linque
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beautiful web photos - small files - HOW
I've been putting up graphics and photos on the web for a long time. Right now I am starting on a new website that has a gallery of photos. Still, after all of this time I think I am failing to do justice to these photos. I most often just pick the photo, use Save for Web .. figure out which is better looking jpg or gif and consider the file size and save it.
I've read about optimizing photos in different areas within a picture, but to be honest, I'm trying to wear a lot of hats and this is not the only thing I do, so time is important in getting a photo ready. Still I yearn for that crystal clear photo that seems to come up so quickly on a web page. Therefore I'd like to ask photoshop users (since that is my software of choice) if there is something obvious I might be able to do to improve on this skill right off the bat. Is there a plugin that would help? I know it's a general question but i'm seeking some direction in this matter. Thanks
linque
I've read about optimizing photos in different areas within a picture, but to be honest, I'm trying to wear a lot of hats and this is not the only thing I do, so time is important in getting a photo ready. Still I yearn for that crystal clear photo that seems to come up so quickly on a web page. Therefore I'd like to ask photoshop users (since that is my software of choice) if there is something obvious I might be able to do to improve on this skill right off the bat. Is there a plugin that would help? I know it's a general question but i'm seeking some direction in this matter. Thanks
linque
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Hi linque,
One easy and quick way to make your photos look sharper is by using the Auto adjustments in Photoshop. Open the Image>Adjustments menu and select Auto Contrast or Auto Levels to sharpen your image, the results of these simple tools can be fantastic.
Also, as Evilswan suggests, forget about GIF for photos; stick to JPG and use as little compression as possible. Another thing is, when working on your images, try to use the PSD format while you work and only Save As JPG for the final pic. The reason is that if you work in JPG format, every time you Save the image it'll compress more and more and it'll degrade.
That should get you started.
Good Vibes!
Lobo
One easy and quick way to make your photos look sharper is by using the Auto adjustments in Photoshop. Open the Image>Adjustments menu and select Auto Contrast or Auto Levels to sharpen your image, the results of these simple tools can be fantastic.
Also, as Evilswan suggests, forget about GIF for photos; stick to JPG and use as little compression as possible. Another thing is, when working on your images, try to use the PSD format while you work and only Save As JPG for the final pic. The reason is that if you work in JPG format, every time you Save the image it'll compress more and more and it'll degrade.
That should get you started.
Good Vibes!
Lobo
ASKER
Thank you all very much! I've been working on these "galleries" as they are called today and I will be implementing these ideas. I had not tried the Auto Contrast or Auto Levels. I have been selecting areas and using the brightness and contrast sliders since saving for the web seems to make the pics a lot darker.
linque
linque
Just for info, when I do my web stuff, I always use Photoshop to optimize my jpegs. When you save JPEG, you can choose what "quality" to save at. The degradation at levels is not that bad, yet file size becomes drastically smaller. Ideally, I use this to scale it (make sure it doesn't save thumbnails of it to save space).
Additionally, the main difference between GIF and JPG is color. 256 vs. thousands of colors makes a real difference but depends greatly what your picture is. A solid color in GIF is a lot smaller than one in JPEG.
Finally, like evilswan said, cut up pics. Its tends to load faster. Enjoy.
Sincerely,
JL