I have had many people ask me how to download video from sites such as YouTube, and the simplest way I have found is to enter them in KeepVid.com. Once entered, right click and choose save as on the link provided (make sure to enter a unique filename and change the extension to .FLV)
The video will then be downloaded in the FLV (Flash Video) format. This is a format of compressed video that is designed for the web. FLV is not the most ideal format to work with as it has been compressed and resized for fast loading on YouTube - meaning it is a last resort if you would like to view the video on DVD. Always search sites such as Google Video to see if there is a higher quality version available (often YouTube videos are appropriated from other sources, so look around!) I would also recommend searching Torrent sites such as ThePirateBay.
Once you have downloaded the video at the best quality you can find, it is now time to convert the video. You have two options here - the first being trial and error with Super(C), which is a freeware tool for PC that will convert most video and sound formats. Try converting the FLV video into an MPEG or AVI file, and test the quality of the conversion. Once the file is converted, you will need a video authoring program such as Roxio MyDVD to burn the file to a DVD disc.
The second option is to consult a site like VideoHelp.com which has many guides detailing step-by-step instructions to convert virtually any format to DVD. Visit the guides section, select the format you wish to convert from and to (ie AVI to DVD) and search. The guide usually will refer to freeware programs to get the job done, and will provide URLs of where to get them.
There are a number of Firefox Addons available to help with the job of downloading the videos, you can peruse the list here to choose one that suits your needs best.
How to download YouTube videos to DVD
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Div Layouts for Myspace
I'm not the biggest Myspace user, but I have had requests to design and build CSS layouts for Myspace before. These initially were a challenging and demeaning task, but then I discovered some helpful sites on the web to assist with this process.
By the way, if you are not familiar with Myspace CSS layouts, they are layouts that use modified CSS code to change the default behaviour and look of a Myspace profile layout. The best starting advice I can give is to learn some of the MySpace custom CSS codes which will help you understand the code you will be generating later on.
Then you should visit Div Overlay Generator which is a graphical generator which will allow you to create the beginning of your customised myspace profile. Once you have the basic parts such as the header image, font and background images set up, you are now free to save and edit the code to adjust the look how you want. Be warned, the CSS is often tricky and confusing, and it is recommended to save often while experimenting with the code.
Here are some other recommended sites in relation to this topic:
Customise the way Facebook looks on your browser
I was recently searching for ways to customise my Facebook profile and have found that most of the CSS hacks (etc) have been disabled to keep Facebook layouts uniform across all profiles.
There is, however, a Firefox Addon called "Boost" by StudioLD which allows you to customise the appearance of Facebook client-side, which means that it will appear differently in your browser only. It also adds some useful features, such as a feature that expands thumbnails when you roll over them, and also allows you to auto-login, avoiding the need to login to Facebook multiple times in a single session.
How to embed an MP3 player on your site for free
CreativeTechs Tips - Here's an article I found that describes the process of adding a flash MP3 player to your website or Myspace profile. On the same vein, below are some free MP3 and file hosts:
- FileDen File hosting service (not just MP3s)
- FileFreak File hosting
- MySpace Music Player
Improve your Search engine ranking
There are a number of ways to increase the traffic through your website, the primary one being to improve your SEO (search engine optimization.) Through the use of a meta tag generator you can list relevant keywords and output them to be pasted in the HTML code of your website.
The best way to attract new visitors to your website is to use terms that are current and popular. You can track these by visiting websites such as Google Trends which list the most commonly searched terms and divides them by region, city and language. Alexa is also another SEO resource, which will allow you to check on the rating of your website in comparison to the rest of the web. (Update 21/1/08) It has been brought to my attention (thanks to the anonymous commenter!) that Alexa bases the statistics solely based on the amount of traffic generated by Alexa toolbar users, which may skew the reliability of the statistics provided.
Other recommended links below:
- Submit Corner Meta Tag Generator
- TheSiteWizard SEO tips
- OpenTracker Google SEO article
Free website templates
Sunday, November 25, 2007
FreeWebsiteTemplates.com has a range of free templates which include the original Photoshop (PSD) files in the package. This means you can use the layout as a start off point for your website, and will give inexperienced Photoshop users a head start. Freelayouts.com also has a selection of HTML layouts for you to peruse.
