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Image Processing

Primary Photos

The best combination of dimensions, file size and image quality for most applications is a file with width of 300-350 pixels, height of 180-240 pixels, and file size of 12-30kb. Beyond these dimensions for landcape aspect images are extremes that should be avoided when possible. There's only so much width available without horizontal scrolling on smaller screens and with greater image height the more vertical scrolling people have to do to see the page. Smaller sizes make it difficult for the visitor to see details.

If your file sizes are larger than 30kb, you need to use more compression. If they're smaller than 12kb, you're using too much and image clarity will suffer. Exterior photos usually leave plenty of room for cropping the height. Interior or product photos often don't, and you get an image size such as 320 x 240. This is normal. (For portrait aspect images, please invert all dimensions but use the same reasoning.)

Normal compression using PhotoImpact is 84 for a primary photo, or 8 using PhotoShop. This may vary based on the quality of the scan or digital cam image. It should generally be in the 80-85 range. If the file size is over 30kb at 80, increase the compression (try 75) until the size is in the correct range. If the image can't be compressed enough to look good at this file size, decrease the dimensions or try using a different source image. (If your image sizes are greater than those used here, adjust accordingly, but remember that file size is exponential. An image 400 x 200 has 4 times the file size of the same image at 200 x 100.)

Thumbnails

The size for thumbnails is always consistent throughout your application or web site, usually 120-150 pixels wide and 70-100 pixels high. The thumbnail is created from the original image used as the primary image whenever possible, as opposed to using the primary listing image it's been saved previously. In other words, while you have the image in its original format, whether it be as a digital cam image or a scan, create the primary photo and the thumbnail during the same session. Don't later create the thumbnail from the listing image, as the quality will suffer slightly, particularly if you use a text overlay.

Thumbnails should be compressed to a file size of between 3 & 5k. There will be variation in file size based on depth of color and quality of the image. Using PhotoImpact a compression level of 68 or 69 usually works well, but you may have to try various settings from 60 to 80 to get a good image in that file size range. In PhotoShop use 6. No thumbnail file size should be outside that range unless your application or site requires very large thumbnails.

Scanning and Digital Camera Use

Always scan at 96dpi and save the files using the YUV411 filter as a Progressive scan (3 passes if option is offered.) Always Resample rather than Resize the image if that choice is offered by your software. Use the highest quality setting when shooting with a digital cam, or if a numbered level of quality is available use 8 or 9 out of 10 or at least 84 out of 100.

Liz Parks, Sequim Agent
Welcome Home Realty
Simply Flowers
Heart and Soul Works