Sourcebench - the web developer’s workplace

Greeting to all you web developers, web designers and the like!

We, decided to present all of you with a nice piece of information, guides and tutorials on a web 2.0 standard wave of the new generation of web design - Slicing CSS. Whether using Photoshop ( or similar graphical programs ) or just handling things on the way as they come - no matter the kind of method we will help you see what is the best for you and you personally.

"What is all this about?!"

From this day forward, we will give you a nice article consisting of nothing else, but quality advices and guides for young and professional web developers to hone their CSS skills in slicing web designs, managing content like headers, navigation areas, the main content, footers and more - depends on the layout you want to make!

There will be a single strong article on this topic every week from now on. We know that CSS slicing is not a new feature in web development, but there are many people that are fascinated by the clean and absolutely extraordinary kind of css websites getting their way out on the net. Not only that, but nowadays everybody hates tables - there are websites that have names and addresses of the kind : We Hate Tables and Death to Tables. Considering how things are spinning towards a better future on the internet and how fast things are developing - it will be absolutely fare to say that many "newcomers" are getting their hands on the concept of web designing and developing. Thus, we as the team behind this web development portal, feel obliged to offer what we can to help anybody that opens his mind and imagination to the fast growing and enormously expanding universe that web 2.0 actually is.

"Alright I get it, but what exactly will this project offer?"

For now this is just something to tickle your interest. Until we have more content for this specific subject, we will shoot it down to you wrapped in a nice package so that you all could feel like you are opening your Christmas presents. We all love Christmas, so we want you to love this series of articles as well.

The very source of the project is already pretty much known to you, so let us get plunged in a bit more detail. For starters, we will familiarize you with the very basics, like what the layout should be consisted of, how the header should be, where the main content has to be placed in order to be nicely visible and all manner of layout attachments and styles.

The choice of the professionals - Adobe Photoshop - what you can do with it and how to do it. Whether it is actually strongly advised to use it or not - why and why not. How to slice the web design into a perfect and nicely working CSS and HTML website. Taking it from the top - slicing the header, the content, the footer and everything else that can be there.

Continuing with choices that have to be made and considered throughout - font, stylization, color schemes, headlines where and why. Also, lets not forget other major elements like specific scripts that can enhance the look of your site, the flexibility of the navigation menu and much much more.

"Ok, whats next?"

Next week we will familiarize ourself with the basics. Primary, the layout - standards, design and construction. The default html template - what of it, can I do ( anything ) with it? Setting the foundations of your website.

We promise our best in providing you, with all you require and satisfy your every need and thirst for CSS Slicing knowledge,even more!

Everybody, stay tuned!

In this article you will find info about some of the best flash tutorial websites on the net. Some of them are really well known in the flash community some of them are not, but that is not because they are bad, on the contrary - they are actually really useful and friendly.

Ok, let's start.

Our number one is:

Toxic Lab - http://www.toxiclab.org

Toxic Lab provides a lot material not only about flash and action script, but Photoshop, Css, java and more. But we are here for the FLASH part of the website and it is a really good part. You may not learn how to make a video game, a nice intro or anything of that kind - what you will learn to make on flash will be one of the following : A great lightning effect for pictures and website templates, all kinds of text effects, picture effects, different styles of navigation menus and buttons.

Basically, the website provides great tutorials which will help you enhance your website with glamorous and eye-catching effects, menus and more. The tutorials are not for total newbies that have started using flash sooner than they can handle it, but nevertheless, the explanation with each tutorial is very detailed and even the "Greenest" of flash designers will be able to use them.

Moving on...

Learn Flash - http://learnflash.com

Now this website is totally different form the rest. Why you might ask? Well, the answer is simple - the tutorials on this website are mostly supported by one man - a flash developer that is the company's very best at what he does. There is a newsletter that will tell you about every new tutorial from the category you have selected and you can pop at the website with a single click from your mailbox. They really are into the thing for their customers to stay tuned for the new stuff. Another good thing about Learn Flash . Com is that the tutorials no matter how complex they may be - they are explained in great detail so that users can augment and use the tutorial to make something different if they feel like it. Also a there is a great deal of video tutorials for the really new at flash people.

The downside of this is that they require - yeah you guessed it - money. For most of their tutorials they require a sign up fee in order for you to view the whole tutorial.

NEXT!

Flash Village - http://www.flashvillage.com

Now this baby right here has some serious stuff it can offer. Flash Village is a flash community that can offer flash developers and web designers some handy and damn useful tips and tricks. In my personal opinion the BEST thing these guys can offer the people of the net is their templates. They got some amazing flash website templates that are totally and exclusively free to download. The most beautiful thing is that when you download a template, in that same template there is a mini-tutorial-like-thing that helps you manage and change it at your desire. I mean how cool is that. THANK YOU FLASH VILLAGE PEOPLE!

