Astra Theme Review 2018

In this video him to take a look at the Astra
theme which also happens to be the theme that

I switched my website over to not that long
ago hi my name is Adam from WPCrafter.com

work I make WordPress videos for non-techies
if you knew here consider clicking on the

subscribe button and if you’d like video notifications
you can click on the bill off to the right

of the subscribe button and you too will let
you know when I have some new videos so this

is going to be a sneak peek into Astra now
the theme is available for free there’s also

an add-on package and working a look at that
in some other goodies that you might not be

aware of and I declared I think maybe four
months ago that the Astor theme is going to

be the team to keep your eye on and it is
a theme from the ground up that has been designed

for several things the first beings speed
the second being to work with any page builder

and it has specific features in it that custom
tailored to page builders I want to demonstrate

that in this video as well here is their website
and its WPS.com and have a link down below

to everything I talk about all have links
in the description box of this video and so

here it is now right now it is the free download
that you could test but you can also come

to the website through the link in the video
description click on get Pro put your email

in and they’ll give you access to the beta
of the Pro version now when I scroll down

here it’s gonna tell you bunch of stuff here’s
the highlights for speed here’s all the page

builders that it works with phenomena demonstrated
in this video with Beaver Builder and Elementor

is I just want to show how smart the theme
is and how it’s coded to work beautifully

and seamlessly with your page builder and
let’s see okay when I click on get Pro this

is working to see some of the add-ons that
they have already made available in this a

beta package right now you see a five listed
here it’s actually six there’s one that is

so brand-new it hasn’t made it on this list
yet and I actually know of I think five or

six additional ones and these are individual
add-ons that you can enable or disable if

you’re going to use it or not and it will
add additional functionality to your website

and these are all those smart features that
you are going to want and the one that isn’t

listed here that I’m in a demonstrate in this
video you will see why this is the theme to

keep your eye on now I don’t remember offhand
what the cost is going to be for the Pro package

but it’s going to be in line with other themes
I’m thinking it might be 59 or $69 for the

add-on package but there’s going to be two
additional packages that are out of probably

allude to a little bit in this video I don’t
know every single detail about it just yet

but I’m in a show you and give you a glimpse
of what is the come and why especially if

you’re a website developer you might want
to pay attention to some of things and when

to show you about this theme and how it could
speed up your workflow significantly so even

though this is made up by brainstorm force
they make the add-on package ultimate add-ons

for Beaver Builder even though they make that
this theme is actually intended to work with

any page builder especially the big two which
is Beaver Builder and of course Elementor

and I will show you it working with both in
this video so let me take you to a site that

I have with it installed right now Melanie
just go to the plug-ins to show you everything

that I have installed and then I’m in a show
you me using some of them so first of all

is Astra customizer reset it’s just a free
plug and they added to the WordPress repository

and Astro hooks now this is actually very
nice it is free and it’s going to allow you

to add different content to these hook areas
now if you’re familiar with that you know

that every other team would normally charge
you for the hooks add-on but they give you

the hooks for free and you actually interface
with it in the customizer which I think is

actually pretty smart were other plug-ins
are other themes tend to have it in the backend

of WordPress Astra Pro this is what you can
get the beta of right now by following the

link down below astrocytes it’s a free plug-in
and I’m can explain this in this video I got

Beaver Builder in the eye of God’s contact
form seven con third Pro I’ll talk about that

in some other video I’ve got Elementor site
origin widgets bundle and I’ll explain why

that is and I also tossed in for good measure
ultimate add-ons of four Beaver Builder so

in order to actually get the theme all you
have to do is go to appearance themes go ahead

and click on add new and you could do a search
right here for Astra or if you click on favorites

and my favorites I’m sorry latest nope it’s
popular it’s going to be in the popular list

and I’m sure once it’s released it’s going
to be a lot higher in the popular list but

if we scroll down just a little bit here it
is Astra but you can just go ahead and do

the search for Astra and it will pull it right
up go ahead and install and activate that

and I really have it installed and activated
of course right here and when you activate

it you can have this new option right here
under appearance that says Astro now when

you first install it the first ring your to
see here’s the going to the customizer but

if you’ve added the add-on Pro package you
can see right here there’s gonna be an add-on’s

option and it’s going to list the different
add-ons that are in the package give the opportunity

to enable or disable just the ones that you
are going to use pop in your license key and

this is what’s going to show you what you
have running now here is that add-on that

wasn’t on the website yet advance headers
and I’m to show you this and you’re going

to probably just be thinking wow if you use
a page builder you’re to be thinking while

