Re: how do you compress image files

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From: Bob (uctraingNOSPAM_at_ultranet.com)
Date: 03/26/04 

Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 17:07:50 GMT

On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 08:31:11 -0800, "Liala"
<anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>How do you compress image files. My website takes so long to load because I have so many pictures. I'm stumped

It's not always a simple answer... which is why professionals can sell
"site efficiency" as a feature.

First, eliminate any graphics you don't really need.
Next, use the graphics that you can repetitively from page to page so
that the user only has to download them once.

For the next part, you need a good graphics program. I like Paint
Shop Pro 8.10.

Next, examine your graphics. Those which include text should
generally be stored as GIF files for accuracy. Also, those without
a lot of varying colors or large areas of the same color will tend
to store smaller as GIF's vs. JPEG's. In your graphics program,
use the "count colors" feature too see how many colors are in your
GIF file. Then reduce the number of colors (menu option) and see
how the quality is affected. With things like buttons and text you
can often drop to 16 or 17 colors and greatly reduce file size.
This will not work with gradients or large numbers of colors as
the quality will drop too much.

Next, take any graphics that are left (the high color stuff) and
save them as JPEG's with varying compression levels. Start at
1, try 15, 25, 35, 50. See how the graphics look at each level and
what quality level is acceptable for each graphic you have. The
higher the compression, the poorer the quality but the smaller
the file.

Be sure to check the file properties rather than using the normal
1K, 2K, etc size. There's a big difference between 1015 bytes
buttons and 1915 bytes when you multiply it by the 10 buttons on
your web page. So, check the actual size when comparing.

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