WordPress 101 will be offered at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business in a 6- week session starting Monday March 15!

Registration link here.

Cheers,

Marc

The eBook is available by subscribing to our mailing list.

Watch the videos on my YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/everymanmarketing

These are the first free, comprehensive, HD videos ever produced on styling this powerful free theme [...]]]>

I have greatly expanded the WordPress 101 Quick Start eBook (version 1.00!) and added three, 10-minute video tutorials in HD on styling the Atahualpa theme.

The eBook is available by subscribing to our mailing list.

Watch the videos on my YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/everymanmarketing

These are the first free, comprehensive, HD videos ever produced on styling this powerful free theme framework.

If you enjoy them, please rate them and comment!

Best wishes,

Marc Beneteau
Websites, blogging, video, social media for ordinary people
http://WordpressAcademy.biz
W: (215) 376-4345
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mbeneteau

But [...]]]>

I love the free image editing software Paint.Net.  It’s a serious competitor for Photoshop CS4 ($799!) in the do-it-yourself market.  Another (reputedly) more powerful, but harder to use free software is Gimp.  But Paint.Net does the job for me.  Here is a typical application: making a banner for a website.  Below is a step-by-step guide.

But first, here is the result:

And here is what you do:

1. Start Paint.Net.  Make sure the Tools window, the Layers window, and the Colors window are visible.  If not, enable them from the View menu.
   
2. Go to your favorite free stock photography site (Google “free stock photography” or check Stock.xchng), find the image you want for your logo, view it at the largest possible resolution, then Right-Click > Copy
3. Edit > Paste in to New Image
   
4. Click on Rectangle Select on the Tools Window (top left)  and use it to select the part of the image that you want.  Leave some space at the right to do the image fade-out (see below).
   
5. Do Image > Crop to Selection
   
6. Decide on the banner height: 150 pixels is a good height. Do Image > Resize and enter a Height of 150 and Ok.
   
7. Choose your width depending on the width of your website (normally either 800 or 1000 pixels).  Then Image > Canvas Size and put a a Width of 800.  Do not check Maintain Aspect Ratio
   
   Notice the right of the image has filled with empty or transparent pixels (the grey boxes indicate transparent pixels).
   If you are using a variable-width theme or template and using the image for the background image of the header area, you need to make it at least 1800 pixels (but be aware most browsers will only see the first 1000 or 1200 pixels of width)
8. Now let’s insert a background color / layer.  Do Layers > Add New Layer.  The Image will remain unchanged but note the Layers window now shows a new layer, “Layer 2”
   
9. Now we need to “digress” a bit and talk about layers.  First, for clarity sake, double click on “Layer 1” in the Layers Window and call it “Swan”.  Now double-click on “Layer 2” and call it “Background”
   
10. Now Uncheck the box next to “Swan” on the Layers Window.  This makes that layer not visible.  Now you only see the empty (transparent pixels) “Background” layer
    
    You need to understand layers: images show up in the layer order which is top-to-bottom unless there are transparent pixels on the upper layer(s).  The only reason the swan was showing at all (in the previous frame #7), given that “Background” is actually an upper layer, is becausee the “Background” layer is all empty (transparent) pixels.
11. Now let’s fill this background with a blue color to merge as closely as possible with the Swan background color.
    First, make the Swan layer visible again and the Background layer invisible. Then select the Color Picker on the Tools Window and click on a darker area of the swan picture.  Notice the Primary color on the Colors Window has changed to a dark blue / black
    
    You need to understand the Color window: The upper left box is the Primary color (the drawing color of all tools).  Just below is the Secondary color (the fill color of most tools).  To select a color for drawing, first select either the Primary or the Secondary color box.  Then, either click on a color from one of the palettes, or use the Color Picker tool and click anywhere on the image.
12. So now you have set the primary color to a dark blue.  Go back to your background layer (select it in the Layers Window), select the Paint Bucket Tool and click anywhere on the image.
    Oops!  The entire image goes dark blue!
    
    The reason (of course – if you have read above about layers) is that the “Background” layer is on top of the “Swan” layer.
13. So you just need to move the Background layer down below the Swan layer. Click on “Background” in the layers window and then the down arrow:
    
14. Now you see the swan and the background (remember that the right of the swan image is transparent pixels)
    
15. Next: fade-out the swan image right border using the Gradiant tool (transparency gradient) OR gaussian blur it.  (Instructions for this will be provided in a video later).  Here is what you get
    
16. Now use the Text tool to write your banner text. (Also will be demonstrated in a video)
    
17. You can insert any other image by following the same procedure: add a new layer, crop and resize.  Remember new layers won’t be visible unless they are on top.
    Hint #1: You can work with multiple images simultaneously inside Paint.Net.  Just Edit > Paste to New Image the new image, crop and resize, then Edit > Select All, Copy, select the image you are actually working on (ie. the banner in the example above) – see the open images on the top right — and Edit > Paste in to New Layer
    Hint #2: You can increase the screen resolution (visible size of your image) in the View menu, or else by putting your mouse over the image and Ctrl + move the mouse scroll bar.
18. First save the .pdn (Paint.Net file with all the layers) in case you want to work on it more later.  Then File > Save and save it as jpg and upload it to your website.

That’s it!

If you like this article, please comment.

