Rules
Two Simple Steps
- Always reduce your file to only what you need.
- When in doubt refer to rule number 1.
It's ideal to make a file as small as possible in every case (in size, resolution, and color depth) to reduce the storage space needed and the download time required. Not to mention the fact that if a file is small it will be easier to manipulate in an image editing program.
More Guidelines
In case these two rules are not enough, here are some additional guidelines to follow to achieve these simple rules. Some may seem redundant and others may not apply depending on a given image, but it's a good idea to think about them all -- just to make sure.
1. Reduce the physical size of your graphic.
- You can crop an image down to get rid of anything you don't need, such as white space or a background you don't care about.
- Usually you can resize an entire image to make the whole
thing smaller and still see what's important. If you can't make it smaller
and see the detail you are after, then make a thumbnail. This allows people
to get the general idea. Then if they want to enlarge it for more detail,
they can click on the thumbnail and bring up the larger image.
2. Reduce the colors in your graphic, or try to increase the compression of your JPEG.
- When you apply the net safe palette you are using 216 colors. But you may be able to reduce that number significantly. You can do this by using an exact palette. We will do this in this class but the steps are in the Tips and Techniques section (under "less than 216) for your reference.
- Before you start your graphics decide on a few colors to be your palette and try to stick to those colors. This doesn't mean that all your images will contain just those colors, but most of your graphics should.
Now it's time for some tips and techniques...
