Please review Pixel Development

pmj7 · 04-30-2005, 09:03 AM

Pixel Development

This is my new website, the text still needs some work. Most effort has been against the main, gallery, portfolio and RSS/RSS help pages, so far.

Most will find the Gallery and OIP Edit interesting. The gallery is a fairly sophisticated combination of DHTML and server-side scripting.

When viewing a gallery, clicking on the OIP Edit button allows you to change the appearance of any image, making it brighter, sharper, or even black and white or sepia! These changes are kept and are instantly reflected back in the gallery when you click 'save', other users see these changes as well. Don't like the way it looks to you? Change it again! Try it!

Touchup allows you to play around with the image as well, but these changes are non-permanent. When you select Touchup, another button is added to the Gallery - Mac Gamma. If you are using a Macintosh, selecting this button will adjust the gamma of the displayed image to compensate for the Macintosh's different video gamma. You'll see the images as they were intended to be!

The main page has numerous controls to customize the site to your preference and viewing conditions. LCD laptop screens are frequently easier to read with light text on a dark background, vice-versa for video monitors. Larger text, wider pages, links to a new window - all your choice!

The Portfolio page has a brief description of other sites and projects, and has a small scrolling thumbnail area for most. Clicking on one will take you to a gallery with full size images.

I'm particularly interested in hearing how it works on various browsers. I've tested on Windows XP with Firefox 1.02, Mozilla, Explorer 6, Netscape 7 and Opera 7.5. I've had a few people do a cursory look using Safari under Mac OS X.

All comments are welcome!

Peter

alegend · 04-30-2005, 09:46 AM

I think it would loook better with a better background

The rest of the site is looking nice!

BuLLDoG · 04-30-2005, 10:26 AM

with the domain being related to pixel, I think it would look cool with some pixel art going on, on the website design

although looks decent at the moment!

GJ · 04-30-2005, 02:05 PM

Looking good! I like it!

iDeviseFlash · 04-30-2005, 03:23 PM

lose the gradient seperators, and do something about the bg, so it doesnt appear the content was just slapped on top of it, make it fade into the bg or something.

Quicksilver · 04-30-2005, 04:00 PM

looks pretty nice to me =)

briman1970 · 04-30-2005, 05:01 PM

The banner/logo at the top doesn't live up to the rest of the site IMHO. There are some pretty good designers at NP (and cheap too). Maybe someone here could help you out.

Bri

sufi · 04-30-2005, 10:48 PM

Looks nice, great work.

weblaunch · 05-01-2005, 09:17 PM

Very nice site overall. Easy, intuitive navigation structure. I would not mix serif and sans-serif fonts, however.

Rowan W · 05-01-2005, 09:32 PM

Excellent coding and design work. It couldn't be easier to use.

ammo · 05-02-2005, 02:14 AM

I love that top banner, good work, and good luck!

pmj7 · 05-10-2005, 07:03 PM

Thanks for the comments, here are a few changes I've made:

- The gray background on the sides has been replaced with something that better complements the header image
- Narrowing the home page sidebar leaves more room for above fold content
- The main navigation 'hover' effect is more pronounced
- Galleries can now be shown in the same window, or in a popup window
- Extra hints on the gallery page "800x600 visitors should display galleries in a new window, or hit F11 to enlarge viewing area."
- Portfolio page reflects the new same page vs new window style for galleries
- Traditional Chinese now available as a translation option
- css file cleaned up
- galleries now have the option of coming up in the same window or in a popup

Thanks!

Peter

StudioWorks · 05-10-2005, 07:14 PM

Well done pmj7 ! You did a great job.

A few observations :

- I would get rid of the white&black gradients on the main page .. they are so useless and ruins the look of your site. You could use a CSS customized <hr> instead of that.
- reduce the size of the shadow under the menu .
- on the portfolio page - bad idea in using frames. I know that frames gives you the possibily to show multiple photos of a certain project but you can also use a nice slideshow instead.

Last but not least i want to congratulate you on the your good writen code.

W3 Validator says : This Page Is Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict!

Congratulations and best of luck!

Bill · 05-10-2005, 07:25 PM

Overall a nice site

. I think the banner would look good with a font that matches the rest of the site

danstevenson · 05-10-2005, 07:39 PM

looks pretty nice

pmj7 · 05-10-2005, 07:54 PM

StudioWorks:

I would get rid of the white&black gradients on the main page .. they are so useless and ruins the look of your site.
Tried it without, while designing and now and it doesn't look as good.

