Web Design All-in-One for Dummies®

Chapter 7. Slicing and Optimizing Web Graphics

In This Chapter

• Selecting the appropriate Web graphic format

• Choosing the right optimization program or tool

• Slicing and optimizing techniques

• Choosing the proper optimization settings

• Outputting optimized files and graphics

Before you begin the optimization process of your Web graphics, you should have a clear understanding of how the graphics and photos you use on your Web site need to be different from the ones you might use in a print project, such as a brochure or annual report. For one, print graphics are high resolution, whereas Web graphics must be set to a low resolution. For another, print graphics depend on the CMYK color mode, whereas any graphics used for on-screen and Web presentation must use RGB color.

In this chapter, you find out about all the differences between Web and print, as well as everything you need to know to create graphics that are ready for Web optimization. Without this preparation — and especially without optimization — the graphics and photos on your Web sites would simply be too large to transmit over the Web and display in a browser on a visitor's computer monitor in an acceptable time frame.

In the following sections, you find an overview of Web graphics as compared to print graphics. You also discover tips about choosing an optimization program. Following that, you find out about the different Web file formats, ...