Creating unique header graphics is one of the fastest ways to personalize a site and make it unique. The header graphic is typically the strongest graphic design element. Positioned at the top of your theme, a header graphic often includes a logo or other information about your site or business.
Here are some elements you might include in your header graphic:
Most new WordPress themes, particularly premium themes, allow you to upload new header graphics over existing ones easily from the WordPress Dashboard. Sometimes this is called a Custom Header Uploader script or feature. This feature allows you to turn off HTML overlay text and use only graphics for your header, too.
You can personalize your header graphic the following ways:
Using a repeating graphic pattern is similar to using a repeating background image, which we discuss in the earlier “Positioning, repeating, and attaching images” section. In this section, we explain how to find and replace your existing header image (in the free Quick-Vid theme from iThemes) by using the Custom Header feature found in many WordPress themes. Figure 4-3 shows the Quick-Vid theme's default header image.
Generally, you want to replace the existing header image with an image that has the exact width and height dimensions. To determine the dimensions of the existing image, find the default header graphic and open it in an image-editing program, such as Adobe Photoshop. Create (or crop) your new header graphic to the same dimensions (in pixels) to minimize problems when adding the image to your theme.
I find Photoshop Elements is a handy design software tool for basic image editing. It has significantly fewer features than its bigger and older brother, Photoshop, but for most image-editing jobs, it does great for a fraction of the price.
Depending on your theme, replacing an existing header image is a fast and efficient way of making changes—you simply upload the graphic and refresh your site.
The WordPress Custom Header feature is included in many of the popular themes. To add a new header graphic in your theme with the Custom Header feature, follow these steps:
The Custom Header page appears (shown in Figure 4-4) where you can adjust your header area, add or remove text, and upload new graphics.
Because you are uploading only a header graphic, you do not want the default HTML text to show.
If your image isn't sized to the specifications given, You'll be asked to crop it to fit.
Figure 4-5 shows Cory's photo, site name, and tagline in the new header graphic.