Using Photoshop as a web tool

As a graphic designer I use Photoshop all the time. I use it to touch up, and distort photos as well. I know lots of people use it as well as a tool for creating web graphics. As an artist, I use Photoshop like a blank canvas. I lay my website out as a "painting" and then work the HTMl, CSS, PHP, JS, etc. around the image.

The purpose of a website is to sell/promote something. Whether that be a product for sale, or a service to provide for whatever reason. Getting a product out on the shelf first is a very important thing to do for a company, especially if they want to make something of it. However, the package that it comes in is very important as well.

I believe that this applies to websites as well. Not only do you want a website to be successful, and informative, but you want it to catch people's eye. Sure Flash can be a great form of eye candy, but simply a well created graphical website can too.

My sole purpose in writing this thread was to get other people's ideas or opinions on the matter. In the past when I was working on my own as a graphic artist I used this tagline "van Gogh on a whole new level." To emphasize that I see a website just like I see a painting. Just as van Gogh uses oil paints and canvas to create "Starry Night" I do the same with the use of Adobe Photoshop, HTML, and a web browser, and the internet as my gallery.

I know there is a forum dedicated to websites already, but I don't think it would be a problem to list several sites that you find graphically appealing.

The moderator of this forum, SammyK has an excellent website: www.sampowers.net. I do not intend to be egotistic in anyway, but proud of my own site: ryanfrith.net.

I am looking forward to seeing some other good sites on this thread. Have a sunny day!

Well Im just starting out but you have certainly inspired me. I never thought of using Photoshop to do most of my design. I was mainly using it for images.