I designed the new blogger template for my blog with some cool features and I decided to share it with everyone through this post.I named this template ‘Shadowmag’.This template basically designed for Tech blog and content sharing sites.

update:Category sub navigation Added now to this template because of one of our Reader’s request.

DemoDownload

What is in Shadowmag?

[list style="arrow"]

• Featured Articles Auto slideshow
• SEO optimized
• Nice design with quick loading
• Word Press like Comment section
• Breadcrumbs Added
• Social networking Icons for sharing
• Related Posts section for each post
• Popular posts Added
• AdSense  friendly design
• HTML 5 feature Transition added
• Needs updated browsers like,
• Safari 3+
• Chrome Whatever+
• IE 9+
• Opera 10+
• Firefox 4+(You can use Beta)

[/list]

How to Install ShadowMag?

1. Download the Template
2. Open xml file with Editors like Notepad++
3. Change the Site Title using the included PSD file in Photoshop.Just open the PSD file and change the titles and save the file as gif format and upload it.Then  find “http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/4529/spicytricks.gif” this link and replace it with your uploaded image link or if you don’t have Photoshop  ask in comment section ,I will do it for you.
4. For Featured Slideshow you need to create the label exactly like this ‘Featured’ and post your featured posts in the Featured label section,it will be displayed automatically in Featured Articles section.
5. You can add adsense code and other codes in <!—your ad here—> text.
6. Then Add the Navigation links.First find these links and replace with your navigation link.
   

   <!– replace the urls with your urls –>
   <li>
   <a dir=’ltr’ href=’http://www.spicytricks.com/search/label/Windows7?&amp;max-results=7′>Windows7</a>
   </li>
   <li>
   <a dir=’ltr’ href=’http://www.spicytricks.com/search/label/Tech%20News?&amp;max-results=7′>Technology</a>
   </li>

   <li>
   <a dir=’ltr’ href=’ your url here’>Technology</a>
   </li>

7. Then find the ‘welcometospicytricks’ and replace it with your Feedburner feed title.(highlighted area)
   

   ‘http://feeds.feedburner.com/WelcometoSpicytricks‘

8. Save the template and upload it in EditHTML section.
9. Then click the ‘Page Elements’ near to EditHTML.
10. I included the six categories in Footer category section.Here in each category  section your last six posts of assigned category will be displayed.
11. To assign the categories ,do like as shown in images

Here click edit and below window pop-up and do like as shown image.

That’s it now you can use this Template on your Blog.

Update:Category Sub Navigation

To add the Sub navigation in the Main navigation section follow the steps Below:

1.Find the ‘]]></b:skin>’  this code (without Quotes) and add the following code  before ‘]]></b:skin>’

#madmenu li ul { background:#333; position:absolute; left:-999em;

width:150px; margin:0px 0px 0px -1px; border:1px solid #ECEDE8;

border-width:1px 1px 0px; z-index:999; }
#madmenu li ul li { border-top:1px solid #fff; border-bottom:1px solid #ECEDE8;

border-right:none; }
#madmenu li ul li a { background:#333; width:120px;

padding:0px 15px; color:#333; font-size:12px;

font-weight:normal; border-bottom:none; line-height:20px; }
#madmenu li ul li a.sf-with-ul { padding:0 15px; }
#madmenu li ul li a:hover { background:#333;  text-decoration:underline;

line-height:20px; border-bottom:none; }
#madmenu li ul ul { margin:-32px 0px 0px 177px; }
#madmenu li:hover,#madmenu li.hover { position:static; }
#madmenu li:hover ul ul, #madmenu li.sfhover ul ul,
#madmenu li:hover ul ul ul, #madmenu li.sfhover ul ul ul,
#madmenu li:hover ul ul ul ul, #madmenu li.sfhover ul ul ul ul { left:-999em; }
#madmenu li:hover ul, #madmenu li.sfhover ul,
#madmenu li li:hover ul, #madmenu li li.sfhover ul,
#madmenu li li li:hover ul, #madmenu li li li.sfhover ul,
#madmenu li li li li:hover ul, #madmenu li li li li.sfhover ul { left:auto; }

2.Then find <div id=’madmenu’>  and use the following code after <ul> for the Sub navigation Links

<li>
<a dir=’ltr’ href=”YOUR  Category URL HERE”>Cat 1</a>
<ul class=’children’>
<li>
<a dir=’ltr’ href=”YOUR  SUB Category URL HERE”>Sub cat 1</a>
</li>
<li>
<a dir=’ltr’ href=”YOUR  SUB Category URL HERE”>Sub cat 2</a>
</li>
</ul>
</li>

Share your views and queries in comment section…

If you like this template, then Share this template in Twitter By click the Tweet button in this top of page and  also Share it with following links.

