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Picture Size, Resolution and Format for Online Viewing
Picture size, resolution and format requirements
are quite different for online viewing compared
to printed pictures. The size of a picture is
part of what makes it so slow to load in email,
on a website and in slideshows. The size is also
why some pictures cannot be sent or received by
some Internet service providers or email
providers.
A comfortable size for pictures to be
sent via email would be 450 pixels x 350 pixels
at a resolution of 72ppi. One can decrease the
pixels per inch of an online photo with little
to no quality loss, unlike with printed items,
which show a graininess when the resolution is
decreased too much. The standard resolution of
pictures viewed online, either on a website or
via email, is 72 ppi (pixels per inch). The
minimal resolution for printing is approximately
300dpi (dots per inch).
In standard nomenclature, when one addresses
online viewing of pictures, the size of a
picture entails more than just the physical
dimensions. The size of a picture viewed online
includes the weight of a picture plus the
physical dimensions of the picture. A picture
that is 450pixels X 350 pixels (6.3in X 4.9in)
can range from a mere 20kB to more than 1MB of
weight, depending upon the resolution. Holding
the physical dimensions constant, a picture
300ppi would weigh far more than 72ppi. The same
is true if one holds the resolution constant,
yet increases the physical dimensions of a
picture—the weight will increase. The
dimensional size of a picture will vary
depending upon where and what the picture will
be used for.
The weight of the picture will depend upon the
picture format plus the depth and volume of
colors present in the picture. The current web
friendly picture formats are .jpg, .gif, and the
latest format, .png. The .jpg format would be a
higher quality, less condensed yet it would
weigh more than either the .gif or the .png. The
.gif would be a lower quality yet lighter
weighted graphic. The .png is the best of both
worlds. It retains a good quality and it,
typically, weighs less than its counterparts.
The format .bmp is far too heavy and low quality
to be retained on websites. A picture that could
be 100KB in .jpg format could easily run over
1MB in .bmp format. While there are times when
.bmp is the best format to use, online picture
viewing is not one of those times.
Keep in mind that viewing pictures online will
also be dependent upon the viewer’s display
settings. What may look small on one system
could look huge on another system in which the
display settings are configured lower.
Another technique, which can be utilized with
other operating systems as well as WinXP, would
be to use a photo editing application. A good
photo editor will help you trim the dimensions
and weight of the picture, yet allow you to
retain the quality that you wish to share with
family, friends and colleagues. Most
digital cameras come with a CD that includes
photo-editing applications. One of the easier
and most flexible programs is Adobe PhotoShop
Elements 2.0. If it does not come with the
Digital Camera, it is relatively inexpensive,
easy to use and it has a great built-in
tutorial.
When you use Adobe PhotoShop Elements 2.0 to
resize the image there is more flexibility with
what you can do with the picture. The photo
editing applications have additional features
that enhance the photos such as: you can remove
red eye, lighten/darken pictures or do fun things
like adding frames or comments to the photos.
To resize photos you need to launch the Adobe
PhotoShop Elements 2.0, click on File, Open,
then locate the picture you wish to edit, This
will hopefully be in the folder created above in
‘Organize Photos’ located in C:\Documents and
Settings\YourUserName\My Documents\My
Pictures\Edited and finally in the folder where
the desired pictures are located.
Once you have the desired photo in Adobe
PhotoShop Elements 2.0 click on Image, Resize,
Image Size.
Figure 4.0 Image, Resize, Image Size.
A window will pop up with information pertaining
to the size and resolution of the picture. The
following must be done in order or you will wind
up with a smaller or blurry photo. First, change
the dimensions of the picture then click OK. The
standard size for email is approximately
600X450pixels (widthXheight) or slightly less.
There are some who prefer that pictures in email
be no more than 400pixels wide. Of course, if
the picture is to be used for websites or
artwork – the dimensional sizing will vary.
Notice that the ‘Constrain Proportions’ is
checked. This is important so that the width and
height are changed proportionately. Click on
File, Save As and name this picture something
appropriate and save it in the correct folder
under the Edited folder. This
organizes the file by its dimensions, who is in
the picture and it is saved in the folder that
holds all the pictures for a specific occasion under the
Edited pictures.
Figure 4.1 Image size - Dimensions
The next step is to change the resolution of the
picture. For viewing on the computer either on a
website or via email, 72ppi is more than
sufficient. If you wish to print out a picture
rather than keep it for viewing it on a
computer, the resolution will need to be
different and will rely upon the size of the
picture you wish to print. For the purposes of
this section, we are addressing computer viewed
pictures solely. Go back to Image->Resize ->
Image Size-> popup window we saw earlier. This
time, uncheck the Resample Image. You will
notice your options are more limited. The only
line you wish to touch is the Resolution. Change
this to 72 on the bottom line left column and
make sure you have pixels/inch chose in the last
line in the right hand column. Notice the
picture size remains the same. Click OK. File,
Save As - using a name that will assist you in
identifying the picture later.
Figure 4.2 Image resize - resolution.
Next we wish to change this to a format that all
who receive the picture can view it. File®Save
As-> move the format drop down to jpg. You will
then be prompted for more information.
Figure 4.3 Saving with jpg format
You will then be prompted for more information
such as Image options, etc. The key item is the
Image options and should be set at either 5 or
6.
Figure 4.4 Image options in the save file
Once you have the resized photo, you may open
your favorite email application (Outlook,
Outlook Express, etc) and choose to attach the
file.
If you wish to send more than one photo, you may
attach more than one picture to the email –
keeping in mind the email size limitations most
ISPs have (2MB – 5MB). You may also use a
compression program, such as
WinZip, which is typically packaged with most
systems.
http://www.winzip.com/.
Figure 4.5 Winzip
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