Free website templates

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

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:

• Photoshop Support
• Tutorialized
• Good Tutorials

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

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

 

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

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

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)