Home | Portfolio | Services | Our Values | About | Newsletter | Contact Us
Newsletter
June, 2006 Preparing internet graphics and photos Saving images and graphics for the internet is different than for print. The main difference is that images for the internet need to be "optimized" so that you see the best quality image at the smallest file size for quick download. That means all images for the internet are 72 dpi (dots per inch) whereas print images have much higher dpi settings. Today, we'll talk about the most common digital image formats. Photo or Graphic? What's the difference? We all know what photographs are, but graphics are things like logos, illustrations or graphic representations of buttons. Photo images require a different format than graphics do. Photographic Images For photos on the internet, you'll want to use the JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format. Use JPEGs for photographs and art images with a wide range of light to dark gradation. The extension on a JPEG file is generally .jpg. Set files for the web and email to 72 dpi (dots per inch). JPEG images can be saved to: Maximum, Very high, High, Medium, Low (quality). The better the quality, the larger the file size. A smaller file size loads into a browser quicker. The trick is to find a happy medium between quality and file size (optimization). Graphic Images Logos and all non-photographic images fall into this category. GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is better at handling flat areas of color or images with minimal gradation. This illustration is best saved as a GIF or PNG file GIFs Index to a maximum of 256 colors, meaning that they only allow that many colors in the entire image. So an image with palette of millions colors will be reduced to a palette of 256 colors when saved as a GIF. Most colors in that palette (with millions of colors) will be substituted with the available colors in the 256 color palette. Saving an image with less colors means a smaller file size but also fewer details and a possible loss of quality. So try to find a balance when optimizing your image. You can save a photograph as a GIF but I wouldn't advise it. PNG (Portable Network Graphics - pronounced ping) PNGs were intended to replace the GIF format because they have better compression and larger palette range than GIFs but they're not as widely used. (I still don't use PNGs in email marketing campaigns because I don't know how many email applications can read it.) PNGs include millions of colors in the palette and has a better transparency than GIF. They are much better for graphics, especially those with a wide range in gradation. However, only use JPEGs for photos. You will get smaller file size than you will with a PNG. Tools to use For non-graphic designers I highly suggest using Adobe Photoshop Elements. The price is lower than the regular version of Photoshop and so is the learning curve. It's available for Mac ($80) or Windows ($90). Corel Paint Shop Pro Suite I've never used this product so I can't comment on it. $149. Windows only. GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages. Did I mention it was Free? If you need to prepare images for a print project, work with a graphic designer, professional photographer or service bureau. It will save you a lot of frustration and you will get a better product in the end. Sometimes printing companies offer graphic support too, so ask if you plan to have something like a brochure printed. Of course, you can always call us here at Pylon Studios for your online or offline graphics needs. Back to the Newsletter page Sign up to get your copy of the Pylon Page
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License