How to make this background...

**jagweb7** · 22 April 2012, 12:43 PM

Hello - Can someone explaing how to make this background? Where does the large image go? Is it on the pasteboard? The background fill is black? Trying to get my arms around this as it is really nice......Thanks!

http://www.spooksparanormal.com/

**Drwyd** · 22 April 2012, 01:47 PM

Tutorial attached

**mwenz** · 22 April 2012, 01:48 PM

Here is the image itself:
http://www.spooksparanormal.com/inde..._files/427.png

It's a massive waste of transfer speed. Instead, in Xara, chop the body out (the page itself) by centering such a large image on the page, then draw a rectangle over the entire page. Select both and hit CTRL-4 to slice it out.

Add a black color to the page. Add a black color to the pasteboard area. You will end up with a light weight version of that type of background.

You can even use three images. One for each side and the top. And using JPGs, the transfer speed can be pretty quick. Adding the inside of the page images to get the "grunge", they have to be PNGs for the transparency.

And you end up with something like this, which is a preview from XDP's internal browser:

Click image for larger version.

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Take care, Mike

**jagweb7** · 22 April 2012, 01:57 PM

Thanks for each of you taking the time to explain - I will be playing with to achieve a similar result. Awesome! Thanks again!

**Aartvark** · 22 April 2012, 07:33 PM

I'd like to see what you are ultimately able to come up with regarding this. I am the one that made the original, incidentally (I designed spooksparanormal.com), and you really could have just asked me. In any case, hopefully you will let me know how your attempts to emulate it go. I'd like to see the end result.

Incidentally, the image that makes up the background was just centered on the page like any other image (not on the pasteboard) and everything built over it. You need to turn off "Clip To Page Edges" on the "Website" tab of the "Web page Properties...". I don't know that this was the most efficient way of doing this, but it worked.

**mwenz** · 22 April 2012, 08:11 PM

Hi Aartvark--welcome to the madness.

The only reason to chop it up is for saving on the DL "weight" is all. The original is over 400k, the 3-piece version I did is about 60k. The site is pretty nice. Well done.

Take care, Mike

**Aartvark** · 22 April 2012, 08:53 PM

Ahhhh..... 3 pieces. I wasn't getting that from your previous post. I hadn't even thought of making it in 3 pieces. I actually did chop out the middle "cookie cutter" style originally, but it didn't make a big difference because even the transparent part contributes to the file size, but in 3 pieces, it definitely would. Wow.... I feel kinda stupid. Oh, to go back and re-do it now would be a pain. Damn. It's on every page. LOL. Eventually I will.

**lylacinc** · 04 May 2012, 02:17 AM

Originally Posted by Aartvark

I'd like to see what you are ultimately able to come up with regarding this. I am the one that made the original, incidentally (I designed spooksparanormal.com), and you really could have just asked me. In any case, hopefully you will let me know how your attempts to emulate it go. I'd like to see the end result.

Incidentally, the image that makes up the background was just centered on the page like any other image (not on the pasteboard) and everything built over it. You need to turn off "Clip To Page Edges" on the "Website" tab of the "Web page Properties...". I don't know that this was the most efficient way of doing this, but it worked.

Thanks for this explanation. Was able to follow and get what I needed done.