It appears that the world has just gotten better with the
introduction of Content Management Systems like WordPress and their
customizable themes, but in order to create a fully functioning
WordPress theme you’ll need to be knowledgeable in both programming and
design, right? Many people don’t have all the required knowledge and
skills to build a custom theme from scratch, and that includes yours
truly. There are many designers out there with great concepts for
themes, but their works only remain as JPEGs or PSD files. Good thing
there is Divine Elemente that can semi-automatize the conversion of your
PSD to a functioning WordPress theme.
Don’t forget to read through, there’s a CONTEST waiting for you here. Winners will receive a License key! We will be choosing 3 winners! Brought to you by Divine-Project.com.
Note: To begin with, you will be seeing a lot of product and service reviews from now on. I would just like to point out that we take this seriously and we review them absolutely for free when we deem the product to be very useful and innovative. If you are a developer or know someone who is, that has an awesome product/service then contact us!
Divine’s Elemente is a new program that is still under careful development and is definitely a one of a kind program that many designers have been dreaming of since WordPress became mainstream. Open Google and search “PSD to Theme” and you’ll end up seeing Divine-Project.com as the top result, followed by services like CodeMyConcept that you have to pay for.
Previously, the main go-to guy for designers are coders or services like CodeMyConcept. I have to admit that when I first heard about Elemente and what it does, I was skeptical. I mean, people once thought it would be quite impossible to use drag-and-drop software to create a website, right?
The first thing you need to have is the creativity to design, then you need to have Adobe Photoshop. Currently Elemente only supports Adobe Photoshop. When you already have your design in place, the only thing you need to do now is to convert it.
1. It’s cool design. Black and aqua (pardon my ignorance, I can’t specifically name the colors). This is more of a personal opinion. I’ve grown tired of software interfaces having only black and white. Elemente’s design is refreshing, and sometimes even soothing.
2. Spoon feeding. No coding required. Literally everything you might write in a CSS or PHP file is already in here. Including adjusting the size of the template, size of the content area, header, and sidebar.
3. Solid documentation and an active online community.
4. You can literally create a WordPress theme in less than 5 minutes if you already have the design.
I have no problems with Elemente, aside from the pricing which I cannot afford, but that is just me. It only works on Windows, but there are talks that they’re working on making it available for Mac. Pricing starts from $139 for a personal license and $199 for Theme Developers, having unlimited website accounts and a 90% commission on the Themes Marketplace.
Wait, they have a Themes Marketplace? Yes. You can actually make a living just creating themes and selling them in the marketplace. You can even sell your themes on other marketplaces like ThemeForest, although I believe you’ll have to do some customizing to be in line with their guidelines.
Elemente is not hard to learn, all of the things you need to know are laid out in front of you, all you have to do is read first before trying anything or risk the chance of getting lost.
How it works
Below I will briefly walk you through the software.
Above you will see the main layout that you are free to edit. You can remove elements that you will not use on the theme. Sadly, I was confused at first so I will mention it now, that this is not the part where you move the elements around. Just leave them where they are.
Adjusting the Grid
This is where you adjust the size of the header, footer, post, sidebar, and content. I had fun playing with the sizes because it’s so easy! Above the Grid blocks you will see “Create PSD”, this is what you’ll be clicking once you are satisfied with the adjustments you’ve made on both the grids and the elements of the design.
Adjusting the Elements
This part is where you adjust the elements shown on your layout. By checking and unchecking the items, you are adding and removing certain elements that you won’t be needing.
Above you will see how it works. The first image is the un-adjusted and the most basic layout which you can see on Step 1 under the name Billboard. The second image is the finished one, added with graphics. It’s just like tracing an image and making things fit.
After publishing, your theme is now ready to go.
But don’t take my word for it. Try it for yourself. Elemente has a 30–day trial that you can use instantly, just download and install. Don’t forget to tell your friends about it, I’m pretty sure many will find it very useful!
I know many of you have been waiting for this, and that many of that many actually just skipped through the whole thing above (I assure you, there’s a very vital piece of information in there that will make or break your chance to win a license key!).
Remember, this is the first contest of our explosive 2012!
Don’t forget to read through, there’s a CONTEST waiting for you here. Winners will receive a License key! We will be choosing 3 winners! Brought to you by Divine-Project.com.
Note: To begin with, you will be seeing a lot of product and service reviews from now on. I would just like to point out that we take this seriously and we review them absolutely for free when we deem the product to be very useful and innovative. If you are a developer or know someone who is, that has an awesome product/service then contact us!
Divine’s Elemente is a new program that is still under careful development and is definitely a one of a kind program that many designers have been dreaming of since WordPress became mainstream. Open Google and search “PSD to Theme” and you’ll end up seeing Divine-Project.com as the top result, followed by services like CodeMyConcept that you have to pay for.