Freeware broken link checker for your website
Xenu's Link Sleuth is Freeware for PC that allows you to scan a website for broken links. This is a time consuming process to do manually, and if you have many links this program may save you hours. (PC, Freeware)
For the Mac users, Integrity allows you to visually check your website for broken links and redirections. (Mac, Freeware)
How to find files on Rapidshare using Google
Here's a way I've found that allows you to search for files on Rapidshare, Megaupload and zShare.net. Simply search Google for the following string, replacing "Name of file" with your desired search:
+"Name of file" +rapidshare.com/files/ OR +zshare.net OR +megaupload.com
Also try the following:
- Rapidoogle
- Rapidshare Search Engine
- Rapidshare1 Search
- Shared File Search
- SharingEngines
- 4MegaUpload
- FunFail
- QuickSearch
- RapidSharer
- MTWorld File checker
- Rapidshare Link Checker is a little known tool provided by Rapidshare.com themselves that allows you to paste entire lists of files into a box which will then let you know if any files are down.
Freeware Font Mangers
Font Frenzy for PC is a freeware font manager for Windows that allows you to selectively install and uninstall fonts on your computer to speed up performance and boot up times. You can revert your installed fonts back to the default set that come with Windows and then selectively view and install ones you need. This is a must if you have a lot of fonts. (PC, Freeware.)
For the Mac users, I have found a font manager called FontExplorerX which assists in the management and installation of fonts.
Freeware HTML link creator
Monday, November 19, 2007
HTML link creator - Quickly and easily create links to HTML pages with titles for use in blog or forum posts. Have a look at the rest of the freeware offerings on the site which include a a HTML color picker, an ascii character utility, an ASCII to hex converter and a Photo Resizer. (Freeware, PC)
Update (27/12/07): I have also found a useful Text to HTML converter, which allows you to put a list of files and output them as clickable links. Definitely useful for rapidshare/megaupload.com users who frequent download forums. (Free, all platforms.)
Photoshop tutorials/tips
Here are some links to Photoshop tutorial websites I have used before:
Check out Trevor Morris' site for a set of useful guide to the Photoshop keyboard shortcuts as well as a downloadable set of alternative keys that add keyboard shortcuts for many common menu functions (such as cropping, level adjustment etc.) The site also features a Photoshop cheat sheet for all versions from CS through to CS3.
Shutterbug has a 2 page article on how to speed up Photoshop loading time by modifying settings to perform optimally on your computer.
Those who have recently upgraded to Photoshop Cs3 will benefit from the use of the "Highlight new features" workspace. Click "Workspace" then "What's new in CS3" to have Photoshop highlight all new menu items and options available. n.Design studio has a guide to the new features of Photoshop CS3 and documents some of the capabilities such as the new smart filter and the auto-blend filter.
Free open source content management system
Joomla! - Joomla is a free CMS (content management system) for content publishers on the world wide web. Rich in features, this fully customisable and features the ability to utilise plug-ins to extend the functionality of the system. Definitely recommended for those who create websites for their customers, and are looking for a free alternative that is well documented and supported on the web.
Joomla replaces and automates the process of creating/programming a back end for your website and features a number of free built in website templates. Check out the Joomla! Wikpedia page for further information.
How to accept payment on your website
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Paypal is the easiest way to securely accept credit cards, sell products/services or take donations from your website visitors. The user is given a secure online form to fill out and is then returned to your website upon completion. Paypal also has a Shopping Cart feature, which allows your customers to buy multiple items conveniently.
Free image vector converter
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
VectorMagic - VectorMagic is a free online image vectorizer. In other words, it allows you to upload any image and it will provide a vectorized version for you to download. Definitely useful for design projects where you need to scale images to a larger size.
Freeware Office Alternative and PDF Creator
Sunday, November 11, 2007
OpenOffice - OpenOffice is a multi-platform freeware Microsoft Office alternative that is competing with Office in many markets around the world. It provides much of the same functionality of the Microsoft Office software suites and allows you to easily create documents and presentations. It also allows you to export your documents as PDF files. (Freeware, Windows, Mac and Linux)
Free image host
Saturday, November 10, 2007
ImageShack - ImageShack.us is a fast and free image host service. They also provide a slideshow generator for use on Facebook/Myspace profiles. Also see below post for the ImageShack Firefox addon.
Firefox for web designers
Firefox features the ability to add customisable add-ons and plugins to enhance your browsing experience. It allows you to browse the web securely and more quickly than most other browsers.
Once you have grabbed the latest version of Firefox, I recommend downloading the following Firefox addons:
Web Developer - Adds useful tools for web designers to the Firefox browser interface. Allows you to view the page with scripts/CSS/images disabled, edit the CSS, view the page as it would appear in other window dimensions and many other features too numerous to mention.