You could use a CSS customized <hr> instead of that.
They are.

on the portfolio page - bad idea in using frames. I know that frames gives you the possibily to show multiple photos of a certain project but you can also use a nice slideshow instead.
I don't use frames on my site, it's css. There is a slideshow if you click on a thumbnail or click on 'larger images'.

Congratulations and best of luck!
Thanks!

microdude431:

Overall a nice site . I think the banner would look good with a font that matches the rest of the site
Originally I used a font that was closer to that of the text, and didn't give it much thought. Several comments prompted me to take a closer look. There's no reason that a site title/logo should match that of the font used for the text of the site. The font used for the body of text has to be readable at a relatively small size, and partly because of that it doesn't look that great when shown at a much larger size. Plus, plain old Verdana isn't exactly known for being distinctive and memorable. There's my $10 answer, and I'm stickin' to it!

Thanks guys!

Peter

StudioWorks · 05-10-2005, 08:02 PM

No problem

It would be nice if you will make the changes we suggested. Keep developing and improving it.

Best of luck

bhyraj · 05-11-2005, 03:05 AM

Best site. I like background. good job.

pmj7 · 05-11-2005, 02:12 PM

Latest changes include a new side background to match the alternate header (the snow covered mountains), and better printing through css.

Peter

StudioWorks · 05-11-2005, 02:33 PM

Im not seeing any changes..oh well..

Peter

Check your text in the footer.

This text :

Quote:

...apears to be WHITE

Cheers.

pmj7 · 05-11-2005, 08:08 PM

You may have to hold down the Ctrl key and hit refresh (or clear your cache) to load the changed CSS file. The footer text is intentionally white, since you brought it up do you feel that there is insufficient contrast?

Peter

StudioWorks · 05-11-2005, 08:10 PM

Regarding this issue, contrast i mean, i think it's OK the way it is.

I really like the Preferences feature you implemented. Well done!

pmj7 · 05-12-2005, 03:37 PM

Thanks!

The page text header now uses same background as the side, eg: "Gallery".

Now, it's your chance to vote! The second style (the black 'T' on a white background) button shows a new item separator, orange that fades out from the centre. The other style buttons remain the same so you can compare. Prefer the new one?

Peter

StudioWorks · 05-12-2005, 04:03 PM

Hey Peter,

You did a great job. I like the second style becouse you got rid of the black & white gradient. Well done!

I love when people listen to my suggestions :P

Let's move on

Second style ( blue one ) :

- well, here we have the same problem, grandients. The gradient under the menu is too big. A nice stylish one will do just fine. Also the text area would look better if it was white. Or you can use for the content area a nice faded background ( white and gray ). And again, gradients in the content area are just too big.

- photo in the header looks awesome! good job.

- if you add some nice borders with shadows on this blue layout.. it will improve it's image.

Overall nice work! Well done Peter

Cheers,

Studio

krustie · 05-13-2005, 01:49 AM

I love the css prefences bit you have :P GOODJOB.

04-30-2005, 09:03 AM	#1 (permalink)
pmj7 New Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 23 46.00 NP$ (Donate)	Please review Pixel Development Pixel Development This is my new website, the text still needs some work. Most effort has been against the main, gallery, portfolio and RSS/RSS help pages, so far. Most will find the Gallery and OIP Edit interesting. The gallery is a fairly sophisticated combination of DHTML and server-side scripting. When viewing a gallery, clicking on the OIP Edit button allows you to change the appearance of any image, making it brighter, sharper, or even black and white or sepia! These changes are kept and are instantly reflected back in the gallery when you click 'save', other users see these changes as well. Don't like the way it looks to you? Change it again! Try it! Touchup allows you to play around with the image as well, but these changes are non-permanent. When you select Touchup, another button is added to the Gallery - Mac Gamma. If you are using a Macintosh, selecting this button will adjust the gamma of the displayed image to compensate for the Macintosh's different video gamma. You'll see the images as they were intended to be! The main page has numerous controls to customize the site to your preference and viewing conditions. LCD laptop screens are frequently easier to read with light text on a dark background, vice-versa for video monitors. Larger text, wider pages, links to a new window - all your choice! The Portfolio page has a brief description of other sites and projects, and has a small scrolling thumbnail area for most. Clicking on one will take you to a gallery with full size images. I'm particularly interested in hearing how it works on various browsers. I've tested on Windows XP with Firefox 1.02, Mozilla, Explorer 6, Netscape 7 and Opera 7.5. I've had a few people do a cursory look using Safari under Mac OS X. All comments are welcome! Peter __________________ Pixel Development

04-30-2005, 09:46 AM	#2 (permalink)
alegend PHPHelpSite.com Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Boston Posts: 2,586 37.81 NP$ (Donate)	I think it would loook better with a better background The rest of the site is looking nice! __________________ MySpace Stuff - Default MySpace Layouts - Happy Birthday Comments

