I just finished a page and in Internet Explorer...looks great...then I check Firefox and Netscape...and everything is all over the place..

You hit on the biggest problem on the internet, different browsers see things differently. But here are a few hints to keep things consistent.

Only use simple fonts (Ariel, times new roman, etc.) Dreamweaver comes with only 6 fonts as standard, stick with those.

Don't us layers. Netscape has a real problem with layers (specifically the div tag).

Keep styling of fonts to a minimum and use CSS. If you need a fancy headline or other font use, better to do it as a graphic.

Make sure that your graphics are created at the correct size for where they are placed. Don't resize graphics in Dreamweaver, do your resizing in Photoshop then put them on your web page. Some browsers will not see the Dreamweaver resize and will show the graphic at its original size. So make the original size correct. You should be doing this anyway.

The reference files in Dreamweaver have good information on which browsers support what. If you are using Dreawmweaver 8 look in the Window menu and click on Reference. Dreamweaver MX and MX 2004 have reference in the panels on the left.

Basically Netscape and Firefox use a different interpretation of HTML than IE uses. So you will see problems, especially with Layers and JavaScript. Netscape and Firefox also interpret CSS differently, especially with font styling.

So, bottom line, keep it simple. Use only simple fonts. Don't use layers for anything important, or for layout (I always use tables). Do all your fancy stuff with images. Or if you want a perfectly controlled web site that views identically in all browsers build the whole thing in Flash (but you will lose your search engine compatibility)

And don't forget that all of the browsers let the user customize how they work, including how they handle fonts. So even with your best efforts there will be people who will see your page layout differently than you designed it.

It is possible to use a JavaScript to see what type of browser is being used to view the page and then have the viewer forwarded to a page built for that browser. But in my opinion that is really doing things the hard way.

Do you recommend using ImageReady to create web pages?

I only use ImageReady to slice images. That was what it was designed for originally, to make Images Ready for the web, and that is still what it is best used for. Everything else I do in Dreamweaver. This is partly a personal preference and you can do quite a bit with ImageReady, but even Adobe has a different product for creating web pages in GoLive.

My personal preference is to use the best product or tool for the job.

My personal favorites are:

Photoshop for image creation

ImageReady, used with the Photoshop images if needed.

Dreamweaver for web development work

Flash for animations

Freehand for vector images (I like Freehand a lot better than Illustrator)

I have found that Dreamweaver has some problems with ftp access to some servers, so for those problem servers I use WS-FTP.

I also don't use any templates, I always create web pages either from scratch, or based on an existing web page that I built from scratch. I just prefer the greater level of control doing it myself.

How do I capture video from my computer screen?

I use a high-end professional screen capture and editing program, so that will not fit your needs. But there is a good, relatively low cost, product on the market that does a good job of capturing screen video. It is called Camtasia from Tech Smith. Here is their web site: http://www.techsmith.com/

Their Camtasia Studio costs about $300 but it is the best low cost solution that I am familiar with. There are probably others out there and a lot of times you will find software like this bundled with computer video cards.

As far as video format, I would recommend recording your videos as .avi files. This is an old standard and most video players can play this type of movie. I use avi myself because you can easily record larger videos, where some of the more modern video formats limit you to a specific screen size or resolution.
Also, to learn all there is to learn, just go to Google and do some searches. Try "video capture" "screen capture" "avi", I know you will think of some more.

What is the difference between Photoshop 7 and Photoshop CS?

Photoshop CS is also known as Photoshop 8, but I personally would have called it Photoshop 7.5. It is not that big of an upgrade, mostly new tools as opposed to updating version 7. Here is a short list of what is new, there are other minor upgrades as well:

• The File Browser has been enhanced
• New Multi-page PDF and slide show tool
• Photomerge tool (useful if you do lots of panoramas from multiple photos, but not really necessary)
• Tracking Edit History (Useful if you need to document editing, scientific or legal uses)
• Crop and Straighten Photos (nice tool if you do lots of scanning)
• Versioning and Version Cue (useful in a multi-user environment)
• New Keyboard shortcut list
• Photo Filter Effects (not really that useful)
• Shadow/Highlight Corrections (really useful if you do lots of professional photo processing or scanning. For a professional this one feature would be worth the upgrade cost in time savings)
• Pixel Aspect Ratio adjustments (useful for video work)
• Match Color (useful when scanning)
• New Filter Gallery (if you use lots of Filters this can be a time saver)
• Lens Blur Effects (fun, but not ground breaking)
• Fibers Filter (useful if you like to create your own textures)
• Layer Comps (very useful. Allowing you to easily create several different versions in one file)
• Scripting (useful for batch automation)
• Text on a Path (I have this one as my online demo, useful if you do page layout in Photoshop. Personally I prefer to use InDesign CS for all my page layout)
• Custom How To links (useful if you manage Photoshop users in a business or school setting)

There are also some upgrades to ImageReady as well, the most important being that ImageReady can now make proper slices and tables. But I do all of that work in Dreamweaver MX 2004.