All-in-one Sidebar - This useful tool allows you to view the current page's source code alongside the page itself. It also puts the downloads toolbar in a side window, which is preferable over the Downloads window Firefox uses by default.
Imageshack.us Firefox Toolbar - This toolbar allows you to batch upload images from your hard drive to the web for use on your website or share using one click.
Googlepedia - Adds relevant Wikipedia results to the side of your Google searches. Saves time as a lot of Google searches end up at Wikipedia anyway.
Tab Mix Plus - Adds useful functionality to the Firefox window tabs. Includes a session manager (to restore crashed Firefox sessions) and tab duplication, focus and also allows you to undo closed windows.
LocationBar² - Changes the Firefox URL text box make it much more readable - especially useful in identifying spam/spoof sites from links.
Make money with your website
Placing Adsense links on your website allows you to generate money from your website. You will see examples of Adsense links to the right of this text. Adsense links create profit by cost-per-click and cost per impression. The ads can be displayed as banners or linked text in various styles and customisable colours to suit your website.
The Adsense program is open internationally and it is completely free to join.
Freeware clipboard utility
ClipX is a freeware Clipboard extension for Windows. It allows you to view your previous clipboard entries (text and graphics). It also features a search function for older entries. Definitely useful for web designers!
Freeware file comparison utility
ExamDiff - ExamDiff is a file comparison tool that allows you to compare two text files side by side. This can come in handy when comparing HTML/CSS files between versions and can save many hours of frustration. It features a full search utility and allows you to edit the files from within the program. A full feature list is available here. (Freeware, PC)
Open Source vector graphics editor
Inkscape - Is an open source vector graphics program. This can be used to create logos, graphics and layouts for your websites. The interface is similar to Illustrator and is available as freeware for Mac, PC and Linux.
Another interesting program I have discovered is called Artweaver which is a graphics editor designed to simulate natural brush tools. (Freeware, PC)
Freeware HTML compressor
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Absolute HTML Compressor - This program is designed to clean up your HTML, remove unnecessary whitespace and to reduce overall file size. It allows you to compress entire website folders and to save backups in the process. (PC, Freeware)
Freeware image viewer
Irfanview - One of the first programs I recommend to people who design for the web. This small, fast Windows freeware can view almost any image format (including Photoshop PSDs and other high-res image formats) and has plugin support to enable it to open video and document files. Irfanview also has in-built image editing tools such as a sharpen filter, colour adjustment and colour correction, which come in handy for last minute adjustments to images. Click here to see the full list of supported file types. (PC, freeware)
Improve your search engine knowledge
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
SearchLores is a site created by a man named Fravia, who designed it to share his vast knowledge of search engines and advanced searching. It is recommended for everyone who would like to form a deeper understanding of Google (and other search engines;.)
The site contains many essays on topics such as powerbrowsing and search syntax, this somewhat cryptic site can help to vastly improve your experience when searching on the web.
Also see: The Google cheat sheet and Google advanced operators guide - both containing lists of advanced operators to help further refine your searches. Click here to get a printable Google reference guide.
How to find fonts for free on the web
You can find most commonly used fonts on the web by searching in the following manner: +"Arial" +"index of fonts" +"last modified" +ttf
This can be tested by clicking here - replace Arial with the name of the font you are seeking.
HTML Guides
PageTutor - PageTutor is a website that contains beginners HTML guides up to more advanced languages such as Javascript (link goes to Javascript beginners tutorial).
The HTML Cheat Sheet is a handy, printable reference which is a fast way to improve your knowledge of HTML tags.
HTML Color codes
Freeware Winzip alternative
UnRarX - UnRarX is a freeware Mac tool to compress RAR files. Also try Stuffit, which is a free Mac compression utility.
Free web photo album generator
Free Notepad replacement
Create PDF files from documents
Convert HTML to text
Free blog editor
Freeware FTP program
Identify fonts used in images
CSS cheat sheet
Convert video for the web
As it is PC only, Mac users can use FFMpegX for the same features.
Free stock photos
Flash image galleries
Free website icons
Freeware Dreamweaver alternative
, it provides an easy way to view and edit your HTML code graphically. (PC/Mac/Linux, Freeware)Trellian WebPage - Another WYSIWYG HTML design program with a drag and drop interface. Features a meta tag editor for search engine optimisation and a spellchecker. (PC, Freeware)
CoffeeCup Free HTML Editor is another free HTML design program. It is a cut-down version of their shareware version and features a WYSIWYG table generator, form generator and FTP uploader. Also check out their free DHTML menu builder which allows you to create custom menus for your website with ease.
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