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

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.

MORE RESOURCES:

It#39;s a fair time for art in L.A. - Los Angeles Times

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-0fd=Rurl=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/01/photo-la-kicks.htmlcid=1287879776ei=ypJmSfvGL9bemQeQqKzFBAusg=AFQjCNHHlcGtH2mRUVllSrLHprXZXSK8RwIt#39;s a fair time for art in L.A./abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fLos Angeles Times,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobr2 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1As conceived when the financial outlook was rosier, photo la, an annual marketplace for a kaleidoscopic range of bphotography/b, will begin tonight with a gala b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-1fd=Rurl=http://www.businesswire.com/news/google/20090108005399/encid=1287879776ei=ypJmSfvGL9bemQeQqKzFBAusg=AFQjCNH5DcpTzUYN-DubaNePOqq2uzZfVwMarani Vodka Sponsors photo la and ART LA/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrBusiness Wire (press release)/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1287879776hl=ennobrall 5 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Horse Photographer Christina Handley Launches Online Photography ... - HorseChannel.com

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1i-0fd=Rurl=http://horsechannel.com/horse-news/2009/01/08/handley-online-photography.aspxcid=1287930730ei=ypJmSfvGL9bemQeQqKzFBAusg=AFQjCNEcEQFLuF1jZi25LTF5niyChMMKWwimg src=http://nt0.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=iFwHgmewnOcJimgurl=horsechannel.com/images/covers/HI0812_160.jpg width=59 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2HorseChannel.com/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-0fd=Rurl=http://horsechannel.com/horse-news/2009/01/08/handley-online-photography.aspxcid=1287930730ei=ypJmSfvGL9bemQeQqKzFBAusg=AFQjCNEcEQFLuF1jZi25LTF5niyChMMKWwHorse Photographer Christina Handley Launches Online bPhotography/b b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fHorseChannel.com,nbsp;KYnbsp;-/font nobr12 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Equine photographer Christina Handley has launched an online bphotography/b school with Virginia native Laura Cotterman at www.learntotakephotos.com. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Sunnyvale photographer shoots a rare moment at Yosemite - San Jose Mercury News

International Center of Photography to Open Munkacsi#39;s Lost Archive - Art Daily

Joining A Photography Organization - Meadow Free Press

Photography and painting workshops in Cape May - Cape May County Herald

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/38655-photography-and-painting-workshops-cape-maycid=0ei=ypJmSfvGL9bemQeQqKzFBAusg=AFQjCNFARzACC3joFBaZPfvaxUA-ntzSyQimg src=http://nt0.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=sO0YSlA64p8Jimgurl=www.capemaycountyherald.com/files/imagecache/dpcArticleDetail/files/photog%2520class%25201.jpg width=80 height=72 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Cape May County Herald/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-0fd=Rurl=http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/38655-photography-and-painting-workshops-cape-maycid=0ei=ypJmSfvGL9bemQeQqKzFBAusg=AFQjCNFARzACC3joFBaZPfvaxUA-ntzSyQbPhotography/b and painting workshops in Cape May/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fCape May County Herald,nbsp; United Statesnbsp;-/font nobr6 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The 2009 bphotography/b faculty includes: Nancy Ori, Berkeley Heights, teaching natural light; Chip Forelli, Damascus, Pa., masters bphotography/b workshop for b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Art Review | Eudora Welty in New York: Photographs of the Early 1930s - New York Times

Gallery features photography by Denice Woller - BLC News Events

White House Photography, Official and Not So Much - Washington Post

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8i-0fd=Rurl=http://dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2009/01/06/pete_souza.ART_ART_01-06-09_D1_LFCDHTL.html%3Fsid%3D101cid=1287272125ei=ypJmSfvGL9bemQeQqKzFBAusg=AFQjCNE8j04XmTnPBldnC_wIbB7GjGJvUwimg src=http://nt0.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=hBKylmIMMkYJimgurl=dispatch.com/wwwexportcontent/sites/dispatch/images/jan/PETE_SOUZA.jpg_01-06-09_D4_9ECDJI5.jpg width=80 height=52 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Columbus Dispatch/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-0fd=Rurl=http://feeds.voices.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo%3Fi%3D8659c14b6f63c22ca0b26c1467085b9acid=1287272125ei=ypJmSfvGL9bemQeQqKzFBAusg=AFQjCNHjQlKPDN3iHSTzynELOvur1ui8bgWhite House bPhotography/b, Official and Not So Much/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fWashington Post,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobrJan 5, 2009/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Garance Franke-Ruta Taking a page from celebrities who routinely stage family photos with hand-picked photographers and then feed them to the press, b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-1fd=Rurl=http://www.thepost.ohiou.edu/Articles/News/2009/01/06/26595/cid=1287272125ei=ypJmSfvGL9bemQeQqKzFBAusg=AFQjCNHb4Eo12ldCg9Fq9KnImq8LSamwLgVisCom professor swaps bphotography/b classroom for White House position/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe Post Online/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-2fd=Rurl=http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20090106/NEWS/901060323cid=1287272125ei=ypJmSfvGL9bemQeQqKzFBAusg=AFQjCNGMZTsCAZsvEogDOtUS8BZYd2k_YAObama taps Dartmouth native for White House photographer/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrSouthCoastToday.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-3fd=Rurl=http://www.examiner.com/x-759-Photography-Examiner~y2009m1d6-Obama-chooses-photojournalism-professor-as-White-House-photographercid=1287272125ei=ypJmSfvGL9bemQeQqKzFBAusg=AFQjCNGwJxDg9h06gAX_wMoI1oU2Kfo4CQObama chooses photojournalism professor as White House photographer/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrExaminer.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-4fd=Rurl=http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2009/01/05/daily32.htmlcid=1287272125ei=ypJmSfvGL9bemQeQqKzFBAusg=AFQjCNHXV1wLzfF5-Wxj-bwHDwnBY4Wg6wnobrBizjournals.com/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-5fd=Rurl=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-obama-souzajan06,0,4279751.storycid=1287272125ei=ypJmSfvGL9bemQeQqKzFBAusg=AFQjCNFDguW02wlgD97dkwRc45tNZNBXRgnobrChicago Tribune/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1287272125hl=ennobrall 64 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Tomey USA Launches its Latest Innovation in Corneal Endothelium ... - 24-7PressRelease.com (press release)

