The easiest way to an HTML image background for your web pages with the help of everyday images, Photoshop's Slice tool, a table and repeating background image html code. The nice thing about this kind of design that you do not need, CSS, and extends it with the length of your website.
High Level Process
- Find and fix images to use for header, content holder and footer
- Open a new document in Photoshop the width of your web site.
- Drag the images onto the template and position them so that the finished template resembles a web page (header at top, content area in middle surrounded by a border and footer at bottom)
- Add a background color if desired
- Slice the template into 3 sections
- Save each section as a gif image and upload as usual
- Build a 3-row table in the body section of your HTML document to hold each of the 3 gif images. Top row holds top gif image, middle row holds middle gif image and bottom row holds bottom gif image
- Use repeating HTML code in the middle row so that the HTML image background expands vertically with the length of the page
Finding the Images
If you do not have images that are suitable for this purpose, search photo websites like IStockPhoto.
For the header and footer images, there are several combinations that will work, but if you want to keep it simple, use the same image(s) along the top that you use along the bottom.
An image can be copied and pasted several times, to fit the entire width of your template. A picture of the formation of wood, for example, can serve as a headline across the top and can turn be used along the bottom.
For the content holder, there are also several options. You can simply use a colored rectangle and add a shadow to it or you can use something like a picture frame to get a more ornate looking content holder.
Creating The Template For Your HTML Image Background
The template that you create in Photoshop is fully functional on it’s own. All you have to do is add content to the middle section of the table.
NOTE: If you use a cascading stylesheet (CSS) on the same web page, it will interfere with the effectiveness of the template. In some cases your middle gif will repeat horizontally instead of vertically.
As an example, the width of 950 pixels to create the document in white (which is) 600 pixels and a height (the height of your important and tell a Web page is not wide, so choose something, anything for you can see the size of the Photoshop).
Before dragging your images onto the template, you may have to fiddle with them so that they match the width of your template. For example, if you choose an image of wood moulding that is only 250 pixels wide, you will need to duplicate the layer repeatedly and position them side by side to get a longer piece of moulding that is 950 pixels wide.
Sometimes, when you copy and paste this side of the layer, the seams will be visible. Using the Smudge Tool blend seams, and then select the layer mosaic layer, so that you can easily drag the location of templates and access to its complete image.
If you want to use this exact image along the bottom, duplicate the layer and move it to the bottom. If you want to flip it, choose Edit-Transform-Rotate.
After preparing the content holder image (the picture frame in the example above), drag it onto the template positioning it between the header and the footer and then use Edit-Transform-Scale to stretch it to size.
Add Header Text (Website Name…) and Footer Text (Copyright…).
If you want to select it, use the Custom Shape tool and small pictures to add interest to your template. The spiral shape is a favorite. Use Edit-Transform, and scale or rotate either easy to size and position.
Find a complementary color in your images by using the Eyedropper Tool then fill the white space on either side of the content holder using the Paint Bucket Tool.
Use Slice Tool to Divide Template into 3 Images
Cut into three smaller image file level. Grab from the Tools panel Photoshop slice tool. In the top toolbar, set the style for the "fixed size" in order to ensure an accurate ratio. The use of 950px X 600px, for example, enter the width and height are as follows:
- Top slice equals 950px X 250px
- Middle slice equals 950px X 100px
- Bottom slice equals 950px X 250px
CAUTION: Make sure that your top and bottom slices are large enough to completely contain the header and footer respectively.
Now you have a document sliced horizontally into 3 smaller pictures. The next step is to "Save for Web
Create a table in the body section of your HTML document to hold the background image url for each gif and your content.
- The first row in your table contains the top gif
-
- The middle row contains your middle gif, the repeating HTML code and the content
-
- The last row in your table contains the bottom gif
These 3 gif images when displayed on a page will result in a one-of-a-kind, professional looking HTML image background, perfect for a simple web page or sales letter. The possibilities are only limited by your creativity.
” button.
