WebDevelopment - Brian Houdek Web Design

18AugAugust 18, 2021

JPEG Artifacts Removal – An Awesome Photoshop Tool to Improve Pixelation

In October 2020 Adobe Photoshop added new "Neural Filters" that use AI to alter or improve photos. While it may not be the fanciest of the group, JPEG Artifacts Removal has become essential in my daily workflow. Pixelation is a big problem when clients send me image files. Pixelation is essentially blurriness that can be caused by multiple factors. When I'm designing a website, or adding content to a website, I want to use crisp, clear images. Photoshop's JPEG Artifacts Removal Neural Filter is unbelievable at cleaning up any pixelation or blurriness in photos.

To use the JPEG Artifacts Removal tool follow these simple steps:

Open an image file
In the top menu go to Filter -> Neural Filters...
You'll see JPEG Artifacts Removal under FEATURED. Slide the toggle to activate the filter.
I prefer to set the strength to High and the Output to Current Layer so I don't have additional layers to worry about. Click OK and that's it!

A client sent me the image below and I immediately noticed the pixelation. The next image was after applying the JPEG Artifacts Removal tool.

Not bad for a couple of clicks! Now let's say I need the image to be larger than it was sent to me. Enlarging photos definitely creates pixelation and is always an issue. The below images we enlarged from 700x525 pixels to 1000x750 pixels. I took the original pixelated photo and enlarged it, creating more pixelation! After the JPEG Artifacts removal tool was applied there was a tremendous improvement.

Definitely check out these Neural Filters. In addition to JPEG Artifacts Removal, there are tools to smooth skin in photos, add smiles to faces, decrease "facial age", increase hair thickness, colorize black and white photos, and a ton of other cool tools. If you need any website or graphic design assistance contact me today. I'd love to help you out.

Graphic DesignAuroraIL, BataviaIL, ChicagoWebDesign, GenevaIL, GraphicDesign, GraphicDesigner, Naperville, Photoshop, PhotoshopTips, SaintCharlesIL, WebDesign, WebDevelopment

28JunJune 28, 2019

BuiltWith – A Great Tool to Figure Out What Technology a Website Uses

Ever visit a website and think... that's pretty cool. It happens to me all the time and I always turn to the best tool out there to figure out what technology a website is using. BuiltWith is an unbelievable tool that can show you everything there is to know about a website. Not only can you figure out which CMS (Content Management System) they're using, but you can even figure out which plugins they're using (and the technology those plugins use sometimes). For example, if you look up my website you'll not only discover that I use WordPress as a CMS, but it also shows that I use the theme Porto. You can figure out every single plugin I have installed on my website very quickly.

I always tell clients if you've seen it on another website, you can have it on yours. BuiltWith is how I quickly determine what technology was used so I can recreate it and put my own twist on it. If you need a new website, need to improve your existing website or have a graphic design project, contact me today and I'd be happy to discuss how I can help.

General, Website DesignBuiltWith, Chicago, ChicagoWebDesign, Design, Naperville, NapervilleWebDesign, Porto, Technology, WebDesign, WebDesigner, WebDevelopment, Webmaster, Website, WebsiteDesign, WebsiteDesignBasics, WebsiteDesigner, Wordpress

21JunJune 21, 2019

Adobe Color – A Great Color Palette Generator

Whenever I design a website one of the first considerations is the color palette that will be used. Colors are typically pulled from an existing logo or based on customer preference. Considering there are 16,777,216 hex colors to choose from, selecting colors can be extremely subjective. Occasionally a client will want a certain color, only to say "a bit lighter" or "a bit darker". The solution to this problem is a tool from Adobe called Adobe Color.

What I like about Adobe Color is the simple interface and the ability to easily create complimentary colors for the colors you select. The various options on the left give you a quick twist on the shade of the color you selected. Click on the Explore tab at the top, and see popular color pallets and randomly generated color palettes that may inspire your creativity. The hex code (looks like #ababab) is what web designers need to use the color within a design element. Whenever I lack natural creativity this tool help spark my creative flare.

If you're looking for a website or graphic designer, contact me today for a free estimate.

Website DesignAdobeColor, AuroraIL, BataviaIL, ChicagoWebDesign, ColorPalette, NapervilleWebDesign, WebDesign, WebDesigner, WebDevelopment, Webmaster, Website, WebsiteDesign, WebsiteDesignBasics, WebsiteDesigner

07JunJune 7, 2019

How to Login to Gmail Using Your Domain Email Address

I host email for the majority of my clients and forward their domain email (@yourdomain.com) to a Gmail address. The reason I do this is the convenience and functionality of Gmail. Also, most business clients have multiple email addresses and don't want to login multiple different places to check their email. Forwarding email to a Gmail address and using Gmail's 'Send Mail As' feature gives my clients the ability to send and receive their domain email from Gmail. I will write an article on that process in the future, but for now, see this article on how to do that.

