to go through a web designer to make changes can be frustrating.

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December 4, 2008 by Herb B. Lewis  
Filed under Web Design

Professional Web Design for Companies

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by Dirk den Besten

Nowadays if you want to stay ahead of the completion you cannot lack in your web presence. A professional designed website can keep you ahead if the competition. It can make the customer aware of serving the client’s needs.

The internet is here to stay and it is a medium that can’t be forgotten. The internet is an information source used by more and more users to help them in the pre-buying decisions. But the Internet is more than an information source. The number of online buyers is just growing everyday and companies need to be organized for this flow of internet shoppers to stay ahead of the competition.

Professional Web sites should note the following key factors in the play a key role in attracting online clients: Site compatibility with multiple browsers, use of valid CSS codes and proper HTML codes. These factors will ensure that the prospective client does not leave a Website in a huff due to Webpage loading errors or prolonged loading times.

If potential customers want to get an impression of a company or product they will most likely look at what kind of website it is. Therefore it is essential to have a good professional website and a professional web design company should realize this and be challenged by accomplishing this good first impression.

It is absolutely necessary that a web design company understands the value of a professional looking website. A good first impression is only obtained if the web design company conforms to the key factors mentioned earlier.

If you want to enlarge your online presence or maybe seeking more business - whatever it be your objective, the accomplishment or breakdown of your online venture is resolute by the quality that your Website possesses.

For you as a business owner it is critical to find a professional web designer who can meet your business requirements. After all, you do not want to find out that your new designed Web site is sending potential clientele to the competition just because of a bad designed website.

Forrester Research claims that a poorly designed Web site is likely to result in a loss of about 50% of possible repeat visitors because of the negative first impression. If you want to enlarge your online venture it is essential not to fall into the trap cheap design companies who don’t understand the rules of web presence.

You should look for Professional Web Designers for your online success. These Web Design companies make sure to have an extended discussion with their clients in order to get a good picture of their needs in terms of business objectives, aesthetic preferences and customer profiles. This is done even before any work is commenced on the technical side.

It is also strongly recommended that you make sure that the Web Design firm you have selected can assist you with additional services. Are they able to offer you a professional marketing assistance in the form of search engine marketing specialists? Can they help you with adapting the website for future ventures or web developments? A good web design company should be able to help you with more than just a few online pages.

The goal is to ensure that once you set up an online presence, it is brought to the attention of the online surfers. This way, you can immediately get to the promotion of your newly setup online business. For this, it is necessary to get Professional marketing assistance from your Web site developer - if he is capable of providing that service. All this will ensure that your much-cherished dream of tapping the huge potential that the Internet offers will not be nipped in the bud.

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December 4, 2008 by Dirk den Besten  
Filed under Web Design

The PHP Include Construct Easily Explained

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by Chris Channing

The top paid web designers got where they are today because they know how to code quickly, efficiently, and to the requests of their clients. Knowing PHP as a language and using its many functions or constructs is going to be mandatory if one is going to rise to the top. Somewhere along the way, the PHP include command will need to be learned.

There is a common controversy as to whether or not a PHP include is a function. For the doubters out there, we can confirm that the include statement is indeed not a function, but rather a language construct native to the PHP web development platform. This is because it is an internabl component- not just an ordinary function.

The PHP include is going to save us time by allowing us to edit multiple files through a single file. If we had a navigation bar that needed changed, we would normally have to go to every page and change it if we were using HTML. But with PHP we can just reference a remote file, and dynamically change each and every page.

PHP includes also save lines of code, which is great for organization and troubleshooting. It may not actually be saving any performance of the server, but it is still going to benefit the developer more than it will hurt them. PHP includes are great to take out many lines of code and replace them with a single include construct, which, only takes one line to use.

Another good function of the PHP include is to keep things in working order. If an include fails, we are going to get a visible error message. Now this isn’t always a good thing, since some error messages will expose confidential information about the running script. In more precise situations, we would use the require construct to halt the entire script should it not complete correctly.

PHP includes will only work under the PHP extension, so it’s urged that web developers only use the PHP extension if working on a large website. The HTML extension is starting to become less seen, as it will not support the many functions PHP can aid it with. DHTML is an alternative, but where possible all web designers should migrate to the PHP bandwagon. After all, the top paying web design jobs are going to require working knowledge of many systems.

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to use the PHP include command and know the theory of the command are two very different things. From here, readers will need to be able to know how to use the command in everyday settings. Consult the Internet for more information on this, and where to find the best PHP include tutorial.

