Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
The most popular formats for web images are JPEG, PNG, and GIF. Each one of these formats has bene-
fits and drawbacks, as shown in the following table.
File Formats
SUPPORTS
VARYING
AMOUNTS OF
TRANSPARENCY
SUPPORTS
ANTI-
ALIASING
HAS
LIMITED
COLORS
IS BEST
FOR
PHOTOS
FILE
FORMAT LOSSY
SUPPORTS
TRANSPARENCY
SUPPORTS
ANIMATIONS
JPEG
PNG-8
PNG-24
GIF
Choosing the best file format for your image
Throughout this lesson, you will have the opportunity to save images in each of the major file formats:
JPEG, PNG, and GIF. You will also see the differences between the formats and when to use each.
Saving images as JPEGs
The JPEG file format helps you keep the image size down, but some loss in image quality occurs when
you save the image file. Since the JPEG format supports anti-aliasing, it is typically recommended for
photographic images and illustrations with gradients. (Anti-aliasing is a technique used in computer
graphics that helps smooth out the naturally jagged edges of objects such as text or any area where a
transition in tonal values is needed.) When saving an image as a JPEG, you can choose varying levels of
quality.
Choosing the quality of a JPEG
In the following steps, you will complete the optimization process by saving your image as a JPEG.
1 With advps1001.psd still open, choose File > Save for Web. The Save for Web window appears.
The Save for Web window allows you to preview changes that you make in the settings, such as file
type and size. The section in the upper-right corner of the window is where you determine the file
format and file compression settings. In this example, JPEG is selected.
The Save for Web feature is used here to create an image for the Web but you can also use this fea-
ture to prepare and preview files for use on mobile devices and for application design.
Above the Format drop-down menu is the Preset drop-down menu. This menu contains pre-con-
figured settings for many file formats. Later in this lesson you will learn how to store your own pre-
sets in this menu.
In the upper-left corner is a toolbar with tools you can use to select sections (or slices) of an image,
zoom into, and sample colors from an image.
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