Jump to content

  • Free consultations and support
  • Live chatClick Here for Live Chat
  • Call ico 1888-906-1888
    Phone support: Open

    Ready for your call :)

    Our business hours:

    Mon — Fri, 2am — 8pm (EST)

    US & EU support teams

    Phone support: Closed

    We are back in: 1h 20m

    Our business hours:

    Mon — Fri, 2am — 8pm (EST)

    US & EU support teams


What is the best way to optimize graphics for the web?


  • Please log in to reply
&nsbp;

#1 ArtistNumber828

ArtistNumber828

    Apprentice Designer

  • Designer
  • 3 posts

Posted 26 October 2004 - 01:49 AM

I use Photoshop to create web graphics. I use "save for web" to shrink file size as much as possible and still retain quality. However, someone told me that my images still weren't optimized for the web. I've seen on some sites that the images are saved as ".ART", but I don't know how to do that. Is that better than GIF? Is the quality as good? How do I do it? Thank you.

#2 Ruben@Run2

Ruben@Run2

    Elite Designer

  • Designer
  • 182 posts

Posted 26 October 2004 - 09:32 AM

ART is a file format use mostly by AOL, so while you are surfing the net it saved graphics as a *.art format. This is to shrink the size of the file, but on the other hand this tends to be blurry. So in no way ART is a good choice.

Keep playing with the long list of options that Save for Web have. For example, i usually use a JPEG High preset and/or a GIF preset of Adaptive /128 colors, No Dither and No transparency. There are (if you want to spend more time on a single image optimization) more ways to lower the size of the files, but in these days of broadband connections you may want to focus on your target audience, so that will lead you to your optimization method.

But again, dont take my word. Pick 2 or 3 different images and apply different settings to each one. Considering that, you may end with like 30 different settings per each so you may conclude by your own view which optimization method is better for your needs.
:: Ruben ::
www.RUN2Corp.com

#3 MVA

MVA

    Apprentice Designer

  • Designer
  • 146 posts

Posted 27 October 2004 - 02:09 AM

I use PS7's Save for Web all the time as well. Rule of thumb, use the GIF/PNG settings for vector graphics and JPG for photographs/complex images. Another tip - use the 2-UP tab to view the original and optimized side-by-side.
J. Perry McCutcheon
Freelance Graphic Designer
http://www.perrymc.com

#4 belladonna

belladonna

    Designer/Admin.

  • Designer
  • 432 posts

Posted 27 October 2004 - 09:06 PM

I like to use Macromedia Fireworks. When exporting the files, you can choose if its a GIF, the exact amount of colors you need before the image starts loosing resolution, most of the titles only need 3 or 4 colors :) .
On JPG, you can choose the amount of quality you want the image to have (85%, etc). But Ruben is right, the best way is to export the same image in different formats and compression and then compare the quality and the size.

I use for text , or images with text ---> GIF
And for images---> JPG.

Good luck! :D
Bella
Julieta Garcia .:view my work:.
Stop animal abuse & killing --->HERE

#5 illumina

illumina

    Guru

  • Designer
  • 2714 posts

Posted 27 October 2004 - 11:22 PM

I use JPEG Imager. I can specify file sizes, and preview it, so I don't lose image quality.

It can be downloaded from www.download.com .. just do a search for "JPEG Imager".

I hope this helps :)




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users