Inside Photoshop® CS

ImageReady, Photoshop, and Rollovers

Before programs like ImageReady were available, Web designers who wanted a highly graphic side with slick rollovers had to hand-code and optimize everything. This process could take upwards of 5 to 15 hours depending on the complexity and the designer's attention to detail. With ImageReady, these same tasks can take a fraction of the time to accomplish. Once you are familiar with the process, you could easily optimize a Web interface in as little as 20 minutes. (If you need a short course in rollovers, image slices, and optimization, see the sidebar titled “A Rollover Primer.”)

It's important to bear in mind that ImageReady's HTML scripting capabilities are limited. For instance, you cannot use ImageReady ...