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August 9, 2008 by Chris Channing  
Filed under Web Design

How To Start Your Own Online Internet Business

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by Ade Carone

To be able to start an internet business takes time and a lot of patience. These two elements are items that most people do not have, nor wish to have. If you are willing to put in the hours, the rewards will come in the long run.

If you wish to be successful in online marketing you have to carry a positive attitude, an attitude that believes in yourself and your skills. I worked for many years before I even earned a dime from a sale.

Many people become discouraged to know that any great internet business doesn’t happen in a couple of weeks. For some odd reason, the general population believes internet businesses are easy and lucky. This is certainly not the case.

Your success depends on how bad you really want to achieve your goals. Set goals for yourself and don’t stop until you reach them. Far too many people end up quitting long before they even had a chance.

If online marketing is something completely new to you, frustration and confusing ideas are probably two well known friends of yours. Don’t worry, everyone is confused when they start off, because getting started is actually the hardest part.

If you search Google at this very moment, for ways to earn a living over the computer, you will be bombarded with many different ads promising the world over and then some. Don’t buy into it. Starting an internet business takes a good deal of work.

Riches do not come overnight. Sure, as an experienced marketer you can make thousands in one day, but not the average newcomer. This is why so many give up and think that they got scammed. It is a sad reality.

Remember, you need some sort of plan to follow. It doesn’t matter if it is a paid program, a written plan from a fellow marketer, advice given from others, etc… The point is that you must stick to the plan. Believe it or not, this is most of the work.

Experience is the one item that cannot be taught. You can be taught how to design a website, how to research a market, how to write your ads and design your sales page, but in the end, it really depends on how bad you want it.

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August 9, 2008 by Ade Carone  
Filed under Web Design

New Technology lets You Track Your Children with GPS

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by KC Kudra

We live in a new world, where children are in danger from Internet predators and parents harbor real concerns for their children’s welfare every time they let them go. We live in a time when Global Positioning systems are being used to help locate and track children and keep them safe. With the growing popularity of this new technology, parents can keep an eye on their children from afar via satellites originally deployed by the government for security uses. GPS systems are so good that they can literally find the exact location of a person carrying a locater chip. They can locate that person down to within a few feet.

Global Positioning technology allows parents to outfit their children with units that monitor their whereabouts. This offers parents increasing peace of mind as they work, and they are embracing this new technology more and more. As a result, it is becoming more part of the “mainstream” technology and readily available.

There are a variety of systems offered, all of which hold some potential benefit for users. Simple wristwatch versions, for instance, are relatively unobtrusive and are convenient for a child to wear at any time. These wrist units, however, may be at a greater risk of being lost or simply forgotten, particularly by children not already accustomed to wearing a watch daily.

GPS tracking via cell phone is becoming increasingly the trend. With a GPS chip enabled, children carrying a cell phone can be located. This has grown in popularity, because nowadays everyone over the age of 10 seems to have a cellular telephone. Grandma and the grandchildren are texting.

At least one manufacturer offers GPS tracking systems via a chip housed in a plastic sleeve that fits around the cell phone. The cell phone solution is ideal for certain ages of children. For instance, in very young children, it would make no sense. In this instance, other options need to be explored.

As a result, one manufacturer has begun producing bags, backpacks, and book bags that have GPS technology. Children naturally carry these things, so there is no confusion or chance for the child to lose it. They are extremely well suited to younger children, while the cell phone makes more sense for the older child who may not need to carry a book bag everywhere.

Other tools include a simple necklace that features the GPS chip as something of a charm, and other options. Even more GPS child tracking tools are certain to be released in the near future, as the field will undoubtedly continue to experience rapid and significant growth. This growth in the availability of products is a boon to parents, as they will be able to seek out tools that truly meet the unique needs of their particular child or children.

While any type of GPS tool would be effective in locating children, one of the most important things to consider is what type of GPS device you choose. You want it to be reliable and effective with a track record you can review. Secondary would be the pricing structure.

When you find a device that meets appropriate performance levels, then it is necessary to choose the product that fits your child’s current level of sophistication. Cell phone to older children; book bag to the little ones. Parents will want to consider all options when choosing, as this is one item that will cause undue stress or create a sense of safety for parents and children.

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August 9, 2008 by KC Kudra  
Filed under Web Design

Article Marketing - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

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by John Neyman

Article marketing seems to be the latest rage and with good reason. It’s by far the best free method of promoting your business and increasing your sales and opt in subscribers.

By submitting your articles to article directories, article announcement lists, and ezine publishers, you accomplish several things.

First, you establish yourself as an expert in your field. Readers are more likely to listen to you if they feel you know what you are talking about.