04-30-2005, 10:26 AM	#3 (permalink)
BuLLDoG NamePros Regular Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: England Posts: 859 0.25 NP$ (Donate)	with the domain being related to pixel, I think it would look cool with some pixel art going on, on the website design although looks decent at the moment! __________________ FREE iPhone \| Free XBox 360 \| FREE iPhone \| FREE iPhone 3G \| Free XBox 360 \| Free PS3 \| Free Wii

04-30-2005, 03:23 PM	#5 (permalink)
iDeviseFlash Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 1,039 237.00 NP$ (Donate)	lose the gradient seperators, and do something about the bg, so it doesnt appear the content was just slapped on top of it, make it fade into the bg or something. __________________ ~~ SIG FOR SALE ~~ Click here...

04-30-2005, 10:48 PM	#8 (permalink)
sufi NamePros Expert Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: LinksHut.com Posts: 7,377 82.88 NP$ (Donate)	Looks nice, great work. __________________ Concrete Polishing FMOZ Web Directory -- Beachside Domains

04-30-2005, 02:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
GJ Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,256 986.40 NP$ (Donate)	Looking good! I like it!

04-30-2005, 04:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
Quicksilver NamePros Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: USA,Washington Posts: 170 300.00 NP$ (Donate)	looks pretty nice to me =)

04-30-2005, 05:01 PM	#7 (permalink)
briman1970 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: LA (Lower Alabama) Posts: 3,057 255.00 NP$ (Donate)	The banner/logo at the top doesn't live up to the rest of the site IMHO. There are some pretty good designers at NP (and cheap too). Maybe someone here could help you out. Bri

05-01-2005, 09:17 PM	#9 (permalink)
weblaunch NamePros Regular Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 483 3.00 NP$ (Donate)	Very nice site overall. Easy, intuitive navigation structure. I would not mix serif and sans-serif fonts, however. __________________ Increase Web Site Traffic \| Free Articles \| Free Search Engine Submission \| Internet Marketing Tips \| Bid Directory \| AAA Web Directory \| Express URL Submission \| Free Web Directory \| LavaSeek Web Directory

05-01-2005, 09:32 PM	#10 (permalink)
Rowan W NamePros Regular Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: QLD, Australia Posts: 713 1,869.00 NP$ (Donate)	Excellent coding and design work. It couldn't be easier to use. __________________ Flash is bad for websites Why tables for layout is stupid IE IS BAD

05-02-2005, 02:14 AM	#11 (permalink)
ammo Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cornwall! Posts: 2,243 228.15 NP$ (Donate)	I love that top banner, good work, and good luck!

05-10-2005, 07:03 PM	#12 (permalink)
pmj7 New Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 23 46.00 NP$ (Donate)	Thanks for the comments, here are a few changes I've made: - The gray background on the sides has been replaced with something that better complements the header image - Narrowing the home page sidebar leaves more room for above fold content - The main navigation 'hover' effect is more pronounced - Galleries can now be shown in the same window, or in a popup window - Extra hints on the gallery page "800x600 visitors should display galleries in a new window, or hit F11 to enlarge viewing area." - Portfolio page reflects the new same page vs new window style for galleries - Traditional Chinese now available as a translation option - css file cleaned up - galleries now have the option of coming up in the same window or in a popup Thanks! Peter __________________ Pixel Development

05-10-2005, 07:14 PM	#13 (permalink)
StudioWorks no one lives forever Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NamePros Posts: 8,097 110.31 NP$ (Donate)	Well done pmj7 ! You did a great job. A few observations : - I would get rid of the white&black gradients on the main page .. they are so useless and ruins the look of your site. You could use a CSS customized <hr> instead of that. - reduce the size of the shadow under the menu . - on the portfolio page - bad idea in using frames. I know that frames gives you the possibily to show multiple photos of a certain project but you can also use a nice slideshow instead. Last but not least i want to congratulate you on the your good writen code. W3 Validator says : This Page Is Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict! Congratulations and best of luck!

05-10-2005, 07:25 PM	#14 (permalink)
Bill Gutless Wonder™ Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: New Jersey Posts: 12,505 34.89 NP$ (Donate)	Overall a nice site . I think the banner would look good with a font that matches the rest of the site __________________ "We know you are behind the 'andr6x6' account, the recent hacker attacks against NamePros, the unauthorized access of our database, and the trojan attack against NamePros members. We have the logs, screenshots and witnesses needed to prove your involvement and file criminal charges with the DOJ for cybercrimes if necessary." -Ron James

05-10-2005, 07:39 PM	#15 (permalink)
danstevenson lolbag - Lock it Down! Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Calgary Posts: 1,254 0.00 NP$ (Donate)	looks pretty nice __________________ WhoisBot.com - Domain whois information at your fingertips! TravelGuyed.com - Tips and Reviews for when you travel! swBB.net - Free Short URL Service! Help Support the Children's Hospital - Help make a difference and save a life!

