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Image File Formats for the Web. Web Design & Animation II Mr. Huang. IMAGE SELECTION FACTORS. When working with images for a web site, it’s important to determine the following properties in regards to images: quality and file size
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Image File Formats for the Web Web Design & Animation II Mr. Huang
IMAGE SELECTION FACTORS • When working with images for a web site, it’s important to determine the following properties in regards to images: quality and file size • These 2 properties are dependent on the type of image format that you choose to insert on your web site.
Joint Photographic Experts Group • Format – .jpeg • Purpose – used for photographic images and gradients • Characteristics – no limitation on colors; does not support transparency; can be compressed at various levels • Quality – high (if uncompressed); low (if compressed a lot)
Graphics Interchange Format • Format – .gif • Purpose – used for logos, shapes, cartoons, line drawings, and animations • Characteristics – supports a maximum of 256 colors; supports transparency; can be used for animations; can be compressed • Quality – medium to high
Portable Network Graphics • Format – .png • Purpose – used as an alternative to .gifs for logos, shapes, cartoons, line drawings, and animations • Characteristics – supports 256 colors; supports transparency; can be compressed; default format for new Fireworks graphics • Quality – high
Windows Bitmap • Format – .bmp • Purpose – used for small graphics with a few amount of colors (pixel-based images) • Characteristics – no compression required; supports transparency; introduced by Windows; large file sizes • Quality – medium to high
Photoshop Document • Format – .psd • Purpose – used for graphics created or edited in Adobe software (mainly Photoshop) • Characteristics – can save and edit layers; supports transparency; usually cannot be inserted into web pages • Quality – high
Tagged Image File Format • Format – .tiff • Purpose – used for graphics created or edited in Adobe software; popular for printing industry • Characteristics – can save and edit layers; supports transparency; cannot be inserted into web pages • Quality – high
Optimization • Optimization is when you take an image and save it for the Web in a way that you reduce the file size as much as possible, but also try and maximize the quality of the image as much as possible • Software such as Photoshop and Fireworks have ways for you to preview how your images will look on the web based on different image formats and qualities.
4-Up • Software such as Photoshop and Fireworks have a 4-up preview option that allows you to see images in 4 different qualities
In Conclusion • Determine the type of desired image (logo, photograph, original drawing, animation) first in order to limit down your choices for the image format that should be placed on the Web • Save your image in different formats and qualities to compare file sizes • Main goal is to have an image with the best possible quality at a respectable file size