Transparent
gif files
Question
I'm looking for some assistance in creating
transparent gif
files for use on a multi-colored background (white with faded blue). I
have both Microsoft Image Composer and Paint Shop Pro but have very
little experience or knowledge on how to use these tools. So I'm not
exactly sure how to proceed. What I've seen so far is the ability to
make a gif file transparent for a single color, but not multiple colors.
Answer
I haven't found any program
that will let you pick multiple transparent
colors. The last time I looked into it, the browsers could only show one
transparent color per gif. You might fool the browser by animating your gif,
making different colors transparent in each frame. Each frame could be
exactly alike, and if you run it fast enough it might look like there were
two or more colors transparent. You might get help from http://www.agag.com/
which is the Animated artists guild.
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Text on Buttons
Question
I was wondering exactly how do I get text on buttons?
Answer
I use Microsoft Image Composer that came
with Front Page 98, and Ulead
Photoimpact that came with my scanner. I also use Microsoft Image composer. With
mine I first draw the basic button, then somewhere on the tool bar, either on the
side or the top, you should find a tool button that says text, or maybe
label. You may even have to look around the top for something like insert
text. When you find it, it should give you a place to type your text, and
also pick font size, type, and color. If that all works out, usually you
would drag the text on top of your button. At this point the button that you
made, and the text, are probably two separate sprites. With Image composer,
when I am happy with the way it looks, I have to first pick select all, then
I pick flatten group, which combines all the sprites into one. Then the
button is ready to save. The same process works also if you are adding a clip art image
to the button. I have found that the help files that come with software are too brief
and are written for someone already familiar with the way it works and also
the terminology. I learned mostly by clicking on something and seeing what
happened. Then after that I would read the help files only if I had to.
Don't be afraid of hurting anything, believe me, you can always delete
mistakes. So wade in and see what it will do
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Animation
programs
Question
I have been working on web design for a long
time and I create all of my own
backgrounds and graphics in adobe photoshop. I have been wanting to make
animated gifs for a long time but I never have the time to learn how to do
it. I was surfing and trying to see what I could pick up and came across
your page. I understand everything you said and I downloaded Paint Shop Pro
to try to get things going, but my problem is once I have my images that I
want to put together, how do i put them together?
I will appreciate any information you can give me.
Answer
I use Microsoft gif animator
that came with my Front Page 98
software. I like it fine and you can download it free at
http://www6.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/texis/swlib/hotfiles/info.html?fcode=000BDX
A friend of mine uses GIF Construction Set, and loves it on her Nash
Metropolitan page at http://ecicnet.org/~jcurrent/
. Check her page and
look at her animations. It will also make scrolling banners. I think in the
future I will play with it when I get time You can download a shareware
version at http://www.mindworkshop.com/alchemy/gcsdemo.html
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Animated
background
Question
Hi, I am wanting to know if there is a
background out there somewhere that
includes "flying stars", as if you were flying through space?????? Can you
help me out on this one????? I have looked and looked, but haven't found one
yet.
Answer
I have never found the type
of background that you are looking for. I
think it would look great. I have played around with an animated background
of stars twinkling, that the browser tiles over and over. A field of stars
would be a large file, enough to fill the browsers window without tiling,
and would take a while to download. Try to make one yourself, just to give
yourself an idea how it will work, and if the file size would be small
enough. You might make one fill a smaller area, maybe a rectangle at the
top, with your text below it.
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What
kind of software do you use?
Question
I'm a
virgin at this web design. The software your talking about is it
Microsoft or
what.
I'm from Australia (OZ) and not everything is packaged
under the same name/banner.
As I don't want to spend a fortune getting started could you please suggest some
reading before I go out and spend my cash?
Answer
The software I use for the web site is Microsoft Front Page 98. It is an HTML editor that
writes the code for me so all I have to do is put my stuff on the screen. Here
in the USA,
it sells for about $150. You can download a one month trial version at http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/. The
version I bought takes about 60 megs of hard drive, and it works just like a word
processor. As you create a page it writes the HTML for you. It keeps track of internal
links for you and updates them by itself if you change something. It is the easiest HTML
editor that I have found but ask around and read some reviews, everybody has their
favorite.
