Summary: key points of preparing images for the web
- Images added to a web page must be optimised
- Does the image add value to the page?
- An image is only one element of a web page. Remember to consider the size of the page as a whole
- Never use Dreamweaver to resize an image
- Image size and resolution can be decreased but generally not increased
- Images on the web should be displayed at 72dpi
- Decide on a suitable physical size for an image and resize it once (each change degrades image quality)
- Save images in the correct file format - JPEG (photos), .GIF (simple line art with few colours)
- Minimise the number of colours used in gifs (e.g. 8 - 64 colours)
- Compress jpg images to a level just before they start to visibly deteriorate (pixelation)
- Whenever possible 'Save for Web' from original files. This will keep the original file intact. When you are sure it is no longer required it can be archived or deleted
- Keep originals on your computer's hard drive, K: drive, P: drive or burn to CD. Do not store in your website files in Dreamweaver, or on the live server. There is not enough space