Software Applications:
I'm proficient at many programs, including:
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Dreamweaver
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe After Effects
I do more than just web design; I can create vector art, make a promotional video for a new product, or probably anything else you need. If you're starting an online store and need product images, I can take photos for you and cut out the backgrounds.
Adobe Flash:
I do not offer full Flash-based websites. Many of the effects done with flash can actually be done better with other techniques, such as jQuery, which I'm happy to discuss with you.
Forums, Blogs, and Photo Galleries:
I am familiar with many different Content Management Systems (CMSs). For forums I use vBulletin (and highly recommend it), but I also have experience with phpBB, a free, open source forum. WordPress is the blogging software I use on many different sites, which I have installed and upgraded countless times. I have created custom WordPress themes, which you can see in the websites section of my portfolio. If you will be posting new content often, or need an RSS feed, you might want a blog.
I have experience with Coppermine Photo Gallery, and I actually run it on my own personal site. It's a very flexible system, and can be configured many different ways. I have used many different photo galleries, including JAlbum, SimpleViewer, Lightbox (see example), and others.
Which gallery is right for you depends on how many photos you have, how often you'll add more, and what features you're looking for.
Just because it's not listed, it doesn't mean I can't do it. If there's some other web software you need, I can probably install it for you. Forums, blogs, photo galleries, shopping carts, wikis — let me know and I'll check it out. I'm always eager to try new software!
Advertising:
Advertising can be integrated into your site, if required. Google AdSense can be customized to match the colors of your site. I can design your site with ad placement in mind.
If you need an animated (or static) .gif or flash banner to advertise your site, I can create one.
Video Production:
I've been making short films and other videos for many years. You can see some promotional videos I've made for different companies in my portfolio.
Coding (the technical stuff):
For eight years I literally typed out all of the code by hand.
I prefer to code in XHTML, CSS, and PHP, with bits of other code like Javascript when needed. I have been coding and designing since 1999. For eight years I literally typed out all of the code by hand, rather than let a program do it. This allowed total control over the code, and required a full understanding of all the bugs and quirks that went along with it.
In 2007 I began using Dreamweaver as a tool to speed up the process. However, because I understand the raw code, you can be sure that I check it all to make sure it's optimized, and nothing extra has been added. I still write much of the code by hand. The websites I create still have the same clean code, they just take less time to make, which saves you money.
My designs are cross-browser compatible, use semantic XHTML, and are standards compliant. They do not use templates, do not use tables for layout, and are optimized for search engines (SEO). If you have any special needs, please let me know.
Drupal and Joomla:
Drupal and Joomla are complex content management systems (CMSs). I have installed both, but they are not my specialty. If you need either of these, please contact me first.
Image Manipulation:
I have many years of experience with Photoshop, and can fix photos using a variety of techniques. I do "airbrushing" type work, blemish removal, standard color correction, and so on.
Additional Information:
I have lots of experience with "tableless" designs (this, and all of my other personal sites are tableless). If you need your code to validate, I can make sure it does. I make sites that are very quick loading, but if you want a very graphical site, it may take longer. If load speed is important to you, I'll design your site with that in mind; I know a lot of tricks to help your site load faster but still look great.
I design sites for all the current main browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera). If you know that a large portion of your audience will be using much older (or different) browsers, let me know.