Hands-On Training by DocOzone

Hands On training is, of course, the best way to learn just about anything. There's only so far a manual can take you, and then you've got to simply plunge in, and make your own mistakes. HOWever, sometimes a little help ain't bad. <g>

That's where this little bunch of pages comes in. I've had a few folks ask me why I do this, aren't I afraid I'll lose all of my "trade secrets"? The techniques I use when creating my graphics are just that, techniques, something anyone can learn giving enough time and practice. I can share every one of them, and will have lost absolutely nothing. Hopefully the 'net will end up being a more attractive place to be.
If you're a potential client, well, I'd like you to see just what goes into making these graphics. If you've got the time and inclination, you can save a few bucks and do the work yourself. Hopefully, you'll be too busy making money doing your own job, and will just pay me to do mine. Simple, no? On with the tips...

Most of the initial sections were created to stem the rising flood of Emails. I do my best to answer all mail addressed to me, many which are requests for graphics help. If someone can phrase a technical question in such a way that I *can* answer it, I will.
What this means is that a question like, "Hey, how did you get that nifty burnished metal effect on the 'foobar.gif' at such&such a page?" will receive an answer. Questions like "Hey, I love your buttons! Teach me how to make images just like yours!" might get lost in the shuffle. I've spent so much of my time teaching myself how to create graphics, that I've let my studies into mind-reading slide just a bit. This means that it's also a big help if you tell me what kind of machine/programs you're using.

Me, I like Photoshop. I like it a real lot. If you've got the bucks, and you're serious about getting into web graphics, it's worth every penny. I like the KPT filters, but really don't use them as much as you might think. The two filters I use the most are "Gaussian Blur" and "Lighting Effects", both of which come with the program. There's a few other shareware filters I use quite a bit, but I'll point you to them as they're mentioned.