Where were we? Oh, yeah...

Wipeout 44 - http://www.wipeout44.com

Now these guys surely know what they are doing. Not only do they provide free tips and tricks considering flash and some nice and nifty flash tutorials to enhance your web design, but they write HUGE articles on how a graphical design should be made - what you need to know, how the graphical design is progressing and what are the basic and professional way to do it. As much as I could investigate the website concentrates more on "educating" than showing just some flashing tutorials. A really good website for people who are seriously standing on their feet and are jumping in the vastness of flash making.

They also have a few links to other flash tutorial websites with a short reviews and such. They use the this as a topic to that part of their website : Sites That Help Build Mountains :). I say "Why the hell not? :) "

And our next contestant is?

Flash Game Design - http://www.flash-game-design.com

Now this here is something for the gaming community of flash making. Ok, right to the point - they offer tutorials, articles and links to some great resources. I read one of their articles for RPG game making and it was not only huge as space, but it offered a great meaningful content. Someone who is into making games and decided that flash is the tool for the job, will find extremely useful information on this website. Not only that, but their tutorials, not as flexible as some other, are about the exact things that games need. How to make something shoot or how to make something move with the press of the directional keys - action scripts for those things that are the "engine" of your future game.

The best thing is, when you read the articles and tutorials you get a feeling that they really care what is going to happen with your product. Isn't that sweet?

Last, but not least.

Luka Maras - http://www.lukamaras.com

No idea what the name means, but that is not important. First, the thing you should automatically put aside is the design of the website. How should I put this so that I do not offend anyone? Hmmm, the design ... bites? Whatever, the thing is that there are some really good and useful as an overall tutorials. Most of the tutorials are about specific symbols like buttons, logo, menu and such that will aid you in your website making. Some of them are spectacularly good and have a large number of visitors. The tutorials them selfs are nicely explained and the subject of the tutorial can be freely downloaded by anyone.

Well, this finishes this review of some really good flash tutorial websites.

Next, we will "see" each other when we review some other tutorial websites about something a bit different.

Stay tuned folks!

ExLow is an online service and outsourcing auction. Freelance IT workers can become financially independent doing what they enjoy as well as build an impressive portfolio. ExLow's users excel in many categories including : ecommerce development, small business website development, and many other professional website development solutions! Choose a developer by comparing prices, past ratings, portfolio, and more.

CoSwap is a "ONE STOP" full service site where a "Buyer" can post a project for FREE and have one of our highly skilled "Designer's" competitively bid on your projects. At least that is what they have on their website. Don't get me wrong - its true. They have a lot to offer - to freelancers and "Buyers" alike. Right now they are making some modifications and changes - all for the better communication between employee and employer, but still its worth taking a look.

This site here concentrates on freelancing only in the boundaries of New York City - as the name suggests. They say that their "Buyers" - or job providers - are looking for New York designers, PHP, SEO, CSS, Flash, .Net, ASP programmers. That is a good thing considering the fact that there are many freelancers that specialize in these areas, but the problem is on a different scale. There are no freelancers registered on the page, nor there are any "buyers" or projects for you to bid on or do whatever. Still, the website is new and probably still trying to get some traffic - give them a chance.

"Here at ROLancers.com we invite you to post your projects or search the database for talents who can surely fulfill your needs." In fact they are absolutely right about that. ROlancers is a large gathering of Romanian freelancers and others from all over the world. The simple fact that ROLancers is officially a Romanian freelancer site should not stop people from all over the world to find what they are looking for , or offer their abilities, in there. After all they have a really nice and true thought posted.

Romania is now taking the lead in the outsourcing industry ...

Do you have skills in Web and Computer Development? Programming? Are you looking for side jobs or projects to keep busy or even a supplemental income? This is the place for you - go, find a job, start bidding - its free!

Or?

Do you want quality custom scripts or just modifications to your old ones? Do you wish you could make that perfect website but couldn't find someone to do it for a reasonable price? Join ScriptAlliance and start posting projects to their network of freelance professionals.

A simple site with some categories for job browsing, bidding system and job search. Are you a freelancer or you are looking for one? Click the link and go on a job hunt. The good thing about this site is that they instantly present you what they offer and for freelancers - its totally free to bid on projects. For the buyers on the other hand its there is a no cost system for registering, but a small fee on every project posted. Well what more can you expect from a job-bidding website.

FILTER the West Coast talent pool to find exceptional designers, writers, producers, project managers, and production specialists to help clients accomplish the extraordinary. As confusing this may have sound for some - the site presents an even more baffling "atmosphere". No matter that these guys really know what are they doing and how to do it right. A good choice to start a career is to start looking for one right here, if you don't have a better opportunity that is.

GeekUp is a community of web designers, web developers, and other tech-minded folk from the North West. Our socials take place once a month in Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester they are always a lively place to share ideas and spread a little knowledge.