More Website Progress..

Here is my VERY nearly completed Gallery page..Gallery was created in Adobe Bridge, and entered into Dreamweaver using an <iframe>

I am pretty impressed with the success in making the gallery :) I need to make a few small changes to the layout of the gallery but apart from that it is mostly completed!

Website Progress..

Here are a few pages from my portfolio.

These three pages are practically finished, feedback is appreciated. :)

Image Optimisation Cont..

I already have created my thumbnails which are small versions of the image I plan to use  for the gallery. I attended a seminar where we had to look at ways to optimise the image so that it is suitable for the web. As I am using large photographs I need to re-size them so that they are suitable for the web, by doing this I have also enabled myself to display images correctly in my portfolio. 

I have carried out this process for all of my images which I want to use on my web album. It is really important to do this procedure. It has enabled me to understand what kind of images are suitable for the web and that it is pointless using a file which is too large, as it will eventually slow down the website. For this image I have cropped, slightly edited it using the curves tool and also saved for web and devices.

For this image I have chosen the format PNG-8, I looked at every option available which would be suitable for the web. The GIF format was very pixelated and when I previewed on the internet it wasn't happy with the result. (See  below)

 

The image resolution is 72 dpi, which is what was recommended to us by Sean, After experimenting with different dpi's, I found that this was the most suitable.  I chose against JPEG medium and high because they were over 50k and took over 20 seconds to load, I do not want my images to take that much time simply because it will slow down my site. JPEG low also did not work for me as the format quality was very poor. However all of my images differentiate, I expected this because I knew all of my photos were from different sources and therefore would have different properties. I have ensured that they are all of the best suitable quality and experimented with all of the four formats to come to the correct decision.

Image Optimisation

Today I learnt that images for the web need to be saved in the correct format to ensure that they are able to load quickly and they aren't too large. The easiest way to do this is on Photoshop and through the option of save for web and devices. 

The image below displays the quality of saving as PNG-8 file, the image is 72 dpi.. PNG files are usually used for graphics or layouts.  There is a definite alteration in each of the image qualities. This tool is very handy, as it shows you four different options and how long it will take to load on the webpage, the image in the left corner is the original. On the right there are options which can be changed to increase the speed of the file loading. This has helped me to understand the difference in the file types. 

Below are four options of saving as a JPEG file.  The image appears to remain in much better quality by choosing JPEG, the colour is less pixelated and remains smooth all over.

 Below are four options of saving a GIF file. GIF files can be particularly handy on the web as the can be used to create small animations. GIF files are usually used for banners and layouts. From all of the options I have I can now select the most  appropriate image and quality, with full knowledge of how long it will take to load on my page.

Social Networking & Audiences

When designing it is very important to consider who you are going to be producing the product for. This also applies to my website. Although it is obvious that is going to be created for me and to broadcast my work, I still need to consider my audience. Twitter, Facebook, Deviant Art, Linkedin and blogs are all ways to target an audience in a professional manner.

Social networking is the perfect way for me to be able to join groups which I can communicate with, which is related to my work. I am already a member of twitter and Facebook, and I also have blogs which I write about projects I am currently working on.

For me, Twitter is the best social network to be able to use to start building an audience and followers who are interested in what I do. It works in both ways, as I am also able to follow and trend a topics relevant to web design. I want to include a twitter feed on my website, which will show direct tweets and conversations which I am having. This way I am expanding followers and I am creating something which is used on a professional and formal basis.

At the minute I am not sure which page would suit the website best. I feel that it will probably work best on the 'contact me' page, as it will lead the user onto my twitter and also will enhance the interactive experience.

Facebook is also useful for expanding audiences, especially now that it has the 'timeline' which enables the user to document everything which has been shared over years. For the website I don't plan to have a Facebook page, as I prefer twitter. I do however appreciate the usefulness and the awareness it can have. 

Homepage- Wireframe

This is the design for my homepage wire frame, I have kept is quite simple, this is because I want to try and understand the software before I over complicate things. I have chosen a central main montage of images to visually show my example of work, so that users on my website understand about me. This is also why I have added a couple of lines of text below which also will demonstrate a quick outline on the purpose of my site, this will enable users to learn about my work very quickly.

I wanted to keep it fairly simple because some of the research which I carried out, suggested that the most successful websites, were the ones which remained simple and allowed the user to navigate quickly without having to concentrate too hard on how to use the site. I decided to keep everything fairly central because I felt that the eye would be able to focus easily, especially if all the text and images were aligned.

I want the navigation to be placed along the top bar, just underneath the header so that it is one of the main things which the user will see and be attracted to- the words will all be equally spaced out and will be in capitals. The image montage will also act as a link to the gallery page & the small about me text, will again be a link to the 'about me' page.

Threshold Concepts- Ineractivity

The things I look for in a film are:

• Strong, gripping storyline
• Mystery with unknown elements which keep the audience guessing throughout the film
• Good conclusion and an effective satisfying resolution- which leaves you content once finished watching.
• Characters which tell the story line well- but also are intriguing and slightly mysterious.

Task: 

My plot would consist of a chase, but it would not be stereotypical. The characters would be lost between layers of time, which they have to attempt to escape. There would be two main characters male & female which are simultaneously trying to discover how to find a resolution out of the situation. The two characters introduce romance, but only one is able to escape. Both characters try to ignore the fact that only one will be able to safely return to reality... but they each try to defy fate.

There would be an unknown character or object which they are trying to escape from, however the audience would never see it- they would only feel its presence. 

The story would be very mysterious with the audience never knowing when or where the story is set, all that would be revealed would be the dramatic need to escape the predicament which they are in. 

The story would be resolved but there would be a huge decision which would have to be made. Eventually the two characters would fall for one another, and would end up staying together lost in time.