Saving Images for the web

Types of Images |  Saving your file

Internet Browers such as Internet Explorer, Netscape and Opera, recognize the three image formats of GIF, JPG, and PNG, for displaying on the web. Depending on your image qualities, it may be better to save your image in one format over another. The object is to get the fastest loading image without compromising image quality. Webmasters try to reduce image size in MB to produce fast loading, high quality images.

Three Types of Images on the Web

• GIF (pronounced either gif or jif) The Graphics Image Format image is a CompuServe image. The Gif image uses the file extension .gif. The color palette consists of up to 256 colors.  On the average the GIF image will give the best compression and file size if the image you are compression has large areas of solid color. Using GIF images to save photographs may seriously reduce the quality of the image by limiting the palette.

   

  •  Interlaced:  meaning the image loads progressively on a page and can be viewed while it loads. It often appears like it comes into focus as it is loaded.
  • Non-Interlaced: normal gif that displays when the entire image is loaded.
  • Transparent: The image contains a background that is transparent to whatever you place it over. The transparency color will use 1 color of the palette.
  • Animated: Images that are animated are in GIF format. It consists of a series of images "packed" into an image and upon viewing in a browser, the successive images play.
     
• JPG (pronounced Jay-Peg) The Joint Photographic Experts Group image was initially intended for photographs. the Images can contain up to 16 million colors which make them excellent at compressing photographs which have many many intermixed colors. The JPG does not handle text as well as a GIF, blurring the edges. JPG's can not handle transparency nor animation.
   
• PNG  (Pronounced Pee-EN-Gee)Portable Network Graphic is a graphic file format made for the Web. It has better compression, color, and transparency than GIF files. However, because most browsers still don't support it, it isn't widely used on the Web. As it is more widely used, we will post more information.

Saving your file

1. Click FILE => SAVE FOR THE WEB

The Save for Web window will pop up. Check your file for each file format. Make sure your image does not compromise quality for size. Click ok.