12. Preparing Images for the Web

The odds are pretty good that at some point you’re going to want to post your images on a Web page. Whether you decide to post a snapshot of an old push mower to an Internet auction site or just want to send vacation photos to your Aunt Ruth, the considerations are pretty much the same.

Size and speed influence most decisions regarding image preparation for the Web, and they are the central themes of this chapter. The goal of virtually every step of every procedure that follows is to make your images as small and compact as possible. That’s not to say we’re abandoning aesthetics altogether—after all, there’s little purpose in uploading a photograph that’s too fuzzy or distorted to be seen clearly. So although this chapter focuses on creating small, easy-to-download images, it’s also about creating compact files that look good.