Free Technology Tutorials

In the following videos I demonstrate a simple technique to change the color scheme of the WordPress Arjuna theme using Gimp–free image editing software. The technique I show here can be used on any image-based theme and shows a real simple technique using layers, color, and opacity to change the overall theme color scheme.

Part 1 of 2:

Part 2 of 2:

In the following video I demonstrate three of, what I consider to be, the most useful new features coming out in WordPress 2.9 — Image Editing, Trash Bin, and Post Thumbnails. As of today, 2.9 is still in beta (beta-2), so the latest stable release is still 2.8.6, but I would expect (just a guess) 2.9 will be released as stable by the first of the year. When it’s released, I think the built-in Image Editor alone will be a very good incentive for a lot of users to upgrade.

A short video demonstrating how to crop and resize and image for use on the web.

The following videos demonstrate creating a custom WordPress page template. These videos cover the very basics as a starting point for non-techies…if you are already an expert, then there is nothing here for you . More detailed information about WordPress templates can be found in the docs on wordpress.org

How to Create a Custom Page Template in WordPress — Part 1 of 2

How to Create a Custom Page Template in WordPress — Part 2 of 2

Commenting is a great WordPress feature and is one of the key things that really makes a blog a blog. However, more and more people are using WordPress blogs for things other than blogging. Many people are now using WordPress very effectively as a content management system or as an easy-to-use web site. As a result, a lot of people are wanting to remove the commenting feature from their WordPress blog (web site). The following video tutorials provide step-by-step instructions on how to remove the commenting feature from the default WordPress Kubrick theme. The techniques I demonstrate in these videos can be applied to virtually any theme. Enjoy!

Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

In older versions of the iNove theme, increasing the header height was difficult because the header, nav bar, and footer were all part of the same image. However, in iNove 1.4.5 the header is now a single image, so increasing the height is simple. See the following video for step-by-step directions.

In the following video I demonstrate how to create a static homepage for your WordPress blog and then create another page that will display your posts. Enjoy!

I’ve customized some of the files in the iNove 1.4.5 theme to change the theme colors a bit. You can view the changed themes by clicking the dropdown in the header and selecting a theme. I have only included the changed files below, so you will need to start with the complete theme (download at NoEase) and then add the files below. I’ve created a short video to show you how to make the changes.

iNove Red Downloaded: 671 times.

iNove Blue Downloaded: 712 times.

iNove Green Downloaded: 559 times.

iNove Purple Downloaded: 509 times.

iNove Yellow Downloaded: 523 times.

If you have tried searching for themes in the WordPress database, you’ll know it can be a bit frustrating…not the best search features in the world. Fortunately, if you are searching for themes in the new themes upload directory in WordPress 2.8, you can simply leave the search field empty and browse all 850, or so, themes directly in your admin area. Not ideal, but it actually doesn’t take long to scan the 34±, pages of thumbnails to see if any capture your interest.

The following video is intended for the non-techie who wants to learn a little about editing a WordPress theme. I’ll post follow-up videos over the next few months covering several tips for editing WordPress themes. If you are an experienced coder, then this is not for you, but if you want to remove the comments link from your WordPress theme and have no idea how to go about it, then this, and future videos in this “non-techie” series may be for you.