Typography with CSS in Dreamweaver: Part 2

Drop shadow effects:

A new property is added by using the 'text-shadow' and then the following four values are put in: an x offset, a y offset, the blur radius and the color.

The second half of the tutorial was a little bit over my head. The topics were: Using Advanced CSS Text Effects, Structuring CSS Text and Defining Lists with HTML and CSS. Seeing how to make the different text effects was interesting and informative but I think it would take some practice to get them right. In the Structuring CSS Text part, the narrator showed how to make a CSS3 multiple column layout. There was a lot of steps involved, but it was nice to see how it was done. Overall, I like these tutorials so far. I don't think I use would everything that they explain but I am enjoying learning more about CSS.

Typography with CSS in Dreamweaver: Part 1

When you make your text bold, it creates a <strong> tag, and when you make it italicized, it creates an <em> tag under the HTML properties. Under the CSS properties, you can change what these tags are supposed to look like.

After switching from HTML to CSS, you are now able to edit or create new rules for your text. 

I also learned a few different ways to change the color of text and how to make semi-transparent text.

Under properties, the man in the tutorial writes rgba(255,255,255

255 is the value for each of the color channels, followed by the alpha transparency level, which is between 0 and 1. The value .5 is used.

How make make drop caps (when the first letter of a paragraph is capitalized and the rest of the text flows around it).

First you need to create a new CSS rule. The narrator says to hit 'Less Specific' and then type in first letter to make the drop cap.

Creating a First Web Site with Dreamweaver CS5

I thought this tutorial would be a good refresher to get back into Dreamweaver. I re-discovered the Page Properties, which I always forget to use. This keep the different font types/colors consistent throughout the web page. The text can also be edited through the CSS Styles panel on the right side of Dreamweaver. Fonts can also be changed by adding a new rule under Rules in the CSS panel. Live view is helpful for seeing how your links will look. I also learned how to use and edit pre-made layouts. I learned how to make and edit a spry menu bar. Overall, the tutorial was a good refresher and I learned some tips and tricks for when I'm ready to start building my website.