How to: Center a Blog Header

In this tutorial we will walk you through the steps for center a blog header (or banner as it is also called). If you need help installing your blog banner then please view this tutorial first: How to Install a Blog Header  If you need a banner image I offer several free versions which you can find by browsing through my A-Z Theme List.

Below is an example of a blog banner image in place but obviously set off center. The default setting for most Blogger templates is for the banner image to show up toward the left side of your blog as shown below...

So let's begin...
1. Log into your blog and then click the "Design" link found in the top right corner...

2. In the next window click on the "Customize" button...

3. This will open the Blogger Template Designer which you can see an example of shown below...

4. Click on the "Advance" link in the bottom of the left side list...

5. Using the inner scroll bar...

6. Scroll down to the "Add CSS" link...

7. This is the area where you can add a snippet of CSS code to tell your blog to center the header...

8. Now copy the code below and paste it into the rectangle...

#Header1 {width:900px;margin:0 auto}
9. Now it should look like this...

Within the code you'll notice the number "900" ~ this is the standard size for all of my wide banners.  This size, when used in combination with the "Shrink to Fit" option when uploading a blog is how you can achieve the best fit for your blog.  Playing with both of these settings in different combinations will help you achieve the best look. 

10. To check your blog width, click on the "Adjust widths" link in the far left link list...

11. In case of my sample blog in this tutorial the blog is set to 860 pixels wide...

12.  So I'll jot this number down and return to the "Advanced" area by clicking on that link again...

13. Now, we can change that "900" to "860" as shown in the example below...

14. And preview the changes in the preview area below to see how the changes have taken affect...

15. In the example above it appears the banner has not moved.  This is common and you may need to play around with the number a bit until you begin to see the results you're looking for ~ you can see a few examples of making changes in the screen shots below...

:-----In this example the number is too small so the banner is cut off-----:

:-----In this example the number is too big so the banner is still sitting to the left-----:

:-----In this example the number is just perfect & the banner is centered-----:

16. Now that you have your banner code in place and the image is situated just where you want it, click the "Apply to Blog" button to save your changes...

That's it!  You can now click on the "View Blog" link to view your blog and centered banner.  Remember to use this tutorial in combination with my "How to Install a Blog Header" to find the right adjustments and fit for your own blog.

Enjoy~