Enjoyed this article? Subscribe to our RSS feed free newsletter and Follow us on Twitter and Circle us OnGoogle+ and Find us on Facebook Fanpage.

After Reading This Post Other People Went on to Read: »

Read More

• Choose:
•  Madder
•  Red lead
•  Red ochre
•  Vermilion

Cinnabar is a type of red mercury ore that was mixed with an equal amount of burning sulphur to create an expensive red paint that was highly popular with the Romans, where it was used for cosmetic and decorative purposes. Cinnabar was painted on the Pompeiian baths of Titus, as well as on statues of the gods. Prisoners were forced to extract cinnabar from mercury mines without proper ventilation or protection, so they would die after a few years of constant exposure to the heavy metal. Starting with the Song Dynasty, cinnabar was used to color Chinese carved laqcuerware. Today, a safer, resin-based polymer is used instead of the toxic cinnabar pigment.

Symbolism of the Color Red

Red is the color of fire and blood. Hebrew words for blood and red have the same origin: "dm" means red and "dom" means blood. Blood and fire have both positive and negative connotations: bloodshed, aggression, war, and hate are on one side, and love, warmth and compassion on the other side. In ancient Egypt, red was the color of life and of victory. During celebrations, Egyptians would paint their bodies with red ochre. The normal skin tone of Egyptian men was depicted as red, without any negative connotation.

Ancient Greeks associated the bright, luminous red with the male principle. Red was also the color of the Greek gods of war, Phoebus and Ares. In prehistoric cultures, however, red was associated with the female principle. Mother Earth provided the Neolithic peoples with red ochre, which was credited with life-giving powers. The association of the red color with the female principle in Japan survives to the present day.

In Catholic churches, altars are decorated in red for the Feast of Pentecost to symbolize the Holy Ghost. Christ’s head is surrounded by a yellow glowing corona: Christ defeats darkness and leads the way to light.

Short History of Red Pigments

The oldest pigment was probably red ochre, which was used in cave art. The ancient world had red madder lake, artificially-made red lead, and vermilion (natural mineral cinnabar). Artificially-made vermilion was the most prominent red pigment until the manufacture of cadmium red in 1907.

Red is one of the subtractive primary colors. Red is light of the longest wavelengths discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths constitute infrared light and cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Timeline of red pigments.
Statue of Seth Redheads are often stereotyped as having fiery tempers. The god Seth, associated with destruction, was depicted as having red eyes and hair. Seth was victorious over Apep, but murdered his brother, Osiris. His red coloration could mean evil or victory, depending upon the context in which he is portrayed. Generally speaking, in ancient Egypt red was an ambivalent color. It was associated with health and vitality, but also anger and violence.	Christ should have been buried in a white shroud but in the Isenheim altarpiece resurrection, painted by Matthias Grünewald in 1515, Jesus wears a vermilion red robe representing a series of symbols: A martyr’s red blood; power over life and death; faith; fulfillment; and love. The red robe invokes a blazing flame striving towards heaven and the divine.
The color carmine red is produced from cochineal, tiny insects found in South America and Mexico. The insects are grown on plantations and raised on prickly pear cacti until they reach their maximum size. They are then collected and crushed to create carmine red dye, which is commonly used in cosmetics such as lipstick, blush, and eye shadow. Crushed cochineals also produce the color additive E120, which can be found in Cherry Coke. While the current use of cochineal primarily relates to color, in prior centuries cochineal was used for a wide range of healing purposes. and soothed physical ailments ranging from headaches to heart problems.

Read More