Previously, the main go-to guy for designers are coders or services like CodeMyConcept. I have to admit that when I first heard about Elemente and what it does, I was skeptical. I mean, people once thought it would be quite impossible to use drag-and-drop software to create a website, right?
The first thing you need to have is the creativity to design, then you need to have Adobe Photoshop. Currently Elemente only supports Adobe Photoshop. When you already have your design in place, the only thing you need to do now is to convert it.
What I Like About Elemente
1. It’s cool design. Black and aqua (pardon my ignorance, I can’t specifically name the colors). This is more of a personal opinion. I’ve grown tired of software interfaces having only black and white. Elemente’s design is refreshing, and sometimes even soothing.
2. Spoon feeding. No coding required. Literally everything you might write in a CSS or PHP file is already in here. Including adjusting the size of the template, size of the content area, header, and sidebar.
3. Solid documentation and an active online community.
4. You can literally create a WordPress theme in less than 5 minutes if you already have the design.
I have no problems with Elemente, aside from the pricing which I cannot afford, but that is just me. It only works on Windows, but there are talks that they’re working on making it available for Mac. Pricing starts from $139 for a personal license and $199 for Theme Developers, having unlimited website accounts and a 90% commission on the Themes Marketplace.
Wait, they have a Themes Marketplace? Yes. You can actually make a living just creating themes and selling them in the marketplace. You can even sell your themes on other marketplaces like ThemeForest, although I believe you’ll have to do some customizing to be in line with their guidelines.
Elemente is not hard to learn, all of the things you need to know are laid out in front of you, all you have to do is read first before trying anything or risk the chance of getting lost.
How it works
Below I will briefly walk you through the software.Important! System Requirements
- OS requirements: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
- Photoshop requirements: CS, CS2, CS3, CS4 (32 bit), CS5 (32 bit)
Step 1: Create a basic layout
Choosing option 1 will lead to a default layout that is filled with elements you can find in most themes. There you can add and remove the elements that you won’t be needing. This part is pretty much full of clicking and tweaking, manipulating the layers. Do not be disheartened when you try it yourself, since you will only be looking at black and white text and cells. Remember that this part is where the skeleton of the theme is made.Above you will see the main layout that you are free to edit. You can remove elements that you will not use on the theme. Sadly, I was confused at first so I will mention it now, that this is not the part where you move the elements around. Just leave them where they are.
Adjusting the Grid
This is where you adjust the size of the header, footer, post, sidebar, and content. I had fun playing with the sizes because it’s so easy! Above the Grid blocks you will see “Create PSD”, this is what you’ll be clicking once you are satisfied with the adjustments you’ve made on both the grids and the elements of the design.
Adjusting the Elements
This part is where you adjust the elements shown on your layout. By checking and unchecking the items, you are adding and removing certain elements that you won’t be needing.
Step 2: Put graphics to groups
After laying out the skeleton of your theme, it is now time to place graphics. It’s pretty much a dress-up game where you apply the graphics to their designated places. Yes, that is all.Above you will see how it works. The first image is the un-adjusted and the most basic layout which you can see on Step 1 under the name Billboard. The second image is the finished one, added with graphics. It’s just like tracing an image and making things fit.
Step 3: Adjust properties & publish
This is the part where you add the links, SEO stuff, ALT, CSS, meta information of your page, Google Analytics ID, change the background color if you fancy, margins, and a bunch of other stuff that can affect the entirety of your theme.After publishing, your theme is now ready to go.
Free Themes created using Divine Elemente
2 muchwires
iPhone
But don’t take my word for it. Try it for yourself. Elemente has a 30–day trial that you can use instantly, just download and install. Don’t forget to tell your friends about it, I’m pretty sure many will find it very useful!
Contest
I know many of you have been waiting for this, and that many of that many actually just skipped through the whole thing above (I assure you, there’s a very vital piece of information in there that will make or break your chance to win a license key!).
How to join:
- Register using our form below. Why? So that we’ll have an idea how many people will join and so that we can contact you for future design contests! Isn’t that cool?
- Design your template using Adobe Photoshop
- Download and install Elemente trial version
- Run Elemente and convert your PSD to a working WordPress theme!
- Submit your entry on or before February 18, 2012
- submit a zip file containing everything to rean [at] 1stwebdesigner dot com
- write your full name in the body of the email
- don’t forget to include your portfolio website (wow!)
Rules:
- The design should be yours.
- Only one entry per person.
- Trolls will be banned from future contests.
How to Win:
After gathering enough submissions, we will be posting them here. The 3 submissions with the most votes will win a license key from Divine Project! So, how do you gather more votes? 1stwebdesigner.com receives hundreds of thousands of visitors a day, if you’re lucky, many people will see your design and vote for it. But it does not stop there, you can call on your friends to vote for you, provided they have Van Gogh’s eye for art!Remember, this is the first contest of our explosive 2012!
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