why didn’t XYZ think of that so it’s right
here and I’ll show you that in the moments

here’s the section that the advance headers
is going to add in here is something I’m going

to show you right now it’s called astrocytes
know this is a free plug-in however there

is going to be on one of the more premium
packages with Astra there’s gonna be a premium

version of it and so what it is is essentially
you can go right here and anything that you

see and hear any of the sites you can restore
it in the entire website onto this WordPress

installation and the best thing is is there’s
going to be Elementor complete Elementor sites

and complete Beaver Builder sites and so right
now it is the the the plug-ins available in

the WordPress repository I don’t recommend
you using it just get there just like one

or two little bugs that they’re working out
and I’ve used it in I’m very impressed now

it will essentially restore an entire site
were talking menus multiple pages customizer

settings it’s pretty amazing now the version
right now that I have is only showing me Elementor

based designs so what happens is I can go
ahead and click on details and preview and

right here I actually get to demo the entire
site I can click on the various pages on the

site right here and then off to the left it
lets me know the required plug-ins so there

will be sites that are Beaver Builder based
and Elementor based and you can see right

here it says required plug-ins Elementor insight
origin widget bundle this is why I had that

installed and if I want to have this it be
my website all I have to do is click right

here on important this site and it’s can give
me a quick warning to let me know that this

could be a little distraught destructive so
just go ahead and read this you probably don’t

want to restore to an active site because
it might cause a little bit of issue I’m to

go ahead and click on okay and it is now importing
the demo and its canoe set everything up for

me I think this is major I mean it may your
one of the packages that they’re going to

have is going to add a full site design like
one or two full site designs each week and

these will be premium site designs using the
paid versions of these plug-ins but they also

have this a free version right here that is
good allow anyone with a few mouse clicks

to set up an entire website menu multiple
pages everything it’s pretty fantastic if

you ask me so it’s done and it says right
here it’s done I can click on this it’s opening

up a new tab and I’ll be able to see the website
and I’ve been doing a lot of stuff on this

site so hopefully it all looks and works perfectly
but it does right now so let’s just get this

straight so far I’ve installed a free theme
I’ve installed a free plug-in and now I have

a complete website that has been costing me
zero okay here is a perfectly full website

very nice design you probably would just tweak
a few things with it and it’s all done in

Elementor but keep in mind there will be sites
for Beaver Builder as well so I’m to get back

to that in a moment let me go ahead and click
out here and you can see some of these designs

here is a design for an agency let me click
on it right here and you can see it’s beautiful

and it’s amazing to think that this is all
using a free page builder and the theme is

free everything isn’t costing you anything
it’s costing you nothing it’s kind of insane

when you really sit there and think about
it but you’re gonna want to buy the Pro package

if you want some additional select features
for your website one of them I’m going to

demonstrate right now is the advanced header
Pro add on to that is going to come with the

Pro package of Astra but you can see right
here this is pretty darn nice and it’s all

Elementor based so I’m in a go here and first
let’s see maybe a walk you through some of

the customizer options but see the thing is
is when I’m looking at these add-ons you pretty

much know what they all are right colors and
background can give you the option to set

colors and backgrounds footer widgets scroll
to top topography change your font options

in the various locations sick you header these
are pretty standard things you would expect

from a theme more you pay for the add on package
advance headers though is something very special

go ahead and show you advanced headers right
now so I’m in and out click into advanced

headers and him to go ahead and create a new
advance header now what this is going allow

you to do is a lot of different things and
in a very smart way it’s can allow you to

create maybe transparent header if you want
that’s the first thing a mentor create you

can create page headers where it will be pulling
in the site title and maybe have an image

or color behind it you can also assign these
logically using display rules so let me just

to show you to show you so the first thing
I want to do is just to a transparent header

so I’m a go ahead and name this transparent
header there it is and so there is really

no layout to transparent header just to be
this one on the right which kind of makes

all these settings disappear because I’m just
adding a transparent header so essentially

what’s can happen is all of this is going
to get pushed up and it’s going to be behind

this area right here so now when I click on
the second tab for site header, click on this

box to enable the options for this transparent
header so for the transparent header I can

choose a different logo and I can choose a
background color and typically want to background

color if you want to be kind of transparent
so it makes it a little easier to see that

header that’s on top of an image if that’s
how you have it we can put a border border

color we can change the menu colors I want
to show you all that in a moment and you can

even choose your menu so once you set this
up you can go here to display rules and this

is where the power comes in if you have Beaver
Themer this might look a little familiar we

have these powerful powerful display role
so you can decide when and where exactly you

want to use these advanced headers and even
based upon whether a user is logged in or

logged out very cool stuff.

