How to make your WordPress Theme wider

Here’s the steps to make your WordPress default (Kubrick) theme wider.

For me I made it 200 pixels wider.

So for functions.php add 200 to each of the highlighted rows

functions.php
functions.php

In rtl.css add 200 also

rtl.css
rtl.css

In style.css add 200 to all but the #commentform input which I added only 100

style.css 1
style.css 1
style.css 2
style.css 2

Then images\\header-img.php add 200 to each value

header-img_php
header-img_php

Lastly make the following pictures 200 pixels wider images\\kubrickbgwide.jpg, images\\kubrickfooter.jpg and images\\kubrickheader.jpg

I did this in Paint.Net by creating a new picture the same size as each one, pasting in the picture left justified then cutting from the source image the right 60% of the image and pasting that over the right edge of the picture giving a wider final picture.

Zoom helped for aligning the pictures. Also be careful when you export the pictures as the compression settings have a lot of effect of size of the images.

Comments:

Lorna 2010-05-11 13:50:36

Hi, thanks for this but it’s so confusing for me. I’ve been using the standard Kubrick theme for about 6 weeks now and I love it except it’s so narrow. I would love to be able to have the main column able to fit photos of 550 wide, so just 100 bigger. Do you know how I can do that? And perhaps make the sidebar a touch bigger as well? I am completely useless with html stuff :(

Thank you!


Simeon 2010-05-11 16:22:29

Hi Lorna,

The first part of a 100 pixel increase over a 200 pixel increase can be achieved by adding 100 everywhere I added 200, and only 50 for the comment section. The side can be achieved by making the whole page wider, then moving the side bar over, and increasing it’s width.

Now this can be done two ways, via the web administrator interface, or on you computer and upload your new theme as I did, so when things are broken you can swap back to the normal one while you fix the broken one. But the later step requires you to upload files vis ftp. But the pictures will still need hand editing.

Now if your not that into html stuff like you say, I may just be talking babble…