Optimize Your Photos for the Web

It doesn't matter if your emailing photos of your grandson or putting images of your latest product on your online store. Too many people don't consider optimizing their photos for the web. We've all been on too many web pages where it seemed that the photos would never load, and sometimes they didn't. So here are some steps to make sure that your photos show up on your site.

1. Always have a back up original format copy of your image. Never alter the original. Believe me you will regret it.

2. Crop to size. Make sure that you crop out any extra information that isn't needed. Remember the larger the photo the longer it takes to load or send.

3. Resize to reduce pixels. There should be an option to resize according to pixels. You're going to want the largest size to be no more than 250 pixels or you can reduce the dpi to no more than 96.

4.Reduce the color palette. Many images have millions of colors so the first thing that you need to do is reduce the colors to 256. You will lose some depth with this.

5. Save the file in a standard format. JPEG is the most common for photos and you can compress the image with a JPEG for further reduction in file size. It's not unusual to see GIF or PNG as well.

Remember that with a 56k connection a 150k file will take 20 seconds to load. If you're creating a web page every photo that you add will add to the time it takes to download all of the images. If you keep the images small in size the smaller resolution will not be as obvious.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

---

Stitching Memories

Sometimes, usual photographs look so common and boring. Converting your... Read More

To Camcorder Enthusiasts: What Does Reality TV Really Mean? - Great News for the Camcorder User!

Reality TV is experiencing an upsurge in popularity and its... Read More

Better Photos with Your Digital Camera

Everyone has a digital camera today and we all take... Read More

Transfer The Digital Camera Images To Your Computer

There are a few very important tasks associated with using... Read More

How to Make Your Production Look a Lot Slicker for £40 More

Tight BudgetsTight budgets are common these days. But the demand... Read More

Getting Your Photos Ready for Sharing

One of the main reasons people buy digital cameras is... Read More

HP Digital Cameras - History and Beyond

HP has started making digital cameras only recently. However, the... Read More

Elephants in the Sky and Four Poems

Elephants in the Sky[1980s, Lee Evens in Mali, Timbuktu/Africa]Advance: Lee... Read More

Using Film Speed Effectively (Black & White Film Thoughts)

It's hard to find sometimes but it's making a resurgence,... Read More

Canon-Powershot-A80 Review

Last month we bought the Canon Powershot A80 online for... Read More

Infrared Photography and Big City Crime

One of the major problems of the larger cities of... Read More

How To Reduce Red Eye The Easy Way With Any Pro Or Point & Shot Camera

There is one simple technique any body can do to... Read More

Seven Ways for Saving Your Digital Images Forever!

So, you have taken lots of pictures with your new... Read More

Photography Workshops and Master Classes

Several years ago, I met a fellow photographer - albeit,... Read More

What You Need To Buy A Digital Camera Wholesale

Digital cameras are available in several price ranges today. They... Read More

Panasonic Digital Cameras - The History Behind Their Cameras

Panasonic is a world-renowned consumer electronics company today. Its digital... Read More

Terms Used The In The Stock Photography Business

So you are a small business person or web designer... Read More

Optimize Your Photos for the Web

It doesn't matter if your emailing photos of your grandson... Read More

Specialized Styles of Photography

Outlined below is a list of genres that call for... Read More

Using Film Speed Effectively

So you have this great new camera. Now you're standing... Read More

How to Take Great Photos of Your Child

Children are naturally photogenic. Ive worked in studios and children... Read More

Extreme Digital Photography: Beyond Point-and-shoot

When my old Olympus digital camera got broke while caving... Read More

Light and Depth of Field

With such a fantastic device as the digital camera for... Read More

Candid Photography

Candid photography is photography that focuses on spontaneity rather than... Read More

Where Do Great Ideas Come From?

At a Photo Club meeting I attended recently, the President... Read More

Getting the Most From Your Digital Camera Memory Card

Imagine taking your new digital camera on a vacation and... Read More

Digital SLR Camera versus a Compact Digital Camera

Digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras are excellent cameras that... Read More

Creating Personalized Photo Calendars

About Personalized Photo Calendars:Photo Calendars are 12-month, wall-hanging calendars that... Read More

Entering the World of Digital Video Cameras

Gone are the days when you would need to employ... Read More

Underwater Photography: The Wonders Under the Sea

The world of photography is an amazing one. It's been... Read More

Photography Business: Taking Baby Photos - for Professionals & Families

Babies make the best and the worst subjects to photograph.... Read More

Travel and Scenic Photography 101

When you're driving through the mountains somewhere, and you... Read More

Why 1.5 Megapixels is Enough

Dots Per Inch is a useful measure of relative resolution.... Read More