Most any free web page sites have basic on line web editors. They let you learn as you go
which in my case helped a lot. My learning curve was slow on the uptake. After you see how
it all fits together, it is easy and I really enjoy it. Geocities also has community
leaders whose job is to help the homesteaders in their area. Also at geocities there are
numerous HTML help pages which are really good if you want to try HTML. Microsoft Explorer
and Netscape come with basic web page editors. They are basic but the price is right.
For the graphics I used Ulead PhotoImpact, that came with my scanner. Also Microsoft
image
composer that came with the Front Page 98. I have used a trial version of Paint Shop for
some of the stuff. Look for trial versions at www.cnet.com,
www.windows95.com, and www.tucows.com.
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Couldn't
Download
Question
I could not click on the button I wanted to download. I use
Netscape. I never had problem with my mouse. Would you advise me? What
happened is when I place the mouse button nothing happened (no small hand).
Answer
I use Microsoft 4.0 for all my usual stuff
on the internet, but I have
Netscape 3.0 on my computer too. I went to my site using Netscape and it
worked all right. I have one idea though, you said in your letter that no
little hand appeared over the image. It won't. The images aren't links, they
are, well, just images. If you place you mouse pointer over an image,
whether it is an animation, a background, or button, and right click on it,
a message window will pop up. Left click on- save image as- from the list.
Your computer will then ask you where to save the image and what to call it.
Pick a place and a name. That should work.
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Which
software for buttons?
Question
I just visited your buttons Page and liked your buttons.
Could
you tell me which software are you using to create them????
I need to add a few buttons to my home page
Answer
Thanks for you reply. I use Ulead
Photoimpact that I got with my
scanner. It has a lot of things that you can do with photos and drawings,
and it has a section of tools just for web design. One of the web effects
makes buttons with any jpeg image. You can vary the bevel, size, color
around the button and other properties. I didn't get it for that reason, it
just came with the scanner. But it was lucky just the same. There are
probably button designing freeware or shareware on the web, try www.cnet.com
, www.windows95.com , or www.tocows.com .
Also, a friend of mine uses GIF Construction Set, and loves it on her Nash
Metropolitan page at http://ecicnet.org/~jcurrent/
. Check her page and
look at her animations. It will also make scrolling banners. I think in the
future I will play with it when I get time You can download a shareware
version at http://www.mindworkshop.com/alchemy/gcsdemo.html
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How do I make my web page?
Question
I have a big question for you,
How did I make my Web page?.
Do I have to pay to make a Web page?,
Answer
Having a web page is both simple
and difficult. Simple in that personal
web pages like at geocities are free, they have easy on-line page editors,
and community leaders that can help you learn. They offer support and there
are many pages at geocities that offer great help files for beginners.
Personal web pages are difficult because to do a lot with the page
requires a lot of learning. You either have to study HTML (the language that
web pages use), or buy a HTML editor like I use that works like a word
processor then creates the HTML for you. Either way to do a lot with a page
takes a lot of work and time. It is, as far as I am concerned, time well
spent. I love being on the internet and I love working on my page!
Visit geocities and look into how you sign up for a page, and give it a
try!
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How
does HTML work?
Question
I am 16 years old and I am designing my own web page
While I was visiting your web page to look at buttons and your
backgrounds I was also getting tips. On your web page where
you have the place to pick what area to go to (ex: :"Main", "200=
Animations From around the Web" and etc.) I was wondering how
you got that text area with the hyperlinks in it? Is it an html tag? Or what?
