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Before we move on to the next subject, I want to
talk a littl bit more about slices and the slice tool in
Photoshop. Last week we sliced up our web page into bits and
pieces that we could place into our HTML tables for our web
site. We used Image Ready to make slices out of guides. What
happens if you don't use guides? Let's talk about that.
Just as a reminder, the slice tool is located in
the main toolbar in PS6. Take a look above. Have an image open
and grab the upper tool in the flyout menu. This is the slice
tool.
In the image here, I have swiped a slice just as
I would a rectangular selection with the marquee tool. Take a
look at the white arrow I have provided in the image. This is
the direction I made the slice by holding down the button and
moving in this direction, then letting go of the button. This
makes one slice called a User-Slice. Photoshop automatically
fills the rest of the image with slices called, strangly
enough... Auto-Slices. These auto slices are basically just
filler, but if you want to actually use them, you can turn them
into User-Slices by doing the following:
Select the other tool in the slice tool flyout
menu. This is the Slice-Select tool. Select the box in the upper
left-hand corner of an Auto-Slice. Then in the upper options bar
push the Promote to User-Slice button.
You can now save this image as you would any
other user slice. We did this last week, so no need to subject
you to the same information twice. You can jump back to the last
article for more info on saving slices.
Once you have some User-Slices, using the
Slice-Select tool, you can adjust the size of the slice, move
(while holding the Shift Key), and rename it. You can also add
HTML to it, hyperlinks, etc...
Above I have changed the size and shape of my
single User-Slice a bit.
To save your slices, all you have to do is hit File -> Save for
Web, and you can select any or all of the slices you have made
in the pop-up Save for Web dialog box. Then you can use the
slice like you would any other image.
Prior to the slice tool, (just to let newcomers in on how
powerful this tool is), we had to select portions of our image
with the marquee tool, copy them merged, open a new document,
paste it in there and then save it individually. You can
imagine, if you've never had to do this, that this can take a
long time! The slice tool, which started with Image Ready,
effectively eliminates all this work. It's a great tool that
really makes things a lot easier, so use it often.
This ends our series of articles on the overview
of laying out web pages in Photoshop. To learn more, keep coming
to Planet Photoshop and also READ YOUR USER MANUAL. Is it a
boring document? Absolutely. But it also contains a ton of
information on the technical aspects of the software. You should
pick it up every once in a while and read a few sections. You'll
be amazed at what you retain! Talk at you in seven days! Have a
great week and enjoy your slice tool. |