Webbi List: Review #4
Banner & Graphic Header Generators
Reviewing Banner & Graphic Headers
Updated June 22, 2009
Prentice's Banner Generator is another service that is so easy – Call it "stupid easy" as Paula Deen would say. Just enter text, choose your font, size, and colors. This service is very WebTV-friendly. Finished images are completely downloadable, ready for transloading. While the font collection is not as exhaustive as FlamingText, Prentice has many of the more popular styles. Very nice!
Mediabuilder's 3-D Textmaker is another easy graphic header generator. The only drawback is the colors – just the 216 safe colors and no way to customize beyond that. Otherwise it's easy and renders great results. You may have to play with it to get the size and "look and feel" the way you want it. Loads of fonts to choose, and you get a preview of them before entering your text. You can customize the size of the banner or choose predetermined dimensions. Finished headers are completely downloadable and ready for transloading. Navigating the image editor can be a challenge though.
I discovered Ad Designer via a newsgroup post. Now these are banners! All animated and colorful, and it's free! I've used it twice and love the results. Ad Designer has dozens of banner styles to choose, and their editor walks you through the process. The finished product has its own URL so you can download it for transloading. Alternately, you can opt for Ad Designer to email your finished banner. Just take it to your scrapbook or strip it at your favorite email extractor. If you're in a banner exchange or just need a dynamic attention getter for your site, Ad Designer is wonderful.
Xara Online used to be Zygraphics which I dearly loved before it went Java. I made so many banners and text headings there, even buttons and dividers. Now is not the case unless I'm on PC. If you're on WebTV, Xara is useless.
Cool Archive was another service frequently used. They still have a nice graphic header generator, but they now require a linkback. The other, better free services don't require such. Besides, I truly do not like the finished logo results, the image editor is difficult to navigate, and it takes too long to load on the LBB.
While not exactly "not recommended", Coder's Banner Generator was the first place I used to make my text headings. Unfortunately Coder's site has not been functional since 2003. Coder's Banner Generator is still online but the form doesn't work. This is too bad as they had a great service. Coder is where I learned about StarBlvd, the only transloader available at the time. If it was still alive, I'd give it a 9.
Nothing grabs attention like a dynamic banner or graphic header. When I discovered these great 3D header and banner generators, I literally made dozens for all my pages. In this review, I'll take a look at several header generators that are very easy to use with WebTV. I'll also list those services which are no longer welcoming the LBB crowd.
FlamingText is one of my favorites. While I primarily use the service for graphic text headers, FlamingText also provides buttons, banners, animations, and other site enhancements.
FlamingText has many heading designs to choose from. Just click what looks good to you then fill in your text, choose your font, and determine the colors. Then click Submit and sit back while your graphic is being rendered. I've made several headers there, and I love the many fonts available. All rendered images are downloadable for easy transloading. A winner!
Rating: 10
Rating: 10
Rating: 8.75
Rating: 10+
Banner/Header Generators Not Recommended
The following were usable with WebTV in the past. This is no longer the case. The sites have either gone Java or have advanced javascript that the LBB can't handle. Also, some services that used to be free are now completely pay per month.
I used to go toCoolText frequently. It's similar to FlamingText but has become so WebTV hostile, I don't use it anymore. Navigating the site is difficult. Try viewing the fonts available, and you may be there a good hour or so waiting for them to load. Even if you manage to finish your logo, downloading with WebTV is impossible. Try clicking it and you'll get "Can't use that Information" popup.
If you know of a similar service that is not listed here, please contact me via personal email. I'll review it then get it listed as soon as possible. Thanks!