Sitegrinder 2 Pro

Posted by RustyHill - 18/03/09 at 08:03 pm

Uses Photoshop to Revolutionize Web Design
To build sophisticated web sites, graphic artists can wrestle with HTML/XTML, CSS, Dreamweaver, PHP or Javascript, learn their tricky nuances, and then construct creative websites that must operate across different computer platforms and numerous web browsers. Basically, an artist’s energy must flow with an artistic glow, but make sure their gears transition like an engineer.

If your blood runs cold at the thought of tackling these intensive web design programs, Media Lab Inc. offers a simple, yet powerful alternative.  Media Lab has developed SiteGrinder 2 Pro for Adobe Photoshop beginners and aficionados.

Many graphic and photographic artists are familiar with, or solely use Photoshop to build, develop and enhance graphic designs or photographic images. With SiteGrinder 2 Pro, graphic artists and web designers can build functional, well laid out websites from multi-layered Photoshop documents.

SiteGrinder 2 Pro is a Photoshop plug-in that is compatible with Photoshop 6 (and higher applications). For this review, the author easily downloaded SiteGrinder 2 Pro, comparing SiteGrinder’s operation on an Apple Powerbook G4 and a Power Mac G5 dual 2 Ghz computer.  With Photoshop CS, SiteGrinder 2 Pro operated efficiently and quickly on both computers.

How does SiteGrinder 2 Pro take Photoshop files and seamlessly transform them into web pages?  SiteGrinder starts with a simple or complex Photoshop document.  It literally grinds all the Photoshop graphic data and converts the material into HTML, CSS and web image formats. 

From Photoshop files, SiteGrinder 2 Pro can transform graphics and text, even insert photo galleries, video clips, and Flash imagery to develop attractive web pages that are functional across numerous platforms and browsers.  Within Photoshop, SiteGrinder 2 Pro can alter image compression settings for different compression requirements.  Using hint commands that are typed into the Photoshop layer names, SiteGrinder can create scrolling text, image or text buttons, rollovers, popups and menu selection commands.  Text can be altered within Photoshop layers and then converted into web text, with support for color, size, font styles, page and paragraph format and setting.

Most websites provide horizontal or vertical navigation buttons with popdown or popup menus.  SiteGrinder 2 Pro can build these menus from text and graphic layers, or a combination of both.  Simply add the “hint” text to the end of a text layer’s name and choose a “hilite” style. Watch SiteGrinder churn away and presto!, up pops a menu. 

With Photoshop CS, the “layer comp” feature allows SiteGrinder 2 Pro to create many linked pages from one document. SiteGrinder allows artists to display images in attractive, flexible and custom-made galleries with thumbnail navigation and metadata input.  At present, SiteGrinder 2 Pro doesn’t allow data base integration with galleries, which would be helpful in searching multiple pages for specific graphic art images and photographs.
Clients and site visitors need to communicate either by phone, email or through HTML forms. 

SiteGrinder 2 Pro supports CGI and PHP email forms, allows Google maps, collects survey data and supports other generic forms.
Media Lab offers online video tutorials demonstrating SiteGrinder’s versatility.  The tutorials are easy to understand, and the narrator does not assume viewers are experts with Photoshop.  Tasks are clearly explained and easy to follow. 

Additional help material is available online to identify step-by-step procedures.  Technical questions appear to be quickly answered via email.  An online forum offers another avenue to share queries and suggestions.

Would you prefer to save money creating your own website, and use your Photoshop talents to start an additional web design business?  Are you interested in developing websites that take hours instead of days to assemble?  Then let your right brain and left brain mesh together using SiteGrinder 2 Pro to transform Photoshop layered graphics into functional, stunning web pages.

Product: SiteGrinder 2 Pro Website Builder
Made By:  Media Lab
Website:  medialab.com

Pros:   Powerful Photoshop plug-in.  Converts Photoshop files easily into artistic, functional web pages.
Cons: Data base integration would support searching gallery pages.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 18th, 2009 at 8:29 pm and is filed under Photoshop Plugin, Web Site Tools. The entry is tagged under photoshop, Photoshop Plugin, web site. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.