Search WebTools   Article Level   BEGINNER    INTERMEDIATE    ADVANCED   WebTools members, log in.   Toolboxes   Browsers   HTML, XML, & CSS   Graphics & Design   Multimedia   DHTML & JavaScript   Java   Servers & E-Commerce   Scripting   Demo   All Articles   Tips & Tricks   About WebTools  Byte.com  CMPmetrics  Data Communications  File Mine  InformationWeek  InternetWeek  Network Computing  Planet IT  TechShopper  TechWeb News  Tele.com  WebTools  Winmag.com   Free E-mail  Login - Sign Up Now   Privacy Statement

Article Level   INTERMEDIATE

In This Article: • Adobe ImageStyler: Web Design Lite • Applying Attributes To Objects • Slicing, Batching, Rollovers Print this story Send as e-mail Borrowing elements from its professional tools ImageReady and Photoshop, Adobe releases inexpensive Web design software for nonprofessionals. By Barbara Camhi Mlawer, WebTools (09/15/98) Introduction Adobe's ImageStyler is an all-in-one Web design tool aimed to capture the audience of creative business people who don't have the budget for professional design. Sound familiar? Think 1980s, PageMaker, non-designer types creating brochures, handouts, visuals with too many fonts, colors we don't see in the rainbow, bold, italic, and underlined text all placed next to one another on a page. I really can't complain because I made me a lot of money redesigning those brochures and handouts. The majority of affects normally found in third-party software comes bundled and can be found in the filters palette. ImageStyler differs from its older sibling, ImageReady, which is aimed at the more sophisticated professional designer, and still requires Photoshop. With ImageStyler, you can create all your Web graphics, compress them, and even write the HTML. However, let's not get all giddy: You'll still need an HTML editor to tweak the code or add other, non-graphical links. Adobe maintains its commitment to a standard interface in this product, floating palettes and all. The one thing that did strike me as unique was its approach to graphics production. Instead of working on one graphic at a time -- designing, affecting, compressing, and exporting -- you work on a page, or pages, of graphics at once. That's actually a better, visually rich approach, which is more like how designers design. ImageStyler comes with 100+ EPS shapes, a variety of texture maps, and treatment styles that can be used to create buttons. Before I create a graphic or write the HTML code, I draft a comp in Photoshop to make sure everything looks good together and works in unity. Since ImageStyler is aimed at users who aren't using Photoshop, they can do the work here. This takes the guessing out of what works and what doesn't. It's somewhat painless, easily manipulated, and reworkable. [Applying Attributes To Objects>>>] Page 1 of 3

Related Stories • Ready Or Not For ImageReady WebTools Home | Browsers | HTML, XML, & CSS | Graphics & Design | Multimedia | DHTML & JavaScript | Java | Servers & E-Commerce | Scripting | Demo | All Articles | Threads | WebTools News | Tips and Tricks

C M P n e t   S H O P P I N G MacTuner V2.1 for Mac $22.95 Tune in to over 1800 live TV and radio broadcasts and get the most out of your RealAudio and RealVideo players. BBEdit V5.1 for Mac $98.99 !! save 17% !! A fast, easy, Mac-based HTML authoring tool used by most professional Web Designers. McAfee VirusScan V4.0 for Win95 $7.99 !! after rebate !! Protect your PC from all virus types, and receive updates directly on your desktop the moment they're released.