Image Optimization

Image Optimization

Reducing Load Time Through Image Optimization
Even though more and more Internet users switch to broadband every year, a large portion of the web's population is still running on good old dialup connections. It is therefore unwise to count them out of the equation when you're designing your website, and a very major consideration we have to make for dialup users is the loading time of your website.


Generally, all the text on your website will be loaded in a very short time even on a dialup connection. The culprit of slow-loading sites is mainly large images on your website, and it is very important to strike a delicate balance between using just enough images to attract your users and not to bog down the overall loading time of your site.

You should also go to a greater length and optimize every image on your site to make sure it loads in the least time possible. What I really mean is to use image editing software to remove unnecessary information on your images, and thereby effectively reducing the file size of your image without affecting its appearance.

If you own Photoshop, it will be obvious to you that when you save an image as a JPEG file, a dialog box appears and lets you choose the "quality" of the JPEG image -- normally a setting of 8 to 10 is good enough as it will preserve the quality of your image while saving it at a small file size. If you do not have Photoshop, there are many free image compressors online that you can download and use to reduce your image's file size.

On the other hand, you can opt to save your images in PNG format to get the best quality at the least file size. You can also save your images in GIF format -- the image editing software clips away all the color information not used in your image, hence giving you the smallest file size possible. However, saving in GIF format will often compromise the appearance of your image, so make your choice wisely!

Make sure your browser and its plugins are up-to-date

Make sure your browser and its plugins are up-to-date

An Internet browser can have many plugins that give it additional functionality. For example, Adobe Flash is a great way to bring movies and other animated content to the Internet. Keeping these plugins up-to-date is vital for your computer stability and also security. Using the below tool you can quickly verify if your plugins are up-to-date and get links to where to download the latest updates.

Web Page Design

Web Page Design

Web site designing is quite simple -

It's GOOD web site designing that's really tough!
That said, why is it that web designing so simple? It is because anyone who has a WYSIWYG HTML editor can easily churn out web pages one after the other without understanding the intricacies of web pages or web sites as a whole.
In this Web Page Design section, we look at certain aspects that determine a good web site and tackle some problems that you might face. This section lays the foundation for grasping the nitty-gritties of web site design and should be followed by reading the web design tips and tricks section on this web site.

Latest articles

What should be the width of a web page?

A discussion on the ideal width for a web page. Can web pages be really wide especially when the usage of high screen resolution monitors is common?
Screen resolution usage on the web
Usage statistics of the once popular 800x600 screen resolution - is it really worth your while to design web sites based on this screen depth?
Color scheme for web pages and web sites - how to choose colors
Free color schemes for download and use. Learn how to choose color schemes for web pages to create a visually appealing web site.
How is the web different from the print media?
In contrast to print media, the Web is a different ball game altogether. Here the designer has little control on the page display since it depends mainly on the browser. Though frustrating, making a web page look similar on the various browsers is great fun because it's so challenging and one ends up learning a lot!
When creating a site, the web designer has to keep the following things in mind:

• The various browsers
• The various versions of the browser
• The operating system used by the visitor
• The color depth of the visitor monitor
• The screen display area
• The availability of plugins

Know more on the variability of web page displays across client machines.
With such a number of variables governing web page display, it is not always possible to have a web page display correctly across different client machines. And like I mentioned, this is the real excitement of web design.
However, you need to bear in mind that a web site is not designed for you or boss - Just because there is a Flash intro on another site does not mean you need to have one for your web site. The take home message is that your web site has to be designed for its audience - your prospects and customers! Good web designers look at their web site through the eyes of the prospect.
For example, if you run a site which sells products for the elderly, you should make the layout easy, the font size large and the design simple. You should regularly analyse your site statistics to check which browsers the majority of your visitors use, or if they have JavaScript turned on, or the browser plugins installed on the client system etc. It is thus, of utmost importance to understand the demographics of the visitors and the technologies they use.
Optimal web page file size and optimizing web pages
Optimizing web pages is the most important aspect of web site design. An optimized web page loads quickly on the client system so your web site visitors can quickly get the information they had come for. Making visitors wait patiently while a Flash intro loads is a sure method of saying goodbye to them. Remember, the browser Back or Close Window buttons are just a click away! Does this mean that Flash intros should not be used? Now, that's a tough question... and you will find the answer in - Flash intros usage - The advantages and disadvantages.

What is the optimal page size? I have been asked this question so many times that I have lost count. In this article, you will learn what all contributes to the file size of a we