Second, by attaching a resource box to your article, you are giving the reader a link to your website. If the reader is impressed with your knowledge, they will likely click on your link to see what it is that you are offering.

Third, you increase your search engine page rank by providing a non-reciprocal link to your website. Search engines seem to give extra weight to non-reciprocal links in their page rankings.

But many marketers are not comfortable writing their own articles. They just do not know how to put their thoughts into words. Or worse yet, they do not have any thoughts worth printing.

That is why private label articles are in such high demand these days. There are several of these services available and more seem to be popping up every day.

Therein lies the problem. Depending on how these articles are used, the results can be good, bad, or downright ugly.

The Good: As stated previously, private label articles, when used correctly, can give the non-writer a big advantage over other marketers. They can increase your traffic, sales, and opt in subscribers. That is good.

The Bad: A common mistake made by marketers using private label articles is getting lazy. They simply copy and paste the article and submit it, as is, with no personalization.

At the very least, you should change the title. Most article directories require that your article be approved before they are posted. But do you really think they read every article that comes in? Not likely.

They get dozens, even hundreds of submissions every day, so it’s unlikely that your article will actually be read.

But most directory software will automatically search their database for duplicate titles. If the title of your article matches one in their database, yours will be rejected.

So do yourself a favor and at the very least, change the title. It might also be a good idea to change the wording in the first paragraph.

The Ugly: Many marketers load so many links in their article that it becomes one long ad. This will not only get you rejected, but eventually banned if you do it often enough.

A good article contains useful information to the reader whether they buy your products or not. Give them good content and you will increase the chances that they will click your link in the resource box.

Private label articles are a great tool, but do not get lazy!

Our services at leaders excel include any where from a personal website to an elite Premium business package website. Our premium package features include creating a personal header with your company’s logo that communicates your product and/or services.

Check out Leaders Excel Solutions at www.leaderexcelsolutions today for all of your website needs.

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August 9, 2008 by John Neyman  
Filed under Web Design

Find The Right Wilmington Web Design Service For Your Business

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by Jim Carpenter

In order to take your online business to the next level it is crucial that you have a website that not only looks great but which visitors will find easy to navigate as well. If you intend to use the services of a Wilmington web design or an internet marketing Delaware company it is important that you keep certain things in mind as you carry out your search.

The first decision that you need to make when thinking about using the services of a web design company is just how much you are willing to invest in getting yours designed and built. It is important to remember that the first thing that any potential new customers will come into contact with before you is your website so it is important that it looks as professional as possible. Such sites will find it far easier to gain the trust of potential new customers and so the likelihood of these people making a purchase from it are greatly increased.

Although the you can get sites design for relatively little money the problem with these is that they are going to be in a standard format and there will be hundreds of other sites online that look similar to yours. Also these are often sites which have been mass produced and there will be plenty of problems with them in relation to the way that they function.

Yet you could spend tens of thousands of dollars on a site and don’t expect them to be any better than those which have been mass produced. Certainly there are plenty of people who are willing to take your money and then use a mass produced website in order to create one for you. So you need to be wary and it is important that you carry out as much research before you choose a web design service to use.

Below we provide some advice with regards to what you should be looking for when you are trying to find the ideal Wilmington web design or internet marketing Delaware service.

1. One of the first things you need to do is contact those web design services that you have placed on a short list (phone or email). Then wait to see how long it takes them to respond to you after making first contact with them. Just because they haven’t contacted you within the first 48 hours does not mean that they are not interested. It could be because they are too busy, they are understaffed or their business is completely disorganized. If it is either of the second too then this is a time to think about using another service instead.

2. Following making contact with the company it is an ideal time to actually starting doing a little more research into the company that you are considering using. Look carefully at their portfolio which you should be able to easily inspect by visiting their own website. What is important is that you spend time carefully looking at the different levels of service that they offer to their clients. Okay they offer something cheap and cheerful but the problem with this is it will make your business look that way as well. Instead spend an extra few dollars on getting something that really gives a professional air to yours.

3. The other way to see whether a particular web design service is suitable for your business is to take a really close look at their own website. Look at not only the design, but the quality of the content that they have on their site and is their site one that is easy for you to navigate around. A company that can build sites like these are sure to be the ones that are able to create something that you want and will be ideal for your business.

