Style Making Resources

Learning

CSS

• W3Schools CSS, W3Schools CSS3
• W3.org CSS
• CSS3.info
• CSS3 Please Rule Generator
• A List Apart CSS
• Mozilla's CSS Reference Although geared towards Firefox users, this explains how the property work, provides visual examples and a compatibility table to mention which browsers it works in.

Indexes

• CSS Properties Index
• Compatibility Tables

Cheatsheets

• Smashing Magazine CSS3 Cheat Sheet
• CSS Shorthand Cheat Sheet Although incomplete now it's very useful for basic selectors.

HTML

• W3Schools HTML
• Dive Into HTML5

Cheatsheets

• Smashing Magazine HTML5 Cheat Sheet
• Woorkup's HTML5 Tag Reference Less complete but easier on the eyes.

Materials

Programs

Graphics

• Inkscape -- Open source vector image program
• GIMP -- Open source photo/image editing
• Aviary and Pixlr -- Web based image tools

Text Editors

• jEdit -- all OSes
• TextWrangler -- OS X
• Notepad++ -- Windows

Colors

• ColourLovers -- There is even a Dreamwidth group
• Design Seeds
• Kuler

Graphics

Icons

Icons can be used to replace action links, to provide visual clues and information, as decorations or to make wallpaper backgrounds. When they replace links or provide information it is important to associate alternative text to them so that screen readers or users who browse without images can use the page too.

• Free Icons from DryIcons
• Famfamfam
• Free Icons Web
• The Noun Project
• p.yusukekamiyamane's Icons Sets
• SomeRandomDude's Icon Sets
• Webtreats Icons

Seamless background patterns

Seamless background patterns are patterns which can be repeated endlessly (or tiled) without elements being misaligned or lines being visible. That's why they can be used as backgrounds. They're also generally small, light images which take very little space on a server -- which is useful as image size is usually restricted on image hosts -- and are therefore much quicker to load than bigger images.

• Ava7 Patterns
• Background Maker
• ColourLovers Patterns
• Dinpatterns
• Everyday Icons Patterns
• Fractured Sanity Patterns
• The Inspiration Gallery
• Milleseicentopercento Patterns
• Patterific
• Pattern Cooler
• Pattern8
• Patternhead
• Portfelia Patterns
• Kaliber10000 Pixel Patterns
• Shizoo Patterns
• Squidfingers
• Stripe Generator
• Tartan Maker
• Webtreats Patterns

Vector Art

Vector images can usually be used to provide decorations or to make background images. The difference between ordinary images and vector images is that vector images can be easily rescaled, recolorized, rotated or transformed without distortion or quality loss then converted to the usual .jpg, .png or .gif formats.

• All Free Vectors
• FreeVectors.net
• OpenClipart Library
• QVectors Free Vector Graphics
• Vecteezy
• VectorArt.org
• Vector Open Stock

Smashing Magazine regularly provides or links to free icon sets.

Fonts

• Fontex
• Font Squirrel Font Face Generator
• imjustcreative Free Font Archive
• Google Web Fonts
• The League of Movable Type
• Open Font Library

Layouts

• CSS Zen Garden
• OSWD
• WordPress Themes -- many released under the GPL could be converted into Dreamwidth themes

• Fluid full height column layouts

Web Hosts

If you don't have your own server you will need to upload your resources to a web host, as Dreamwidth doesn't support media hosting yet.

• Imgur Supports .apng, .bmp, .gif, jpeg, .jpg, .pdf, .png, .tif, .tiff, .xcf. Size is limited to 1MB for non-animated files and 2MB for animated files. Files must be viewed at least once every six months to prevent automatic deletion. File names are converted to numbers and letters. Uploading and managing is very easy.