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-0fd=Rurl=http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/tomey-usa-launches-its-latest-innovation-in-corneal-endothelium-photography-tomey-em3000-specular-microscope-offers-a-direct-magnified-view-of-cornea-endothelial-cells-82184.phpcid=1287869572ei=ypJmSfvGL9bemQeQqKzFBAusg=AFQjCNETGCLSLYs3CrlqhS7rlkxh2wIS0ATomey USA Launches its Latest Innovation in Corneal Endothelium b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6f24-7PressRelease.com (press release)nbsp;-/font nobr15 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Its serial bphotography/b feature allows for a sequence of 15 shots to be taken, with the most accurate photo displayed onscreen. Its 7-fixation points provide b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Photography - Google News

RELATED ARTICLES

Memories That Get Lost
How many people have pictures in a shoe box? In a drawer? Inside a book? Sitting in the garage?Imagine 40 years from now. Someone will get those pictures and they will say: Who are these people? What are they doing in this boat?They won't have a clue about the stories that those pictures tell and they will probably throw part of your story away.

Portrait Photography: Tips and Methods
Portrait is defined as, "A likeness of a person, especially one showing the face, that is created by a painter or photographer, for example." In the area of portrait photography there are some guidelines that you should consider when you go to take photos of people.

Where to Find Cheap Disposable Cameras
There are many kinds of disposable cameras. All disposable cameras are already inexpensive, but there are some that are even more of a bargain than others.

Safari Wildlife Photography Top Four Tips
I've been practising wildlife photography on safari for over twenty years now in places like the Kruger National Park, Chobe, Okavango Delta, and Hwange game reserves and these four tips have been indispensable in making sure that I get some decent wildlife photographs.1.

Top 10 Digital Cameras - What You Need To Know About Them
There are a large number of top 10 digital camera lists available on the Internet today. Each one of them is different and they all have different sets of criteria, on the basis of which these lists are compiled.

Photographing Kids
Kids grow up so quickly and while we are often left with countless memories, most parents have only a drawer packed with school photos, blurry holiday snaps and the forced grin of the inevitable yearly birthday picture to account for the years gone by. It's time to stop bemoaning the latest photograph of your thumb obscuring your adorable baby and get on with improving your skills as a photographer.

Entering the World of Digital Video Cameras
Gone are the days when you would need to employ a professional to take a video for your business projects. Whether you need it to provide training to your employees or students, you can do it yourself with the help of a digital video camera.

Canadas Digital Cameras, Digital Camcorders and Cheap Memory Cards Canada
Digital SLR Camera or Digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera is an ideal camera for professionals and amateur photographers. They usually having interchangeable lenses and are known for capturing superior quality images.

How to Take Better Photos of Your Baby or Toddler
Every Mom wants to take great photos of their babies and toddlers. We all want professional looking photos for our children without paying a fortune! This better baby photo article will help you take the best photos you can and you don't even have to own an expensive camera.

Start Up a Travel Photography Business
Too many people have the idea that being paid to take photographs of exotic places is the ideal job. It may take years of effort to be paid by magazines such as the National Geographic, but are there better ways to become a travel photographer.

Bracketing and How To Use Tt Correctly...
What Is..

Guidelines for Printing Great Photos at Home
So you have this great digital camera and you've taken lots of great photos. Now what? Well you could go to a store and have them print your images for you, but isn't that what you did with film? The point of all this great digital technology is that you can print your own photos at home without having to pay someone else to do it.

Digital Camera Batteries
Every device needs a driving force to operate, just as every living thing needs a heart to keep it alive! Basically electric power does this job for any kind of devices nowadays. Similarly for any digital camera too, a good battery is necessary in order to ensure an excellent performance from it as long as possible.

A Guide to Disposable Digital Cameras
Disposable Cameras (also called single-use cameras) first came on the market as film cameras. You would take the entire camera back where you bought it and they would crack it open, take out the film and process it, resulting in photos that were virtually indistinguishable from photos taken with a more conventional camera.

Digital Camera Interpolation Explained
In a device such as a digital camera it is very important to understand the very basic aspects of the device so as to properly operate it and give it the due respect it deserves. Such a topic is interpolation! These are accessories that help the digital camera to perform the technologically advanced features that it is capable of.

Tips for Purchasing a Digital Camera Lens
Your lens is an essential element to good photographs. It's not just your camera.

Kodak Digital Cameras - The Giant Comes To Digital
George Eastman, founder of Kodak is world renowned today. Digital cameras or cinematography, Kodak has excelled in all fields.

Digital Camera Memory - An Introduction
The digital camera is essentially a computer-based device, whose core is controlled by the computer. And as a result the photographs are stored in a location called memory.

Using Film Speed Effectively (Black & White Film Thoughts)
It's hard to find sometimes but it's making a resurgence, black and white film. If you've never used this film now is the time to try it out.

Where Do Great Ideas Come From?
At a Photo Club meeting I attended recently, the President made a comment on another meeting he had attended, where someone in the audience asked the presenter where to find good subjects to photograph. The presenter in question started giving specifics instead of identifying the core issues in question, Attitude and Perspective.