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August 7, 2008 by Jim Carpenter  
Filed under Web Design

Web Hosting 101

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by Matt Hedges

The history of we hosting started in 1990 when the first web program was written by Tim Berners Lee. A great number of programs followed with companies creating their own form of services to offer web hosting which has resulted in the modern scenario. Today there is a huge increase in the web hosting industry. Although the term web hosting is very common today, it meant nothing before 1991 and similarly, there no ideas of the internet at that time either. However, to get the best from modern web hosting it can be worthwhile to research the development of the internet and it has developed a lot. Aside from television and radio, the internet is probably the largest technological development and there are over 50 million websites, making up the platform of the modern internet. If you did not have websites to visit, what would you do online?

How it all started.

It was back in August of 1962 when J.C.R. Licklider of MIT introduced the ideas that went onto form the internet. Licklider created a lot of articles regarding the future and one of his main topics was about the Galactic Network which was based on millions of computers linked to each other providing information of many people to benefit from. The next step for Licklider was to take a trip to the Advanced Research Project Agency [ARPA] which was the computer science project offered at MIT. When there, Licklider attempted to wow and detail the benefits that would come from networking and linking computers together.

An interesting point to mention here is that the militants developed the ARPA at the same time as they developed NASA, in order to find a manner in which the United States could make pace to catch up with USSR in the space arena after launching Sputnik, an artificial Russian satellite. Computer networking initially meant packet switching, based on the concept that it would be possible to send data through telephone lines as small packages rather than using the solid lines of circuit. In this manner, the connections would be used only when information was traveling through it, which would free up space on the system for the computer to perform more activities. Later on, while working on a project for allowing the telecommunication system to even survive a nuclear war, Paul Baran would come up with the Hot Potato networking design, which would lay the base for what would come to be known as the internet.

Following on from this, was the process that allowed computers to talk back and forth to each other and there is no doubt that 1991 was a pivotal year for the development of the internet. It was already around before then but this year was the base for the internet to grow into much bigger things. A major step came when the National Science Foundation] NSF] made a judgment that the web restrictions that prohibited commercial activity should be lifted. This changed everything and resulted in much more scope and possibilities for the internet. What is now known as e-commerce was born and a whole host of companies who foresaw the benefits the internet would bring came rushing in behind. It was at the tail-end of 1991 that WWW or the World Wide Web started to be used by CERN and it incorporated Hyper Text Markup Language [HTML.] HTML was developed by Tim Berner Lee and it was linked to the website address or it’s Uniform Resource Locator [URL.] That’s a whole of abbreviations to learn but it is now synonymous with the location of addresses for websites and the World Wide Web.

Although its early use may have been mainly benefited by computer and technologically minded people, the internet was soon to spread to the general public, greatly assisted by its simplistic methods. Of course, as the internet grew, complexities followed but it was offering many new benefits and the business world was not slow in predicting a positive future nor was it slow in cashing in on it.

Web hosting was pretty expensive in the earlier days, but now it is quite reasonable, though a bit complex for a common man to decipher. The beginning saw big companies renting space on their server, and this has become a business now. The number of companies offering web hosting services is equal to the number of companies providing access to the internet. The internet has evolved with the evolution in computers. The way business is conducted has seen a drastic change with the introduction of computers and web hosting facilities.

Statistics claim that today there are 35,000+ businesses which host 100+ websites on their server. Due to the increase in competition, the industry is seeing a huge growth. In fact, as you read this, 100’s of companies have already been added to the list. The first program for the WWW was of a hypertext editor which was executed in the NeXT machine. A line mode browser was used at that point of time, designed by Nicola Pellow, a student. The server published the specifications of HTTP, UDI and HTML in order to facilitate discussion by people who research on the given topic. For accessing the internet, browsers like Cello, Mosaic, etc. were introduced to enable clients to work on machines other than NeXT. 1994 marked the beginning of the World Wide Consortium, which is a landmark event where companies formed together to create common protocols for the Web, and then began a world of the web.

Prior to this, there had been publications of various TCP/IP related features which enabled networking without even knowing the potential that this protocol had for the future. In the past couple of years, most of the discussions at the IETF meeting gave a lot of importance to topics related to the TCP/IP protocols and the manner in which it could be expanded. For this purpose, some tools were required, and discussion was also done on its features. Some basic products meant for networking were developed for this purpose, which provided an internet connection. These were the limits to which commercial efforts went. But when the users of the internet grew substantially, it became an essential service and the internet captured the imagination of the common man. Technology developments had a big role to play in making this possible.

This can be seen in the way that many IT organizations such as Microsystems, Sun, Microsoft or IBM have moved into the internet market with an array of products, tools and other items to assist the development of the internet and web applications. There has been a development in the way that web servers are providing access to customers and the web pages that they need to visit, in addition to a large range of additional services and features.

