Talk:Carousel

Draft Revision:

Creating Slides for Website Carousels

Slides for the front page (or kids' page) of our website are often sourced from the Electronic Sign slides. However, this is not a requirement. In any case, IT will often have to edit slides before being added to the website.

Requirements for submitting slides

• Aspect ratio: 900x300 Ideally your submission will be in this size. If the content of slide is editable it can be resized, but if it's too small it can be a problem.
• Slides should be designed using PowerPoint. This allows for easy editing should changes need to be made.
• Text must actually be text Editable, and NOT an image of text. This allows for changes to text in the event of errors or updates. It also permits easier conversion from the television-based aspect ratio to the website slider aspect ratio. It is acceptable for a Logo to be a graphic rather than text.
• Limited amount of text Brevity is the sole of wit, there's only so much room, and people will not read a wall of text that's only shown for 6 seconds.
• List the location On the Branch TV Displays it's safe to assume an event is happening at that branch, but it's not always clear where an event is happening from the website.

Likely Rejection of slides submissions

• A single image If your potential slide was created in another program and exported as an image it can not be used.
• Wild size/aspect differences If your slide is in portrait (instead of landscape) it will be hard to transmogrify into something that will fit into the slide-show, even if it otherwise follows best practices.
• All text If you have a ton of text and no graphics it'll be unlikely to draw attention.
• Use of copyrighted images without permission Using other peoples work without permission can have negative repercussions. If you're using Google image search, click Tools > Usage Rights > Creative Commons

Making a better slide

If a slide exists on an Electronic Sign and is fully editable as described above, IT will take care of the needed changes for website publication. This is the preferred method. If you are making your own slide, please consider the following:

• Aspect Ratio and Size The Electronic Slides for branch TV Displays use a 16:9 aspect ratio. However, slides for the Carousels use a 3:1 aspect ratio. Slides are 900x300. They can be larger, but they must still maintain the 3:1 ratio. If your slide is larger it can be shrunk down without loss of fidelity, but if your slide is very small it's going to look pixelated when increased to higher resolution.
• Location, Location, Location Slides need to specify the branch where the program occurs.
• No Logo needed The MFRL logo does not need to be part of the slide. If the slide is going to be used on social media it's great to include it, but make sure it's a separate element so it can be removed for the frontpage carousel.
• Legibility People will be viewing these on their computers but also phones, tablets or however they read the internet. Picking colors that contrast well and are easy to read is helpful. Black and white are timeless because anyone can read them. Red+green or Red+blue might end up being invisible to some of our patrons. Small text on a small phone will also be illegible.

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Creating Slides for Website Carousels CFE EDITION

Requirements when sourcing from Electronic Sign slides

IT often creates slides for the front page (or kids' page) of our website using preexisting Electronic Sign slides. If the slide is fully editable as described below, IT will take care of the needed changes for website publication. This is the preferred method.

• Text must actually be text Editable, and NOT an image of text. It is acceptable for a Logo to be a graphic rather than text.
• Limited amount of text Brevity is the sole of wit, there's only so much room, and people will not read a wall of text that's only shown for 6 seconds.

Making a better slide

If you are submitting your own slide to IT for website publication, please consider the following:

• Slides should be designed using PowerPoint. This allows for easy editing should changes need to be made.
• Aspect Ratio: 900x300 Ideally your submission will be in this size. Slides can be larger, but they must still maintain the 3:1 ratio. Smaller sizes can be problematic.
• Location, Location, Location Slides need to specify the branch where the program occurs.
• No MFRL Logo The MFRL logo should not be part of the slide, as it will reside on our MFRL branded website.
• Legibility People will be viewing these on their computers but also phones and tablets. Picking colors that contrast well and are easy to read is helpful. Black and white are timeless because anyone can read them. Red+green or Red+blue might be invisible to some of our patrons. Fewer words are better than a wall of text. Small text on a small phone will also be illegible.

Likely Rejection Reasons of slides submissions

• A single image If your potential slide was created in another program and exported as an image it can not be used.
• Wild size/aspect differences Submit as 3:1; see above.
• All text If you have a ton of text and no graphics it'll be unlikely to draw attention.
• Use of images without permission Using other peoples work without permission can have negative repercussions. If you're using Google image search, click Tools > Usage Rights > Creative Commons