Designer Ben Whitesell researched and evaluated the best online portfolio tools for creatives in a recent blog post, and we’re thrilled that ProSite came out on top. ProSite is Behance’s completely customizable personal portfolio builder. Here’s some of what Ben had to say:

“I have had a great experience dealing with [Behance] through my free profile and did quite a bit of research into other hosted portfolio sites like Cargo Collective and the like. But, because the people behind Behance have been readily accessible via twitter, their blog, and forums, I felt comfortable going with them. The big selling point being how easy it was to set up a site, attach my own personal domain, and even drop in Google Analytics for tracking.

[...]

I really like the level of customization that Prosite offers for webpages. Everything is easy adjusted from an administration panel and you can upload custom images for your header or for the gallery buttons. Columns for page layout can be adjusted to your preference and if you get a little creative then you can also get pretty custom with the sites navigation. Behance also regularly provides updates like adding the ability to add social media links, a custom favicon, custom type integration, and expandable images.”

Read Ben’s full post here and try ProSite out for yourself (for free) here.

Sometimes non-designers ask if they can use ProSite too, so we thought we’d share some great examples of some businesses (outside of the ad agency/design studio realm) who have built great company websites on Prosite.
ProSite is our completely customizable, personal portfolio website-builder that easily syncs with the Behance Network. Today we’re shining the spotlight on a few original examples of businesses on ProSite .

ToLife, an Australian-based lifestyle consultancy org, created a clean and simple ProSite that clearly conveys their services that span massage, nutrition, yoga, acupuncture and more.
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Many of you have asked how you can embed videos larger than 600 px into your ProSite. Here’s a quick guide:

Custom Pages:
Simply adjust the size of the embedded video from vimeo/youtube, and then paste the embed code into the uploader. Make sure that your column width is wide enough to accommodate it.

Project Pages:
This is a little tricker, but can be done in a few steps.

1) Make sure your Project Content Column is wide enough for the video (the default is 600, so adjust this to be wider)

2) Go to Vimeo or Youtube and customize the size of the video (screenshot). Make a note of what the pixels for heights and width are. For example, the video in the example is 800 x 450.

3) Go to ProSite –> Design –> Project (choose whichever project you video lives in) –> HTML & CSS –> Activate
Note that we don’t officially offer support for CSS & HTML, so this is done at your own risk. If something unexpected happens, we suggest that you deactivate CSS & HTML.

4) Then, paste this into the CSS/HTML section, substituting the appropriate numbers of width and height from vimeo

iframe{
width: 800px;
height: 450px;
}

You’ll notice that your video becomes larger! Enjoy….

ProSite portfolio builder offers several easy ways to integrate movement on your website, like cover image loading animations and rollover effect options. However, one technique we get many questions about is how to utilize animated GIFs in site design, especially on homepages. Here are two ways to customize your ProSite using animated GIFs.

We’re not able to display animated GIFs in the blog, so be sure to click through to the example sites, muro1buro.prosite.com and factoryfifteen.com, to see the GIFs in action!

Using large GIFs for a slideshow effect

One simple but effective use we’ve seen is using a single large GIF on the homepage to give a slideshow-like preview of work.

[muro1buro.prosite.com]

To create a landing page like this:

1) Create an animated GIF with a sampling of your work, similar to the GIF on muro1buro.prosite.com. Keep in mind–the maximum width for animated GIF uploads is 600px wide. (see tutorials below for instructions)

2) Visit the Pages Tab, then click “+ Add Page.” Then, choose the type of page you’re adding: Custom. Adding a Custom Page will give you a blank page to design whatever you’d like.

3) Once you add a Custom Page, find it in your Pages list, use the gear dropdown to choose “Edit Page Content.” Then, use the Remote to add the GIF to the custom page, along with any other content you’d like.

4) If you want to make this your homepage, go to the Settings tab and click Set Landing Page. Here you’ll have the option to make your new page the first thing people see when they visit their site.

5) Preview to see how the effect will look on your live site, then Publish.

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Each month, our curators select one exceptional ProSite to feature as “ProSite of The Month.” With project covers that spin, drip, twist and change shape – this month, the title goes to Donatello D’Angelo, an Art Director/Illustrator/Graphic Designer based in Florence, Italy. Check out his ProSite here.

What do illustrated project covers, colorful rollovers and a photographic landing page have in common? ProSite – our completely customizable, personal portfolio websites that sync with the Behance Network.

Today we’re shining the spotlight on a few original examples that highlight how interesting project covers encourage vistors to click more and how a positive first visual impression can make all the difference for potential clients and employers.

Yellowhammer Illustration‘s landing page includes a series of simple, matching illustrations that come to life in their rollover state. Fun to look at, and play with too, we dig this minimalistic approach.
Tip: it’s always important that the project cover image you choose matches the work inside. Otherwise this can be misleading for the viewer.

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