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Chapter 6. Layout Window: Creating Your Own Design
ShutterBug recognizes that the design of your site is very subjective and personal
preferences vary from ShutterBug to ShutterBug. Though we try to provide a variety of
themes for all tastes, it is impossible for us to know exactly what each and every
ShutterBug wants for the look and feel of his/her site. This is where the layout tools
come in, providing you with the option to create your very own design, personalized
and done up the way you want it.
These layout tools output Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) - one of the most appealing
methods to web developers, but also one of the most frustrating and time consuming
to master. ShutterBug removes the frustration and masks the complexities of learning
CSS. You don't even need to waste time testing your site in multiple external browsers
- we already did that for you and built it into ShutterBug's output.
We encourage you to try the layout tools. These tools are among the most powerful
features in ShutterBug and offer added benefits over a more expensive, pro-web
authoring tool. We hope you discover these tools at your own leisure and see the
leverage it gives you in creating professional and personalized designs.
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What's Covered in this Chapter...
This chapter takes a broad view of the layout tools and outlines what can be done to
each element on the page, where to find each tool, what the tool does, and how to use
it. Modify or change the elements completely to create your own unique design; edit
all the elements for fonts, colors, backgrounds, size, position, borders, thumbnail size,
navigation attributes, and many other items related to the design of your site.
What's Not Covered in this Chapter...
This chapter does not cover page customization, template customization, managing
templates, and importing and exporting themes (these topics are covered in Chapters
7 & 8). This chapter does not get into the fine details and specifics of using the layout
tools. See the following note.
NOTE: A more detailed supplemental guide has been created that focuses solely on
each tab in the Layout window and how to get the most out of these tools.The
supplement extends this chapter to more specific usage of each tool, including some
neat "how to's" to help you leverage the design, create your own themes and
templates, and master the tools with ease. If you are already familiar with the layout
window, you may want to skip this section and go straight to the Supplemental Guide
(coming soon). If you are not very familiar with the layout window, we recommend
reading through this section before using the supplement.
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Chapter Contents
Get acquainted with the user interface, the viewer window, the 8 tabs containing
the editing tools for each element, and how to select an element on your page.
6.3 Masthead, Page Title, & Footer Tabs
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