PSD to WordPress conversion is one of the best methods to create a unique and responsive website. PSD stands for Photoshop Document, which is the default file format of Adobe Photoshop. In this conversion, at first, you design a website using Photoshop and save it as a PSD file. Later you convert it to a WordPress theme. A theme comprises templates and stylesheets to run a fully-functional website. Therefore, converting the PSD to a WP theme indicates converting the PSD to a WP site automatically. In this step-by-step guide, you will know how to convert PSD to WordPress.
Benefits of PSD to WordPress Conversion
Apart from the general graphics work, professional designers use Adobe Photoshop to design custom WordPress websites. They can do lots of design experiments within this platform and save them as PSD files. Once a unique web design is created with Photoshop, exporting it to WordPress will be a cakewalk.
Moreover, WordPress is a free and easy-to-use CMS. Photoshop might require a certain amount to buy, but it is not crazy expensive. Hence, you can say that PSD to WordPress export saves time and cost. When you use PSD files to create a WordPress website, the site becomes pixel-perfect. The in-built functionality of WordPress makes the web pages sharp and crisp. With that said, nothing can beat an appealing website when it comes to attracting visitors.
Not only that, PSD and WordPress work together to make a website responsive on every device. The more responsive the website is, the sooner it will rank higher and fetch higher revenue. Such happenings will make a business flourish as expected.
Building an e-commerce website takes a heavy toll on time and money. Hire PSD to WordPress exporting makes the task easier. A PSD file of e-commerce web design and the WooCommerce Plugin are all needed to create a full-fledged e-store. Even if the site is not an e-commerce site, the plugin will turn it into an online store.
How to Convert PSD to WordPress [ Using HTML and CSS ]
Unfortunately, there is rarely any method except using HTML and CSS to export the PSD files. After thorough research, we have simplified the HTML and CSS method for this work in four steps. Read these steps and understand how to export PSD to WordPress.
Step 1 – Slicing the PSD
To make a responsive WordPress website, PSD slicing is the first and the most crucial task. The process refers to cutting the single image PSD file into multiple image PSD files. Each image file should contain the different design elements of the website.
Sliced images help a lot to design the whole website. When you cut and sew them seamlessly, you won’t have to code the design. If you don’t slice the PSD file, you have to code the overall design from a single image, which is nearly impossible.
Save the sliced pixel-perfect images in PNG or JPEG format. Among the various photo editing software, Adobe Photoshop is the best way to slice your PSD files. To make the slicing easier, look for the components mentioned below –
- Backgrounds
- Header and Separator
- Footers and Others
Here is one thing you must keep in mind. Dynamic elements don’t need to be cut but static elements do. Therefore, be careful about which elements are static or dynamic before cutting.
Solid color backgrounds, gradient backgrounds, header and footer color, lines, rows, buttons, and special symbols are dynamic elements. Instead of cutting and saving them as images, create them with a few lines of CSS code.
On the other hand, elements like logos and background images are static and require cutting. Make sure to keep the number of images as less as possible to increase the site loading speed.
Step 2 – Creating HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files
This step includes coding the sliced elements using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Without a deep knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, it would be impossible to complete this step.
First, you have to put the elements into an HTML webpage, and next, style them using CSS. To do that, create two static files or templates named index.html and style.css. Create two additional files for the images and the JavaScript. Name the additionals as ‘images’ and ‘JS’.
You might think JavaScript is unimportant since you are using CSS. But without JavaScript, your site might look so-so. Therefore, use JavaScript to add specific functionality to your WordPress site.
Open each file and write the basic codes (web page code in index.html, styling code in style.css, and JavaScript in JS). Add the sliced images into the right places while writing the CSS file. In HTML and CSS files, include proper references to ‘id’ and ‘class’, and make sure they are the same. Don’t forget to save both HTML and CSS files.
Bootstrap will help you to code the sliced PSD files into HTML. Before utilizing Bootstrap, download the latest version of this framework, extract it, and unzip the folder. While creating your HTML template, place the associated JavaScript in the body section. And include bootstrap.min.css as a reference.
Add the same reference link in your CSS template. Now you have custom CSS to style the contents of the HTML page. Include the customized CSS template in your HTML page. Otherwise, the custom CSS won’t work.
Save the newly-created HTML page, open it in the browser, and see the magic. A well-functioned HTML page is running with all the sliced images and custom CSS.
Step 3 – Integrating HTML file into WordPress theme structure
You have to integrate your previous HTML file into the WordPress theme structure in this step. In other words, you have to replace the WordPress theme codes with your HTML codes. By doing this, you will turn your static HTML file into a dynamic WordPress theme.
However, before that, you need to know that WordPress has PHP as its language. And it would be wise if you gain a little familiarity with this programming language.
A WordPress theme contains multiple PHP files, including index.php, header.php, footer.php, sidebar.php, style.css, and more. Among these, only index.php and style.css are necessary for creating a functional WordPress theme. These two files are similar to the index.html and style.css files that you have created before. So, replacing codes will not be a hard nut to crack.
To start the main process, download any WordPress theme and upload it to the WordPress dashboard. Your website now has the uploaded theme as the default theme.
Now open the index.php page of the current theme. Start replacing the respective codes with your previously created HTML codes. Open the style.css page and do the same, meaning replacing the theme’s CSS codes with your CSS codes. Save the replacements and see your site design live in the browser.
You can replace the WP theme codes in another way. Go to the wp_content directory of the website installation and create a theme subfolder. Name the subfolder using the name of the theme you have chosen. In this folder, create three files – header.php, index.php, and footer.php and start copying your HTML codes in these files.
Copy the codes at the top of your index.html page and paste them into the header.php. For the index.php file, you have to copy and paste the middle part of the index.html file. And the codes situated at the latter part of the index.html file will go to the footer.php file. After finishing the process, save the PHP files.
Step 4 – Adding WordPress tags and functions
The pre-built tags and functions of WordPress help to functionalize a WP theme as desired. They can be easily imported and used directly on the website. You can find most of the tags and functions while editing an existing theme. If you intend to make a theme from scratch, you must be well-experienced in the PHP language.
In the fourth and last step of PSD to WordPress conversion, you have to add PHP tags to PHP files. Once added, combine them together to build a highly-functional WordPress theme. Add the right WP tags and combinations to header.php, index.php, footer.php, and sidebar.php. And conclude the process by loading stylesheets in the function.php file.
Adding the essential tags and functions is finished. Now it’s time to find and store all the files. The tags-filled files will be placed in a single folder under the same name of the theme name. Place this folder in the wp_content/themes directory.
The Bottom Line
Converting PSD files to WordPress is not hard if you have the required knowledge. It takes a little time and patience to complete the work. With an impeccable knowledge in HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, and PHP, you can design websites for others and earn bucks.
However, performing the process for the first time may not be easy. Take professional help if these steps sound hard to you. After a few rounds of practice, you will be a professional web developer. Make sure to test and modify your creation multiple times to see if it is working as intended. After the test, activate the theme via WordPress Dashboard.
