Adobe InContext Editor

Adobe's new content editing feature, InContext Editor, looks like it will be a very useful tool for online, live editing of websites.  Web clients can update their own content as defined by the Web designer/developer.  I'm excited to test this feature with some existing clients, as well as begin to offer this live service to potential new clients!  And, best of all, IT'S FREE!!

Easily update web content online

"Let content contributors make website edits so you can focus on design. The Adobe® InContext Editing online service makes web content maintenance easy for designers and content editors alike — no software installation or training needed. Web designers can maintain the design integrity of their sites while enabling clients to make their own web updates from virtually any major browser."

Adobe.com

No Flash Player!!

It can be very frustrating as a web designer to create amazing Flash content, only to find out that many of your viewers do not have Flash installed.  There are a couple ways to get around this. 

1.  If you have a site that is completely designed in Flash, then you will need to use the javascript option listed below.  The reason for this, is that unless you want a single image to replace your entire site, you will need to redirect the user to an alternate page that does not contain Flash. This option creates more work for the designer/developer because you'll actually be constructing two separate sites.. one for Flash, and one for HTML alone.  

2.  This second option works well for any site that has Flash content only as a header, or other singular part of a site.  The majority of the site in this example should be HTML, with limited Flash content added.  This technique uses a line of HTML code that will swap the Flash content for an image anytime that a Flash Player is not detected.

Links and Code for Flash Detection:

(Also try searching Google.com for Flash Player detection)

Adobe Flash detection kit

Flash detection script for Javascript or HTML

Web Design - Adding a Drop Shadow

It recently came to my attention that many websites feature a drop shadow separating the body from the background. The body of the site would be centered on the page and the background would consist of a solid color or a pattern (.jpg image file most likely). The drop shadow creates a nice feeling of depth and is a eye-catching divider between the content of the site and the background. If set up properly, the drop shadow will slide with your website as the browser window is sized larger or smaller. This technique can be accomplished in a couple different ways.

Example One:

Create a new document in Adobe Photoshop sized accordingly with your website content (If working in Dreamweaver, I recommend converting to a centered table). You will create a new layer and draw a rectangle slightly smaller than your entire document. Using Layer Styles, create an Outer Glow in the color of your choice. Save the image into your website images folder as a .jpg with a low resolution (72 should do). In Dreamweaver, select your entire table and locate the background image option in your Properties Window. Add the .jpg you have created and then under Page Properties, change the background color or add a background image file to coordinate with your website content.

Example Two:

This example uses CSS to create the effect. Rather than writing it all out, I'll simply insert the following link that outlines the instructions.

http://www.webdesignerforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=307