When I like this option here force disable
transparency on archives that’s where a lot

of themes have problems when you have a global
setting it also applies to your archive pages

in it Rex havoc in looks like Mickey Mouse
hour on these websites so I’m to go ahead

right here I’m going to choose and see just
choose entire site right now and then go ahead

and click on publish so now when I go to the
front end of my website and do a refresh you’re

gonna see everything got pulled up but you
can see doesn’t look quite right the menu

colors and that’s why it’s nice that you get
those options for the menu colors you get

the option to have a different version of
your logo that might have different colors

that would look better with an image in the
background so let’s go ahead and tweak those

real quick go to site header I’ll go ahead
and choose a background color to put a slight

tint on it so let’s maybe go my this but a
little tense on its equitable order I don’t

really care for that let’s see the back for
the primary menu I’m going to go ahead and

just make everything whites to make the links
whites and the active one white but you can

choose any color click on update go to the
front and do a refresh and then there you

can see I’ve got a beautiful header I mean
tell me this is a beautiful header look at

it and it was so easy to create it was not
complicated I can change the colors and I

can just assign this to exactly where I want
to assign it on this website you see how easy

that was to do how flexible that is and how
powerful that is and these are some of the

reasons why said Astra is the theme to watch
and it is the theme I switched to and I’m

going to be trying to implement some of these
more design features on my own website now

for the grand finale let me show you why this
theme is great if you’re using a page builder

okay traditionally when you’re using a page
builder and you have a theme and you have

this transparent menu feature things just
get all out of whack because what happens

with it with with it typically is when you
enable it it takes the page content and just

pulls it up and tucks it underneath the menu
now that menu is on top of your content and

you can’t edit the sections in the rows this
happens with every page builder with any theme

and it’s a big pain in the rear and watch
this, click on edit with Elementor just watch

what happens Elementor’s loading up and check
that out you see the content is pulled up

but it’s placed on top of the header see it’s
pulled up like that so you can have access

to the section the settings you can have access
to whatever you have in these rows in these

areas that would normally be underneath the
header when it’s transparent and check this

out when I collapse the settings panel it
then reveals a transparent header so you can

see what you’re doing and then you go like
this and it’s gonna transition it right back

that is what you get when you have a theme
that is designed to work with page builders

you have these touches that show you that
this was designed to work with a page builder

let the page builder do what it does and let
the theme not get in its way and this is a

problem that you see with every theme that
has a transparent header so check that out

now this is Elementor don’t worry Beaver Builder
guys it is going to be just as intelligent

with Beaver Builder so let me go ahead and
go to the dashboard and then I am going to

go and create a new page and I’ll name this
Beaver Builder okay there it is I’ll go ahead

and click on publish I will click on the page
builder right here and it’s going to go ahead

and open up and I’m using it Beaver Builder
2.0 it’s in Alpha stage is very very early

and desolate to go ahead and try to maybe
restore one of these these templates here

so how about this right here web development
and marketing someone click on that and you

can see right there I’ve got my template and
you saw for a moment there you saw that the

header but now that my templates in there
I can have full access to everything in here

my row settings everything because it pulls
this a role in the section on top of the header

but just like with Elementor if I go to preview
layout this is what it’s actually going to

end up looking like for you and then pushes
the content behind the header so there’s this

intelligent push and pull so that it gets
out of your way so click on edit it just gets

out of your way for you see how slick that
was so I think the hotkeys is a P so there

it is where I can edit anything and then here
it is in preview mode and it just pulls out

that beautiful transparent header and this
is just one example of what you can do with

this obviously I can go and I’m just scratching
the surface I can add a new header and you

can choose you know when you go to a new page
and you see the page title and you have an

image that changes you can do that really
easily right here with this and what I also

like about it is you can have a dynamically
changing it menu whether someone’s on a certain

page or section of your site you can show
him a different menu there whether someone

is logged in or logged out think membership
websites learning management system websites

you can dynamically have different things
show this is absolutely powerful powerful

stuff and you get this in this theme that
was made to work with any page builder and