Answer
That's more of a question
that one e-mail can answer. Yes, it's an HTML
tag, but it is a little more than that. The actual code would look something
like this,
<a
href="secondpage.html">Second Page</a>
But, there is a lot more to HTML that you should learn. Two good sites
are,
http://www.htmlgoodies.com/ and
http://geocities.datacellar.net/SiliconValley/Way/1299/
Both of these sites are for beginning HTML and both can walk you though
the basics and link you to the more advanced. I know what HTML looks like,
but I'm not too familiar with it because I use Front Page 98 which is a HTML
editor and it works like a word processor. I'm sorry I can't be of much
help, but HTML is a study all to itself.
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How
do I do Frames?
Question
I wanted to know how to get
that frame on the left hand side of your
page, the one with the menu on it. I was also interested to know how
to get a header and 'side bar' to stay whilst the visitor browses the
rest of the web site in the main frame. I hope you can decipher what
I mean! Could you please send me some script that all I have to do is
copy and paste it?
Answer
Thanks for visiting my site. Frames and frame sets involve a lot more code
than just copying and pasting. They have to be positioned just right to suit your tastes.
If you use HTML and write your own code, then I'm not much help.
I use
Front Page 98 for my page and I do know what HTML looks like but thats about
all. Here are a couple sites that I have found that should get you started
in HTML and framesets.
http://geocities.datacellar.net/SiliconValley/Way/1299/
http://www.htmlgoodies.com/
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How do you
get the background music to play? and where could I get some?
Question
I like your site it is cool,
and i just wanted to know how
to put sound on a page, like what is the html for it............thanxs
Answer
Thanks for visiting my site. I use Front Page 98 to build my site and it works like a word
processor and writes the HTML code for me. All I do is on my page properties menu, is
select a background sound file. I looked at the HTML that Front Page wrote for my index
page and it looks like this,
<bgsound src="redrooster.mid"
loop="1">
Once you have it in the HTML, then make sure when you upload the page and the sound file.
It's sometimes easy to forget.
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How do I get my Front Page
98 to E-mail me form results?
Question
I was reading your web page and I
noticed that you are familiar with Front
Page 98. I am currently setting up a web page using that program, but I am
having some problems getting a form to email to our email address. Do you
know how to do this?
Answer
My page at Geocities is a free one and is read only. I have read a book recently from the
library that looked like it described forms and how to handle them pretty well. The book
was --Build a Web Page in a Weekend with Front Page 98--. Also try these links,
Both of these have tutorials that might help.
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How do you put
a picture on a web page and NOT show the background?
Question
How do you put a picture on a web page and NOT
show the background?
Answer
Right now transparencies only apply to GIF formatted pictures. Make sure your image is
GIF, put them in a graphics program, somewhere in the program you will find a check box to
pick a transparent color. You can have only one color. The area that you want to be
transparent has to be a solid color, and also, if the color you picked appears anywhere
else in the picture, it will be transparent there also.
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How do you have your
text scroll over a stationary background?
Question
You've got a pretty cool site. I was wondering
how you can have your text
scroll over a stationary background. I've seen it a few times now and I
like the way it makes the text and images "hover" over the background when
you scroll through
Answer
I like that effect myself,
and your the first visitor to mention it. I
don't know what it's called in HTML because I use Front Page 98 for my site.
When I select a background for a page, there is a place to also check if I
want the background to appear as a watermark. That's what makes the
background stay put and the text and images scroll. I liked it as soon as I
saw it.
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How do I get a counter for my site?
Question
How can I get
a simple web counter for my site?
Answer
As far as the counter goes,
geocities provides mine as part of their service.
Your homepage provider should have the same for you, free.
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JavaScript Problems?
Question
I don't get how to do the cut and
paste JavaScript thingy. Can you
help?
Answer
Cutting and pasting can be
simple and complex. Everything has to be in
just the right spot or your browser can't tell what to do, or will just
stop. I had to play with those pages on my site for a good while to get them
to work. I still am not sure just what I did that worked. Best for you is to
check out http://javaboutique.internet.com/
and read their tutorials. They
are in the Java business and should know what they are doing.
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Dick's FAQ
