navigation
a webmaster learning community
     Home    Register     Search      Help      Login    
Sponsors

Shopping Cart Software
Ecommerce software integrated into Frontpage, Dreamweaver and Golive templates. No monthly fees and available in ASP and PHP versions.

Website Templates
We also have a wide selection of Dreamweaver, Expression Web and Frontpage templates as well as webmaster tools and CSS layouts.

Frontpage website templates
Creative Website Templates for FrontPage, Dreamweaver, Flash, SwishMax

Search Forums
 

Advanced search
Recent Posts

 Todays Posts
 Most Active posts
 Posts since last visit
 My Recent Posts
 Mark posts read

Microsoft MVP

 

smoothing background images

 
View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest
Users viewing this topic: none
Printable Version 

All Forums >> Web Design >> Web Graphics >> smoothing background images
Page: [1]
 
rdouglass

 

Posts: 9167
From: Biddeford, ME USA
Status: offline

 
smoothing background images - 1/11/2008 9:44:20   
Hi Folks,

I have a big circle I'm using as a background image for a web page here:

http://rdouglass.is-a-geek.com/detail4.aspx?CompanyID=167

I would like it (the background circle) to be smoother than it is now. However, I don't think it's as simple as it sounds because the circle needs to remain white always and the background grey will change based on the style sheet being loaded.

The background image is just a GIF file with the white circle and the rest being transparent. So I didn't see this solution as just adding some transitional color pixels since the background could change.

I'm considering using vector graphics on an absolute positioned div with a very low z index but I've never done it before and it sounds like it would be full of IE conditionals. :)

Anyone have any ideas how I could easily make the circle smoother?

_____________________________

Don't take you're eye off your final destination.

ASP Checkbox Function Tutorial.
jaybee

 

Posts: 13959
Joined: 10/7/2003
From: Berkshire, UK
Status: offline

 
RE: smoothing background images - 1/11/2008 10:27:47   
The only way I can see it is to put a grey shadow round the edge of the circle. I can't see how vector and z-index would work. The other option is to have a different background for each page with your changing colour then apply using internal styles or a different stylesheet.

What did you use to build that BTW? There is a huge pile of styles in the sheet above what you've added and there are over 200 HTML errors, probably because you have an XHTML Doctype.

_____________________________

If it ain't broke..... fix it until it is.
:)

:)
GAWDS
Now where did I put that Doctype?

(in reply to rdouglass)
rdouglass

 

Posts: 9167
From: Biddeford, ME USA
Status: offline

 
RE: smoothing background images - 1/11/2008 10:31:24   
quote:

There is a huge pile of styles in the sheet above what you've added and there are over 200 HTML errors


Yes, still very early in the development I'm afraid. The stylesheet was from an earlier version of a still-live page that will be pared down immensely once I've completed the page (it's a re-work from an existing page and about 90% of that stylesheet is moot).

I also do a lot of inline styles while I'm working out the bugs.

It's mostly done in notepad with some Visual Studio stuff thrown in.

_____________________________

Don't take you're eye off your final destination.

ASP Checkbox Function Tutorial.

(in reply to jaybee)
rdouglass

 

Posts: 9167
From: Biddeford, ME USA
Status: offline

 
RE: smoothing background images - 1/11/2008 10:39:09   
quote:

I can't see how vector and z-index would work.


I had a thought of putting a vector graphic in a container with a 1 z-index and putting another container with the content on top of it. Positioned of course.

Again, it just sounded like a mess to me trying to make it work well cross browser.

I did think about different BG's for different styles but I was hoping to not have to go that route. :)

Thanks.

_____________________________

Don't take you're eye off your final destination.

ASP Checkbox Function Tutorial.

(in reply to jaybee)
d a v e

 

Posts: 4010
Joined: 7/24/2002
From: England (but live in Finland now)
Status: offline

 
RE: smoothing background images - 1/11/2008 11:36:55   
how many different colours might the circle be?

if they're within a certain range of contrast between it and the circle you might get away with a small amount of antialiasing against the average darkness/lightness and then

you could make a circle anti-aliasing at say 400%, export it/save as a lossless bmp (bmp, tit, png 24)

then open that and resize to 1/4 thus reducing the anti-alias effect to a small amount but still smoothing the circle edge

otherwise do it all the other way round: have a white background set on that middle bit and a background image (with higher z index as a grey curve or whatever colour in your stylesheet and then it will always be perfectly antialiased.

i would try for the first option as it's easier, thought that sort of curve is never going to look really smooth ;)

or png with alpha transparency with the IE workaround hack thingy??

... or do a different design ;)

or , hang on, make a bg image with a white circle punched out of it and wide enough to accommodate anything but a cinema screen and use it as a fixed background on the <body> as a gif it shouldn't be too big and you can make several different colour ones to reference in the stylesheet

< Message edited by d a v e -- 1/11/2008 11:45:50 >


_____________________________

David Prescott
Gekko web design

(in reply to rdouglass)
rdouglass

 

Posts: 9167
From: Biddeford, ME USA
Status: offline

 
RE: smoothing background images - 1/11/2008 11:47:23   
quote:

if they're within a certain range of contrast between it and the circle you might get away with a small amount of antialiasing against the average darkness/lightness


I think that may be the key. Require all background colors to be dark grey. :) Joking aside, if I restrict the BG to be dark colors in general, I may be able to get away with that.

Thanks for the input.

_____________________________

Don't take you're eye off your final destination.

ASP Checkbox Function Tutorial.

(in reply to d a v e)
d a v e

 

Posts: 4010
Joined: 7/24/2002
From: England (but live in Finland now)
Status: offline

 
RE: smoothing background images - 1/11/2008 11:52:50   
or try this as a page background and then just swap the images see attached
only 10k and 2500px wide




might be a bit wide

Thumbnail Image
:)

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

David Prescott
Gekko web design

(in reply to rdouglass)
Tailslide

 

Posts: 5915
Joined: 5/10/2005
From: Out here on the raggedy edge
Status: offline

 
RE: smoothing background images - 1/11/2008 12:27:57   
Yeah just smoothed images but different ones for different pages.

_____________________________

"My strategy is so simple an idiot could have devised it"
Little Blue Plane Web Design | Blood, Sweat & Rust - A Land Rover restoration project

(in reply to d a v e)
rdouglass

 

Posts: 9167
From: Biddeford, ME USA
Status: offline

 
RE: smoothing background images - 1/11/2008 15:34:43   
Thanks much dave. I took your image and tried a few BG colors and that one will work great with some slight mods along the way.

_____________________________

Don't take you're eye off your final destination.

ASP Checkbox Function Tutorial.

(in reply to Tailslide)
Page:   [1]

All Forums >> Web Design >> Web Graphics >> smoothing background images
Page: [1]
Jump to: 1





New Messages No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages Locked w/o New Messages
 Post New Thread
 Reply to Message
 Post New Poll
 Submit Vote
 Delete My Own Post
 Delete My Own Thread
 Rate Posts