Being able to sign into Gmail using your domain email address is another way to streamline the entire process. Follow these steps to allow that feature:

Login to Gmail
Click on your profile photo on the top right and select 'Google Account' below your name
Click on the 'Personal Info' tab on the left
Under 'Contact Info' click on 'Email'
Click on the Advanced dropdown, then under 'Alternate Emails' select 'Add Alternate Email'
Once you've added an 'Alternate Email' you will be able to sign into your Gmail account using the domain email address you entered in this field.

If you have the money to spend, another option is using GSuite, in which Google actually hosts your email and allows you to manage multiple users. GSuite costs $6/user/month for 30GB of Google Drive storage, or $12/user/month for unlimited storage. Many of my clients don't want to spend that money when they can forward their domain email to Gmail and use this login feature to get a very similar product for FREE. If you want to learn more about this topic contact me today and I'd be happy to walk you through everything.

General, Marketing, Website DesignAuroraIL, Batavia, Chicago, Email, Gmail, Naperville, NapervilleWebDesign, WebDesign, WebDesigner, WebDevelopment, WebHosting, Webmaster, Website, WebsiteDesign, WebsiteDesigner

31MayMay 31, 2019

Signs Direct – Quality Signs at a Great Price

Today I want to share with you a great company that I use for all types of sign printing. Signs Direct is a company based in Bloomington, IL that offers yard signs, sidewalk signs, freestanding signs, lighted signs, sign hardware and much, much more. I do a lot of research before I work with a print company and I assure you that for the price you can't find a better deal. They even have stock signs for common things such as indoor and outdoor safety signs and road / parking signs.

The most common product I order from Signs Direct is their yard signs. Their production and shipping is always incredibly fast and I've always been happy with their quality. I am a bit partial because they're not only based in the US, but my home state of Illinois. If you don't live in Illinois they don't charge sales tax. If you live in Illinois... well you know.

If you need signs designed for printing through Signs Direct contact me today. I'd love to help you out.

Graphic Design, MarketingAurora, Chicago, GraphicDesign, GraphicDesigner, Marketing, Naperville, Printing, Signs, SignsDirect, WebDesigner, WebDevelopment, YardSigns

23MayMay 23, 2019

RemotePC – Remote Access From Anywhere

RemotePC is a tool that is used to remotely access and control computers from anywhere 24/7. There are quite a few different tools that perform a similar function to RemotePC, but none better for the cost. You can use RemotePC for free, but you can only leave one computer in an 'always on' state for remote access. If you only need one then you're good to go! The most popular package that RemotePC sells is their 'Consumer/SOHO' plan which allows up to 10 computers to have unlimited remote access for $52.12 for one year or $104.25 for 2 years (pricing as of 5/23/2019).

I've been using RemotePC for a while now after switching from a MUCH more expensive competitor. Having the ability to remotely access home or business computers when you're not in your home or business is invaluable. The setup is really simple and their interface is easy to use. If you want to learn more about RemotePC be sure to contact me today.

General, Website DesignChicagoWebDesign, NapervilleWebDesign, RemotePC, WebDesigner, WebDevelopment, Webmaster, WebsiteDesign, WebsiteDesigner

21MarMarch 21, 2019

Why Your Business NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) is so Important

NAP is short for your business name, address and phone number. When Google scans various databases on the internet for your company it's absolutely crucial that these three items are EXACT and consistent. If I was on Yelp as "Brian Houdek The Web Designer" or "Brian Houdek Web Design LLC" or "Brian Houdek Web Design Inc" Google would look at that as a completely different company than "Brian Houdek Web Design". If your address is "123 Test St" it's crucial you write it exactly the same throughout the internet. "123 Test St." (dot after St.) or "123 Test Street" will be looked at as different and therefore not the same company. Finally, your phone number must remain consistent. Did your number change over the years? Do you have a local number and an 800 number? Make sure you always pick one primary phone number and always enter that phone number as the primary one.

The more LEGITIMATE databases your company information is in the better for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). These directories give your business validity in the eyes of Google. Most of them link back to your website, which is another ranking factor Google uses. As a rule of thumb, I recommend my clients use their Google My Business listing as the "master" listing, ensuring all other listings have the same information.

On the Internet there are four major data aggregators that store your business information. These are Neustar Localeze, InfoUSA, Acxiom and Factual. These data aggregators take your business information and push it out to many smaller databases on the Internet. In addition to these aggregators, there are also many big name directories your business should be in. Examples are Bing Places For Business, Apple Maps, Angie's List, Manta and many, many more.

I have multiple tools to scan these databases and see where your business information is missing or inaccurate. I can easily update this information and charge a flat fee. If you want me to run a free scan for your business contact me today.