In order to facilitate this growing demand, there has been a need for hardware manufacturers to manufacture bigger and better working servers to continue the rate of growth of the web hosting industry. The internet and how it works has changed dramatically over time and it is now viewed as a Peer to Peer [P2P] network, which has developed from the previous Personal Computer [PS] and client server states. There are a multitude of features that can be undertaken on the internet and they include distributing data and information, contacting others by email, logging remotely and much more. If you can think of it, it has probably already been done, yet there are still many more transformations to come from the internet. Concepts like internet telephony and television are very recent additions and who can say what form the internet will be in when it comes to a decade or so from now.

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August 5, 2008 by Matt Hedges  
Filed under Web Design

How To Create Graphics In Photoshop

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by Lucas Heijn

Sometimes the most difficult part is knowing where to start. Have you ever had someone show you just how to do some something. They go click, click, and click - Done! And you’re none the wiser; You see everything is easy once you know how. That’s my purpose here. It is to help you see it as easy. So let’s look at these four steps.

Step 1

After opening up Photoshop click on “File” and then “New”. Now choose the size of the new graphic. Usually this is determined by what you plan to do, what is the purpose of the graphic. In this case we are going to create a web page header. Header sizes are determined by the size of the page they are to be applied to. In this case we are creating a header for a sales page. These are usually about 700 pixels by 120 pixels.

Second Step: Decide On A Background.

There are three options to choose from. 1. We could put in a solid color as the background. 2. For more flair we may decide on a gradient. 3. We could insert a picture as our background.

If we decided on a solid color, here’s how to go about it. On the left hand side of the page there is a floating tool box. Towards the bottom of this box are two color boxes, one on top of the other. Click on the top box and a new window will appear. Choose the color you want by clicking the mouse on the color and click OK. Then choose the Bucket tool. If you cannot find a bucket tool, move your mouse over each of the tools till you find the gradient tool. Right click and it will reveal 2 tools, choose the bucket tool.

When the bucket tool has been chosen, move the mouse pointer over the new graphic. When the pointer changes to a bucket, left click. Now the new graphic is filled with the color you chose.

To fill this with a gradient, change the bucket toll into the gradient tool. Once again you need to choose a color. This time you will need to choose 2 colors. The top square is your starting color and the bottom square is the finish color of the gradient.

Having chosen the gradient tool you will notice on the top of the work area new choices have appeared. This will allow you to choose the style of the gradient.

To use a picture is easy. With the newly created graphic still in the work area, open a file of the picture you want to use. This picture needs to be the same size or larger than the graphic you are creating. Pick up this picture with the mouse and drag and drop it into the graphic you are creating. If the picture is larger than the new graphic you will be able to move it around until it looks to be in the best position.

This works with JPEG Files but does not work with Gif files.

Step 3 Layers

Photoshop works with layers. Each time you import something or introduce more text you create a new layer. To the right of your work area you should see “Layers”. Click on it and now it will display all the layers in the graphic. Clicking on a layer in this box will make it the active layer, and you will be able to work on this layer.

To import a picture is exactly the same as what you did in dragging and dropping the background into the graphic. When you drag in a picture you always have some background with the picture. If the background is mostly one color you can easily remove the background and thus expose the background you want seen. To do this you will need to use the eraser.

If the background is mostly one color use the “Magic Eraser”. You can choose this by right clicking on the eraser and choosing it. After choosing “Magic Eraser” move it over the section you want to remove. Click the mouse and you will see the background disappear. After removing the background and while it is still the active layer you can move this layer to where you need it.

Step 4: Add Text

Each time you insert new text it creates a new layer. I have found that Photoshop does not always space the lines of text the way I like. To overcome this I create each line in a new layer. This allows me to move each layer where I want so I achieve the look I desire.

On the left hand tool box click the “T”. Move the mouse to the area where the text is to go. Click the mouse and start typing. You can choose the font, size and style as in any other Windows program.

Now the text can be jazzed up a bit to make it stand out. On the top bar is “Layers”. Click on this and from the drop-down box choose “Layer Style”. This opens up a host of options such as; drop shadow, inner glow, bevel & emboss, stroke and others. Just play around with these and you will soon see what they do. Try them. You will see instant results without committing them.

With this you have created a simple and professional graphic to use on the web.

You will need to save the graphic in Photoshop format so that you can always edit it without having to start from scratch again. If you want to save it for a web page you can do so by going to “File” from the drop-down box choose “Save For Web And Devices” this will produce a smaller file suitable for a web page.

About the Author:

August 5, 2008 by Lucas Heijn  
Filed under Web Design

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