PSD to WordPress Conversion Guidelines
WordPress is popular, almost reigning supreme in the world of websites (with estimates being at over 24% of all websites using WordPress). And then you also have a little thing called responsiveness dominating webpages. That makes sense, because a responsive website is pure intuition for user and developer alike.
Keeping both these aspects in mind leads us to your PSD to WordPress conversion. The conversion has to leave you with a product that is responsive and functional; appealing to the eye, with all the essential features in place.
A conversion from PSD to WordPress is not as easy as one would hope. Coding and design go hand in hand, but if you are sorted with the design and need a conversion for your webpage, but are unsure of the code or technicalities involved, you simply have to get a developer on board – no way around it. But for the sake of the layman and more experienced alike, here is a quick overview of what the process involves, and some things to keep in mind.
Slice Away
Slicing your PSD entails cutting or dividing the image’s design files into their own separate files, which all have different elements of the design. The images will all come together on your website, with each element having its own unique use and feature. The process will be done using the image editor of your choice. Depending on the editor, this should be an easy and quick enough process. Nothing messy here!
Code
The next step is going to involve coding the cut images from the above into the appropriate HTML format, and to the correct CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) style. There are a variety of software options available to assist with simplifying this step, but nonetheless, it is not an easy process – especially if you do not have an in depth knowledge of coding. The process is also going to lead to your site being responsive with CSS. (Having a responsive site isn’t just an option anymore – it is a must!) You can learn CSS and HTML from an endless supply of online tutorials, but again, if you are not comfortable with the coding, have somebody who is do it for you.
Conversion
Lastly is the final conversion to the WordPress theme! The theme is going to be compromised of various PHP files, and these include index.php, search.php, sidebar.php – you get the idea! Finally, you get to tap into WordPress’s great inbuilt functions and adding tags. This is all added to the WordPress files and voila! You have a fully functional WordPress theme that is almost good to go.
There are plenty of tags to choose from, so do consider going through a library of tags to determine what is going to suit your needs. You will then need to add additional functionality by installing or building plugins that add all the extra features your website’s heart could desire.
Well the above is only a brief look at the process involved, you’ll hopefully have a better understanding of what goes into the process, and if you are capable of delving into the conversion yourself or if you need to get a developer on board for a more seamless procedure.
