How do I change background colors?

Well for starters, modifying the default theme is not something for “novices” to try to work through. Your best bet is to find a theme that closely resemble what you’re looking for and modify that: https://themes.wordpress.net

Second, what you’re talking about involves only CSS. While wordpress is simple to use, customizing it assumes that you have a standard working knowledge (even if it’s a small amount) of HTML and CSS. WP is no different than other blogging systems when it comes to this… if you want to change the way ANYTHING looks online, you need to edit the code, or find a premade theme and leave it alone.

The codex sure does need some help – that’s why it’s open to knowledgable volunteers for editing. However you wouldn’t find the info you’re looking for in there anyway, as it’s CSS related, and not directly WP only related.

OK, so where is the CSS which I need to change?

I do know my way around CSS and HTML. I have already gone into style.css and changed both body and page background colors. But they did not change on my site.

You said it only involves CSS. That’s good news to me! I haven’t seen any CSS anyplace except in style.css. Is that the only place?

Hope you can point me to what it is that I need to change.

Thanks, Keith

kaw the problem is that the theme you’re using isn’t “change friendly”

there are many themes out there that are, but the default one is not. it’s there mainly for people who don’t want to change much, if anything.

i do this for a living, and i won’t even touch the default theme… ?? i’m afraid i can’t be of much help to you when it comes to that one, and if you do know HTML and CSS, you’ll find that other themes are much easier to modify yourself.

the codex isn’t going to tell you how to modify a specific theme, however checking it over might help you learn more about how themes are built, what you need to look for INSIDE that stylesheet (yes, you were editing the right one) in order to change where you want to change, and so on.

Thanks, LDL. I get the message: go find something else, ANYTHING else!

But by now, modifying Default has become a challenge! I’ve a pretty good time investment into it, and then you tell me, almost, “It can’t be done!” —well, that turns it into a challenge for me!

Look at all I could learn if I could figure out how to do it!

Can anyone tell me? It MUST be possible! kaw

It has nothing to do with CSS. That’s the problem. All the bg is an image. And everything related to bg and header img is in the header.php.

You have to make new images to change the colours.

moshu hit it on the head. This is why most people avoid the default theme entirely. It relies heavily on the background images when ideally, it should use CSS.

Basically, most other themes will use a combinations of images and background colors to achieve a specific look. But they are almost always stored in the style.css file. My advise is to either take the time to create new images (pain to change down the road) or just find a well written theme to modify. The second option will draw off your current CSS knowledge and you’ll probably feel much more at home.

Good luck!

Thanks, moshu and muwood. Now I feel better! Being an engineer, there HAS to be a good reason for everything. And now I understand –at least the basics of why I couldn’t modify Default.

I really appreciate your answers. See, I knew I’d learn something!

But that leaves me with two more questions, if you don’t mind:
1. Does the image include the 2.5 inch margin along each side, outside of what looks like a page? If not, body background color should change it. Also, where/what’s the image(s)? (Whoops, I think moshu answered this; I’ll check.)
2. Why does style.css include body and page background colors if they do nothing???????? (Just to trap guys like me and keep the thread going?? ?? )

If I get good answers to these, I’ll back off! kaw

To be honest I try NOT to touch that theme, so I don’t know any more particulars… Sorry.

I was able to create new background image, upload it, and change the background color. That’s enough to prove that I know how to do it if I choose to go to all the work.

Who would have guessed that the background, of all things, was an image —especially when it has a body background color in the CSS????

Perhaps the Kubrick Default theme should have a big “NOTICE- this is a non-standard theme” stamped all over it. Isn’t it a desservice to new users to make such a “weird” theme the default??

Anyway, I’ll consider this case closed. Thanks for getting me on the right track, moshu. kaw