General, Marketing, SEO, Website DesignAcxiom, Bing, Chicago, ChicagoWebDesign, Factual, Google, Localeze, Manta, Marketing, Naperville, NapervilleWebDesign, Neustar, SEO, WebDesign, WebDesigner, WebDevelopment, Webmaster, Website, WebsiteDesign, WebsiteDesignBasics, Yelp

15MarMarch 15, 2019

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day from my family to yours! According to Ancestry DNA, I'm 43% Irish but this weekend we are all Irish. Did you know Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival? Enjoy your corned beef and cabbage responsibly :)

Looking for a talented website and graphic designer who listens to your needs and gets your business noticed? I'm a freelance website and graphic designer who understands the difficulties of small businesses. I have helped business owners from many industries grow their business by implementing a comprehensive website and advertising strategy. Interested in learning more? Contact me today.

General, Graphic Design, Marketing, Website DesignAuroraIL, Chicago, ChicagoWebDesign, GraphicDesign, GraphicDesigner, Naperville, NapervilleWebDesign, StPatricksDay, WebDesign, WebDesigner, WebDevelopment, Webmaster, Website, WebsiteDesign

08MarMarch 8, 2019

What to do if your email server gets BLOCKED

Let's say you have an employee that wants to send out a promotional email to thousands of customers using their company email address. They send it out and a day or two later you start noticing that you're sending emails but they're not being delivered. Perhaps you're receiving bounce emails saying your server is blocked or clients are saying they're not receiving your emails. The reason... SPAM. If you have to send an email to a large group of people I recommend using a service like MailChimp. Anytime you send a promotional email you are REQUIRED to have an unsubscribe link so customers can remove themselves from your mailing list. If you don't include that a customer can report your email as spam and start a chain reaction that's tough to stop.

Spam is a big problem. We all get it and it's really annoying. When you're the one sending the spam the internet has many tools to make sure you never send an email again. If someone marks an email from you as spam in Gmail that doesn't necessarily mean you'll end up on a block list, but if multiple people in a short period of time mark your email as spam you can be in big trouble.

The Internet has numerous Domain Block Lists (DBL's) that keep track of spammers IP addresses and domains. Block Lists are lists of IP addresses that have been reported and listed as “known” sources of spam. There are public and private blacklists. Public blacklists are published and made available to the public—many times as a free service, sometimes for a fee. There are hundreds of well-known public blacklists.

To get off a block list, or more typically multiple block lists you have to use some tools to find out who is blocking you and why. Below are some of my favorite tools to scan your domain name/IP address to see if it's being blocked.

Depending on which block list you're on the removal process varies. It's best to first figure out who is blocking you and follow their instructions to remove you from the list. In addition to intentional spam you may end up on these lists if your server is improperly configured or even hacked. I use RBLmon to regularly check my email servers and my clients' servers to ensure I stay ahead of the issue should it ever arise.

Is your email server getting blocked? I've been through this process before and I've helped many clients get off these block lists. Contact me today and I'd be happy to help you get your email server off these block lists and keep it off.

Website DesignAuroraIL, Chicago, ChicagoWebDesign, Email, MXToolbox, Naperville, NapervilleWebDesign, RBLMon, Server, Spam, SpamCop, Spamhaus, WebDesign, WebDesigner, WebDevelopment, WebHosting, Webmaster, WebsiteDesign, WebsiteSecurity

22FebFebruary 22, 2019

Google Fonts – Great Free and Open Source Fonts

Google Fonts says their goal is to make "the web more beautiful, fast, and open through great typography." They certainly have done that and their selection of fonts continues to grow. Every Google Font is free and open source, meaning that you don't have to worry about licensing issues. At the time of this article there are 915 to choose from.

I have been using Google Fonts on my websites for years. However, even if you're not a web designer you can download the fonts to your computer and use them in any document. To the right of each font you'll see a + symbol. Once you press that Google "adds" it to your downloads (a popup menu that appears in the bottom right after adding the font). If you click on the downloads (it will say # Family Selected) you will notice a download icon on the top right. To download the entire font family with different font weights and italic styles click on "Customize". On this screen you can select the entire font family if you want. Once you have everything selected, download the fonts and install them on your computer.

Do you have a website that needs better use of fonts? Interested in learning more about Google Fonts? Contact Me today and I'd be happy to show you how Google Fonts can improve your website.

Graphic Design, Website DesignAuroraIL, Chicago, ChicagoWebDesign, Google, GoogleFonts, GraphicDesign, GraphicDesigner, Naperville, NapervilleWebDesign, WebDesign, WebDesigner, WebDevelopment, Webmaster, Website, WebsiteDesign, WebsiteDesignBasics

Tag - WebDevelopment