background image Options

[jdawest]

I'm making a website and would like to use 1 solid image as a background and add text content and a menu.
The problem is that I'd like it to be full screen regardless of the users resolution. Is it possible to use javascript or something to resize the site to full screen at 800x600 as well as 1280x1024 or any high res?
I want to use this image
http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/4...dexbackcu3.jpg

thanks for any help.
Jdawest

[pandy]

JavaScript can do that, but it won't work consistently. I've forgotten which browsers support that, probably only IE.

I don't think I understand what you want to do. First I thought your objective was to have a non-repeating background span the whole browser nwindow, but full screen won't accomplish that.

[jdawest]

this site
http://www.pathwaybaptist.org/
is similiar to what I want to do, but its not full screen. I want mine to be full screen.

[Darin McGrew]

CSS3 may offer the ability to resize background images, but for now, there are only various hacks.

But I recommend against this approach anyway. Trying to position content over specific locations of a background image is fragile at best.

BTW, the URL you provided does not work. It appears to have been abbreviated.

[Darin McGrew]

this site
http://www.pathwaybaptist.org/
is similiar to what I want to do, but its not full screen. I want mine to be full screen.

I definitely recommend against the images-of-text approach used by that site.

[jdawest]

"a non-repeating background span the whole browser window"
I want my website to consist of that background, with no open spaces around that image. so spanning the whold browser window would probably be right.
I just dont know how to do it for various resolutions.

[pandy]

But the image on the site you like does nothing of the sort. Resize the browser window and see for yourself.

You can "fake" a stretchy background by stretching an inline image and position content on top of it. Sometimes it works well, sometimes it doesn't. Depends on the image. I don't know if you are into CSS or not, but that's what it takes.

[jdawest]

this site
http://www.pathwaybaptist.org/
is similiar to what I want to do, but its not full screen. I want mine to be full screen.

I definitely recommend against the images-of-text approach used by that site.

Thanks. I understand what your saying, but when I made one using Dreamweaver ( I'm still a novice, so I have to use Dreanweaver, lol )
I used Div. with text inside, but looking at it on different computers, with diff resolutions, everything got scrambled
I made this first.
http://www.kevincastleberry.com/ccfb/index.html

Fine on my computer, but look at it in 800x600, all messed up.

Heres the image I want to use, I can put the main text and menu inside the div.
http://www.kevincastleberry.com/upload/index.jpg

[jdawest]

will this work?
http://www.htmlite.com/faq022.php

[Darin McGrew]

I made this first.
http://www.kevincastleberry.com/ccfb/index.html

Fine on my computer, but look at it in 800x600, all messed up.

I see overlapping images at the bottom, and my current display is 2560x1600. No, I don't maximize my browser windows. Of course, I don't maximize my browser windows at home (with a 1024x768 display) either.

But there are ways to fix the overlapping images, depending on what you'd like to happen when the window is narrower than your 500x375 image plus the left and right columns, plus the margins.

[jdawest]

thanks Darin, but I am trying to make a site for my church, and they didnt like that original one. They want it to look like this layout.
http://www.kevincastleberry.com/upload/index.jpg

[Darin McGrew]

My first thought is to use a background color that matches the edges of the main background image (the low-contrast image of the church building), and to use a non-repeating image for the main background image.

It would be nice to eliminate the image of text, but it isn't too bad in a heading. So next I'd make an image (white on blue, with the blue set as the transparent color) of the main heading: "First Baptist Church..." I'd use the image as the content of the H1 element, with the text itself in the ALT attribute.

Finally, I'd float the photo collage to the left, and let the main content have the remaining space on the right.

[jdawest]

Thanks Darin, I appreciate the help, I'll take some time and give your ideas a try and post back with my results.

[jdawest]

Darin,
I havent gotten round to your suggestons yet, But I did just finish this suggestion..

http://www.htmlite.com/faq022.php

and came up with this
http://www.kevincastleberry.com/ccfb/test6.html

which seems to work in all resolutions, but opens up new problems. I need to put a text menu and I need to put text content.
Using Dreamweaver, I can add those inside division layers, but, they move all around the screen in different resolutions. How can I make them stay in one spot if the background is resizing?

I may be over my head. Would I be better off making fixed sizes with color borders around a little box website like the pathway one?

[Darin McGrew]

You might want to check test6.html in a window that is taller than it is wide. My default windows are about 800 wide by about 1600 tall on this system.

[jdawest]

creepy, I can drag the window around to resize it and totally skewer the whole thing on the fly.
Ok, any suggestions on how I can make a nice looking website? I have the .psd files of the above image.
Should I make it a fixed size?

[Darin McGrew]

I don't have anything more to suggest than what I posted above...

[Peter Evans]

Heres the image I want to use, I can put the main text and menu inside the div.
http://www.kevincastleberry.com/upload/index.jpg

I thought I'd take a look.

About one third of the way through downloading this image, I got bored of waiting and therefore pressed the "stop" button.

Even when they have somehow been got to work, illustrated backgrounds for entire pages look cheesy. Avoid them. Your church wants you to do it one way? Ignore them and do something better.

[jdawest]

Thanks Peter,
just so you can see the image, here is a low res version
http://www.kevincastleberry.com/upload/lowres_Indexback.jpg

I appreciate everyones help, this is a great forum.