Related (External) Posts

• Free Paint.Net graphics to make banner image (Youtube video) – illustrates another technique that may be more useful in certain situations, which is to use the Lasso tool to remove the background of the logo (swan) image
• Paint.Net tutorials Forum
• How to make a transparency gradient in Paint.net (used for fading out one image into another)
• How to make a banner in Paint.Net (also uses Lassoo tool)

Note: you don’t need to use screen-capture to capture images on websites.  Just right-click > Copy. You can also get the image dimension through right-click > Properties.

Download and install Cropper Run it.  An icon appears on your [...]]]>

This is useful not just for capturing screen elements, but also for measuring the pixel-width of items on websites.

Note: you don’t need to use screen-capture to capture images on websites.  Just right-click > Copy. You can also get the image dimension through right-click > Properties.

1. Download and install Cropper
2. Run it.  An icon appears on your taskbar:
3. You must select your destination – either a file directory or the clipboard.  I use the clipboard.  Right-click on the cropper icon in the taskbar, then select Output > Clipboard. 
   Note: without this step it won’t work.
4. Now click on the Cropper icon.  A floating semi-transparent window appears on your desktop:
   
   Drag it so the top left is over the area you want to capture, and resize it using the handles at the bottom or right.  Note it gives the image dimensions at the top. 
5. Capture by double-click or Enter. 
6. Hide the window with right-click > Hide

The picture is now in your clipboard.  You can use it for whatever purposes such as editing it with the free Paint.net image editing software or including it in a blog post with Windows Live Writer.

http://wordpressacademy.biz/2009/12/session-1-recording-1212009/

We covered an introduction to the course (what you can expect to learn), WordPress installation and configuration for a business website, the user interface, and theme installation.

The course registration deadline is Tuesday 2/16 (for the Tuesday evening session) or Thursday 2/18 (for the Thursday afternoon session). [...]]]>

The session 1 recording of WordPress 101 is available here:

http://wordpressacademy.biz/2009/12/session-1-recording-1212009/

We covered an introduction to the course (what you can expect to learn), WordPress installation and configuration for a business website, the user interface, and theme installation.

The course registration deadline is Tuesday 2/16 (for the Tuesday evening session) or Thursday 2/18 (for the Thursday afternoon session). For pricing and registration click here.

There are two parallel sessions (come to either one or both, plus access the video recording):

• 7 Tuesdays starting Feb. 16, 7:30-9:30pm EST (the last hour is a practice and group coaching session – optional but highly recommended)
• 7 Thursdays starting Feb. 18, 3-5pm EST.

If you would like to discuss the various packages with reference to your needs, please reply to this email or call (215) 376-4345.

The course curriculum is below.  This is going to be the best course ever, with expanded practice and coaching time, a more interactive web conference system, and new theme frameworks getting demonstrated (some of which are included in the Platinum package).

Warm Regards,

Marc Beneteau – Everyman Marketing
Websites, blogging, video, social media for ordinary people
http://WordpressAcademy.biz
W: (215) 376-4345

WordPress 101 Curriculum

Note: Session 1 already complete – see above for the recording link

Session 1 – Course introduction and WordPress installation, configuration, and basic content creation

• Opening a hosting account
• Installing WordPress
• Configuring WordPress for a business website
• Understanding the difference between Posts and Pages
• Adding content using the built-in editor
• Configuring side-bars and widgets
• Installing Themes and Plugins

Check out the Free web conference recording and Powerpoint of Session 1.

Sessions 2 through 5: Theme selection and customization; designing banners and ebook covers; creating content

In these sessions, we will style class participants’ sites while exploring different theme frameworks and design options at some depth.

• Recommended plugin set
• Using widget controls
• Creating content offline with Windows Live Writer (Blogo on Mac)
• Choosing a good theme for your professional or corporate website
• Understanding theme frameworks, including where to find free or inexpensive high-quality WordPress themes
• Reviews and demos of the following themes: Atahualpa, Thesis, Headway, Studio Press, and iThemes Builder
• Design your own banner or ebook cover with Paint.Net
• Styling all the elements of your site
• Beginners guide to HTML and CSS
• How to copy the styling of another website you like using Firebug and Colorzilla
• Best resources for banner creation and logo design
• Best graphic design ousourcing sites

Session 6 – Keyword research and Search-engine optimization (SEO)

• Using the powerful free Market Samurai keyword research tool
• Optimizing meta-tags on your site
• The importance of Wordpress “tags”
• Using free Google Analytics to track your traffic
• Google ads (paid inclusion) versus “organic” search-engine traffic
• Conversion strategies

Session 7 – Newsletters (mailing list management systems), auto-responders, and shopping carts

• Understanding the popular mailing list management systems
• Creating a Constant Contact newsletter and adding a sign-up box to your site
• Creating an Aweber newsletter and adding a sign-up to your site
• Adding a Paypal “Buy Now” button to your site
• Understanding shopping carts and ecommerce systems
• Using the WP E-commerce plugin

Session 8 – Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)

• Creating a Facebook account
• Creating a Twitter account
• Differences between major Social Media sites
• Adding social media links to your site
• Using Social Media marketing in business

Bonus sessions

Bonus sessions are given twice a month as part of your WordPress 101 membership.  Some sample sessions:

Online video

Online is a very powerful way of promoting yourself.  Post it on your website or send it in emails.

• Shooting a promotional video – choice of camera, lighting, script
• Editing your video
• Uploading your video to YouTube and to your site

Membership sites

• Introduction to membership sites based on WordPress
• Review and demonstration of Wishlist Member

Advanced SEO tactics

• Market Samurai in depth

Becoming a professional blogger

• Tips from the world’s most successful pro-bloggers