How to Build a Header in WordPress
Many WordPress theme templates offer the opportunity to replace the default header artwork with a header of your own design and making. For some theme templates, this can be as simple as loading your artwork to your server and "pointing" to the new header through your dashboard panel. Other templates require a little more editing work, but the result will be just as good.
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Things You'll Need
- Desktop design program such as PhotoShop
- FTP access to your WordPress domain server
Instructions
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1
Log into your WordPress Dashboard and navigate to "Appearance/Themes." Look for a place where the template offers you the ease of typing in a URL to a new header and making this switch for you, automatically. Type in an URL, such as: http://yourdomain.com/newheader.jpg." Save your changes. When you check your WordPress site, the default header should be gone, and an error message should indicate that your new header art is missing, at least for the moment. Note: If you do not have this option to "Change Header" in the dashboard, you can still change it manually by continuing with the following steps.
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2
Navigate to "Appearance/Editor." Find the "header.php" file in the right-hand column. Open the PHP file and search it for indicators of the header size. A common WordPress header dimension would be "width: 1200 px," and "height: 200 px" with "px" standing for "pixels." If you do not see this reference under the "header.php," look under the "style.css" file and "Header." Write down these header dimensions and close the editor program.
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3
Open your image design software program and start a new project. Set the resolution for this image high, as much as 600 dpi. Set the dimensions of the image to match those of the header. Create your artwork and save the file as "newheader.jpg." You can also save it as a GIF file if you want, but go back to Step 1 and rename your "pointer" file.
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4
Start your FTP program and load the "newheader.jpg" file to the root directory of your WordPress domain.
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5
Press "F5" to refresh your browser. The new header should now appear in the header box on the page. If it does not appear, troubleshoot your work in steps 4 and 1. Correct your error, reload and then refresh the page again. Make any adjustments necessary to fit the header nicely on the WordPress layout. You may need to go through several versions of the new header until you find the perfect fit.
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