I keep harping down on that I’m sure you’re
just annoyed with me by now but I can’t get

over this because it just shows I mean it
really shows when you’re using your page builder

and the scene gets out of the way let you
do it you need to do and then you can even

preview it and it will just fly right back
in so let me just go ahead and click on publish

and there it is so that is Astra these are
the initial add-ons and let me jump into the

customizers out to show you that all of your
options are in there and and intelligently

laid out I’ll go here click on customize and
then we will see all of our customizer options

right here here’s that special reset button
that I had added and so we have our settings

the settings in the customizer I think are
so organized and intelligently laid out we’ve

got our layout colors topography and a lot
of your layout specific settings you’re gonna

see right here so let me show you the hook
so this was that free plug-in that you can

add to it to reveal hooks for the header of
the content the comments sidebar and a footers

you can just go here and drop in whatever
you want to drop in to these hook areas this

is where you put say for example you wanted
to add Google analytics to your website this

is where you would put that code or any little
snippets of code you need to add this is where

you would do it and you have that all right
there in there to be taking that feature further

one of things I really like and I don’t know
why more themes don’t do that you see how

you have that button right here in the top
right well that is because there’s a widget

area for the top right of the header and I
don’t know to me just seems like of course

you would have something like that so it’s
right here widget areas and then there’s header

and then there’s this widget that’s generating
that perfectly formatted matted button right

there now to me I don’t know why more themes
don’t do that because one of the most common

requests that people have with their headers
how the heck do I get a button in there or

something in there are some call to action
in there’s just something along those lines

will they put it into a widget area and I
really like that about the scene I know it

seems really simple and I know that whole
issue of when you have a transparent header

being able to actually access the settings
for what the content behind the header I know

it might seem like this silly little thing
but it’s those types of things it’s that kind

of care that has been put in that thought
process that’s been put into all these little

things that you know makes me makes me feel
really good about the theme that I chose to

use on my website so you have other options
here topography colors it is all there that’s

all standard stuff now they do have a bunch
of other things coming some things I know

about there’s other things I don’t know about
I do know with astrocytes the way that’s going

to work is you install the free plug-in that
you saw it’s in the WordPress repository that

get you all of this but then there’s going
to have the pro version of it you’ll add that

in it’s going to get you access to all of
the prose sites that they have put together

and designed and as they add new ones they’re
all going to be available for you so this

is why I said in the beginning of the video
if you’re a web developer and you’re making

websites for people these are really nice
looking websites and if you like right here

this is perfectly good for medical situations
dentists or whatever this is a really nice

looking website in a couple mouse clicks I
can have this fully put on this site right

here and all that we need to change is some
icons and images and text and you have a full

website that you could sell to your client
these are nice looking websites look at this

and you know Scott a crazy I’m saying these
are nice websites and these are the free ones

these aren’t even the websites that are using
the paid modules from Elementor or Beaver

Builder these are the free templates using
the free versions of these plug-ins which

I think is pretty insane if you ask me this
is free you can have this right now just go

ahead and install astrocytes in the theme
and you are off to the races look at this

beautiful agency website if you’re a in agency
yourself and your website looks like crap

some of them do you can have this website
in a matter of five minutes popular logo in

change some of this information and you are
set this is a full website and click on the

about page the info is right there you can
click on services this even comes with a service

page right here so anyways this is astrocytes
this is the Astro theme the videos about the

Astro theme it is the theme that I have chosen
to use now I’m going to come out with more

videos as they come out with more add-on packages
of course I wanted this to be the first one

because they just release this advance header
and had had her module and I just think wow

I mean the things you can now do the website
with such ease because of this you just need

a theme with all the options and the page
builder that you know how to use and what

can’t you create I mean everything that you
can imagine or see on another website you

can create yourself with the right tools so
I’ll be putting out more information as Astra

is going to be released and actually available
for purchase I do have links down below in

the video description box if you were going
to their website I would appreciate to get

there with the Pro version for the beta appreciate
if you clicked on my link to went over to

go over there and get it when they do actually
put this Purcell I’m I’m thing to put together

a training course for people that want to
start web design agencies using the at the

Astra system I guess you could call the astrocytes
a system where you’re taking these predesigned

sites you’re putting in the minimal amount
of effort to get the maximum result out of

them to make them look really custom and so
on put together package for that along with

some web design contracts in some ways of
closing the deal on thing about putting a

whole course together and then when you purchase
Astra sites through my website with one of

the links I have all give you access to that
course that’s what I’m thinking right now

by itself anyways I know I’ve gone on and
rambled a little bit in this video because

I’m that excited and what I like to hear from
you is what feature do you think it should

be in this theme that would make sense for
people using page builders is there something

that you wish a theme had but it doesn’t have
I want to hear down below in the comment section

what ideas you have for the Asra theme and
what direction you think it should go