"Why does my friend who uses a modem to connect to the internet get mad at me?"
Note: This tutorial is for both PSP 7 and PSP 8
There are 2 ways to set compression for a JPEG.
Method #1. Go to either File>Save or, File>Save As and when the "Save" dialogue box comes up, you will see an "Options" button. Click on that button and you will get another dialogue box named "Save Options". The compression factor number is what you want to change. Compression factor 21 is usually adequate for most web images.
Note: In PSP7 your encoding options are either Standard or Progessive encoding. Standard encoding means the image loads pixel by pixel from the top down. Progessive encoding means the image loads all at once, but goes from blurry to clear. Although progessive encoding will make the file a tiny bit smaller, the visitors to your web page may also think they need new glasses.....LOL.
I don't use method #1 because it sets the compression the same way for all JPEGs, and different images require different compression settings. I prefer to use method #2 since it only sets the compression for the image you're actually saving:
Method #2. Go to File>Export>JPEG Optimizer. That brings up a dialogue box with a preview window. Leave the Chroma subsampling (new to PSP8) at the default setting and just change the compression value numbers. A higher number means more compression which will give you a smaller file, but a lower quality image. A lower number means less compression, but a higher quality image. Use the preview window to find the best compromise between download size (click the "Download Times tab to see this info) and image quality.
Note: In PSP8 your encoding options are Standard, Progressive or Lossless. If you're saving for the Web, always choose "Standard"! The "Lossless" option is excellent for an image you're planning to do additional work on, however, it increases the file size enormously.
As as example:
I saved an image in Standard encoding at a compression ratio of 15. The file size of the saved image was 24kb. I saved a copy of the same image in Lossless encoding with the same compression ration of 15. The file size of the saved image was "186kb"!
For those of you with cable connections, or DSL, what the above means to your Web visitor, is that with Standard encoding, the person with a dial-up connection speed of 56kbs (the average) will be able to view the image in 5.5 seconds. However, if you use the Lossless encoding, it will take 43 seconds for the same image to download. Although 43 seconds may not sound like a long time, when you're just waiting for an image to download, it can seem like forever.
In addition, in many areas, a connection speed of 56kbs is just a dream. Many people still connect at 28.8kbs, and some connect at 14.4kbs. At 28.8kbs, that 186kb image takes 1 minute and 23 seconds to download. Most people will just leave your web site if they have to wait that long.
I hope you found this mini tut useful.
This list of hints is copyrighted by me, *~Nightshadow~*, on April 17, 2003, and is not to be copied or reproduced in any way under penalty of law. Graphics lists, please e-mail me for permission to post my tutorials.
| [ Home ] | [ Tutorials ] | [ Sign My Guest Book ] | [ View My Guest Book ] | [ Goodies ] | [ Links ] |
© Blue Rose Design 2002 - 2003