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

05-10-2005, 07:54 PM	#16 (permalink)
pmj7 New Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 23 46.00 NP$ (Donate)	StudioWorks: I would get rid of the white&black gradients on the main page .. they are so useless and ruins the look of your site. Tried it without, while designing and now and it doesn't look as good. You could use a CSS customized <hr> instead of that. They are. on the portfolio page - bad idea in using frames. I know that frames gives you the possibily to show multiple photos of a certain project but you can also use a nice slideshow instead. I don't use frames on my site, it's css. There is a slideshow if you click on a thumbnail or click on 'larger images'. Congratulations and best of luck! Thanks! microdude431: Overall a nice site . I think the banner would look good with a font that matches the rest of the site Originally I used a font that was closer to that of the text, and didn't give it much thought. Several comments prompted me to take a closer look. There's no reason that a site title/logo should match that of the font used for the text of the site. The font used for the body of text has to be readable at a relatively small size, and partly because of that it doesn't look that great when shown at a much larger size. Plus, plain old Verdana isn't exactly known for being distinctive and memorable. There's my $10 answer, and I'm stickin' to it! Thanks guys! Peter __________________ Pixel Development

05-10-2005, 08:02 PM	#17 (permalink)
StudioWorks no one lives forever Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NamePros Posts: 8,097 110.31 NP$ (Donate)	No problem It would be nice if you will make the changes we suggested. Keep developing and improving it. Best of luck

05-11-2005, 03:05 AM	#18 (permalink)
bhyraj Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,023 32.00 NP$ (Donate)	Best site. I like background. good job. __________________ Earn $ on web more income on web Free :........50MB WEBSPACE & 1000MB BANDWIDTH! JUST POST 50 TOPICS!

05-11-2005, 02:12 PM	#19 (permalink)
pmj7 New Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 23 46.00 NP$ (Donate)	Latest changes include a new side background to match the alternate header (the snow covered mountains), and better printing through css. Peter __________________ Pixel Development

05-11-2005, 08:08 PM	#21 (permalink)
pmj7 New Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 23 46.00 NP$ (Donate)	You may have to hold down the Ctrl key and hit refresh (or clear your cache) to load the changed CSS file. The footer text is intentionally white, since you brought it up do you feel that there is insufficient contrast? Peter __________________ Pixel Development

05-11-2005, 08:10 PM	#22 (permalink)
StudioWorks no one lives forever Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NamePros Posts: 8,097 110.31 NP$ (Donate)	Regarding this issue, contrast i mean, i think it's OK the way it is. I really like the Preferences feature you implemented. Well done!

05-12-2005, 03:37 PM	#23 (permalink)
pmj7 New Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 23 46.00 NP$ (Donate)	Thanks! The page text header now uses same background as the side, eg: "Gallery". Now, it's your chance to vote! The second style (the black 'T' on a white background) button shows a new item separator, orange that fades out from the centre. The other style buttons remain the same so you can compare. Prefer the new one? Peter __________________ Pixel Development

05-12-2005, 04:03 PM	#24 (permalink)
StudioWorks no one lives forever Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NamePros Posts: 8,097 110.31 NP$ (Donate)	Hey Peter, You did a great job. I like the second style becouse you got rid of the black & white gradient. Well done! I love when people listen to my suggestions :P Let's move on Second style ( blue one ) : - well, here we have the same problem, grandients. The gradient under the menu is too big. A nice stylish one will do just fine. Also the text area would look better if it was white. Or you can use for the content area a nice faded background ( white and gray ). And again, gradients in the content area are just too big. - photo in the header looks awesome! good job. - if you add some nice borders with shadows on this blue layout.. it will improve it's image. Overall nice work! Well done Peter Cheers, Studio

05-13-2005, 01:49 AM	#25 (permalink)
krustie Account Closed Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: England, essex Posts: 418 174.00 NP$ (Donate)	I love the css prefences bit you have :P GOODJOB.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Amber Development "Soft-Launch"	Obscend	Web Hosting Offers	0	03-10-2005 07:59 PM
Partner(s) Wanted For Website Development	adamjo419	Website Development	3	01-12-2005 12:04 PM
Get a FREE QUOTE of your project NOW!	amnistiya.com	For Sale / Advertising Board	2	11-19-2003 10:28 AM