Load images in place of the Flash in the event a Flash player is not present

Question: I have successfully built a great new home page using both Dreamweaver and Flash - however, I need to have the page load images in place of the Flash in the event a Flash player is not present.

The Flash file will automatically check for the Flash Player and if it is not present it will attempt to download the Flash Player from Macromedia. So in most cases you do not need to worry.

But in case you want to have an alternate image here are the steps:

You need to create a second html page, one that does not contain Flash and has the alternate images instead (one page with Flash, one page without)

Open the Flash page in Dreamweaver.
Go to Code View.
Click anywhere inside the main body section of the web code.
Open up the Tags palette on the right side of Dreamweaver.
The Tag section heading should say Tag body
Click on the Behaviors tab
Click on the + button
In the popup menu select Check Plugin
The Plugin should say Flash, if not use the drop down menu and select Flash
Leave the "If found, go to URL:" line blank.
In the line that says "Otherwise, go to URL:" use the browse button and click on your non-Flash page.
Check "Always go to first URL if detection is not possible"

That should do it.

Personally I prefer to have the visitor download the appropriate Flash player instead of sending them to a non-Flash page, so I don't do these steps on my sites.


You can find a sample from the Flash set here: http://www.howtogurus.com/video/flash-demo.html

A Message from George Peirson about Identity Theft

Some info on credit card security and identity theft.

Using credit cards online is about the safest way to use credit cards, as long as you can trust the company. Most major companies online are very reliable, including the two that I recommended. The reason online payments are so safe is all the security features built in to using a credit card online. Everything is handled using encryption and the actual credit card number is only shown to the credit card company. The online seller actually never sees your full credit card number, they only get a verification from the credit card company.

The least safe way to use a credit card is in a restaurant, where the waiter takes your card away to get it approved. During that time your credit card is in someone else's hands and you can't see what they are doing. Most credit card theft comes from restaurants, stores and other outlets where you hand someone your card and they walk away with it. The second most common way to have credit card numbers stolen is by having your credit card bills stolen out of your mail box. Online credit card use is considered the safest way to use a credit card.

Identity theft is a whole different issue and if you are using eBay you will start getting emails that are termed "phishing" emails. These will look like they come from either eBay or PayPal and ask you to update or confirm your identity or information. EBay, PayPal and all banks will never send you an email asking you to update your information. All of these emails are fakes and are trying to steal your info. Be very careful about these. They usually look just like authentic emails and they have links that take you to fake sites that look just like the real sites, but their sites only have the page that asks for your information, any other link on that fake page will take you back to the real site, making them seem even more real.

The rule of thumb here is to never click on any email you were not expecting from eBay, PayPal or a bank. The only emails from eBay that will have valid links in them will be for auctions that you bid on or know you won and were expecting. To be safe you should always to go eBay or PayPal by typing in the address in your web browser. Simply type in http://www.ebay.com for eBay and https://www.paypal.com for PayPal. If you are unsure about an email from either eBay or PayPal you can forward it to them and they will let you know if it is genuine or not. Forward to one of these addresses: spoof@ebay.com or spoof@paypal.com

Believe it or not, I get about 20 of these fake emails a day and always forward them onto eBay and PayPal so that they can track down the crooks.

What programs do you recommend for new Web Designers?

Here is what I recommend Web Designers should know:

Dreamweaver
HTML
JavaScript
Photoshop

These are the core programs and will handle 95% of your needs.

You may want to add in Flash training, and if you decide to create web sites for other companies you should learn either PHP or ASP (web programming languages)

As in anything else, the more you know the better off you are. I don't have any specific recommendations for books, except the Photoshop Bible by Deke McClelland.

A great source for free information on HTML and JavaScript is http://www.internet.com/