How do I make these box designs?

[phreesoal]

I want to be able to create the "futuristic" box designs I see on so many web sites today. I'm sure you've seen them too, and they simply look like boxes of all sizes, with their edges sometimes being slanted or rounded. Many are used as an interface on sites.

Can someone tell me how to create these designs? Is it as simple as drawing boxes in a graphics app, or, is there a special application that generates these boxes? I'm not good at drawing, but feel I can learn how to do this once I know how it's done.

To better explain what I am talking about, I've found 1 Flash site and 1 non-Flash site that use box designs:

http://www.oddcast.com/oddcast/site/index.php

http://www.darkangeltv.com/

The oddcast site has the more straight edge box design and the other site has the more rounded edge box design.

Thanks a bunch!
Phreesoal

[ming]

I'm pretty sure they'd be made in a graphics application like Macromedia Fireworks or Adobe Imageready/Photoshop(?).
I know Fireworks has a rounded box tool... And it can slice up the image into tables like you see in the DarkangelTV site.

[phreesoal]

Okay Ming, I will see if I can try out an app like MM Fireworks to create this type of design. I have Paint Shop Pro 7.02 now, but I do not believe I can do things like this aside from drawing it. I will have to check again though.

And as far as slicing the whole image, I didn't think about those being in tables. Thanks for mentioning that. I know that PSP will allow me to slice. However, I'm still new at doing site design, so please excuse me!

I do appreciate all help and tips.

[mg33]

Those are very simple things to create. You're difficulty may be in that you are new to alot of this. That's okay, we all start somewhere.

Even if you don't have a graphics program like Photoshop, you can make these in Flash very easily, actually easier than in Photoshop. In fact, I wouldn't even mess with them in Photoshop. Sometimes people overlook the ease of drawing and creating objects in Flash.

You've got a line tool in Flash. You've also got a shape tool, that looks like a square. With the shape tool, you can easily make outlined shapes (unselect the fill feature) and you can also make the edges be rounded by selecting the Round Rectangle Radius, which is at the bottom of the tools in the Options area. enter a number in here, enter several, and you'll see how the size of the curved corners changes.

Try some of that, see what you can come up with.
I'll also add that when using the line tool, by holding down SHIFT and making a line, it will snap to a horizontal zero degree line, or a vertical 90 degree line, or also in between at a 45 degree angle. When trying to make angled corners, the 45's work very well.

Good Luck,

mg33