Image SIze Question, Do I need to resize it for my website? Options

[alia828]

I have a fairly large photo I have turned into an imagemap...My question is, should I resize the image to the normal browser window size? What if somebody has a large monitor , I would like for them to be able to see a large version of the photo if possible. If I Should resize, should I do this in the html or in photoshop? Ok, one more...I tried resizing it to normal window size at one point and when I saved it and reopened it, the photo looked very grainy, why?...any help is Greatly appreciated!! thanks!

[markmejia]

I hope I'm understanding your problem correctly, but -

Unless you have access to some hardcore javascript or something, you'll need to stick to a certain image size. The layout shouldn't be too large for someone using a small screen resolution, nor should it be too small for someone using a large screen resolution. I mean .. try to get the size in the middle somewhere, lol.

As for the graininess that you mentioned - when you try to enlarge an image, the picture tends to get distorted and grainy.

[MissHygienic]

The width is more important than the height, unless you want a horizontal scrolling layout. It depends on what you want to achieve. There's no "normal browser window size." I try to keep my graphics less than 900px wide. You'll need to provide more details and specifics if you want the best answer.

As far the resizing issue, it's easier to scale a large image down to a small one than vice-versa. I would not recommend scaling it to be bigger than you originally made it.

Moved to Graphics Help.

[alia828]

ok, thanks for the info! as for the photoshop question, i did not enlarge my photo, i actually scaled it down from its original large size to a smaller size and it looked fine at the time but then when i saved it and reopened it in a browser window it was all grainy

[synatribe]

I dont know if this is the regular size but I make my layouts at 800x800 pixels:]

[Smarmosaur]

resizing any image will make it pixelated. it's obviously more noticable when you're enlarging them. it also depends on how much you're taking it down to, and the quality of the image to begin with. generally, more complex images with a lot of effects and such tend to get pixelated quicker, the smaller they get. from now on, make the image the size you know you're going to use.

i would also suggest, if you have the original PSD (or whatever high-quality default for the program your using), go ahead and resize again, only a small amount each time. this gives the program less..."work", allowing it to also resize and keep a decent image quality.

[SkeleBoy]

I have a fairly large photo I have turned into an imagemap...My question is, should I resize the image to the normal browser window size? What if somebody has a large monitor , I would like for them to be able to see a large version of the photo if possible. If I Should resize, should I do this in the html or in photoshop? Ok, one more...I tried resizing it to normal window size at one point and when I saved it and reopened it, the photo looked very grainy, why?...any help is Greatly appreciated!! thanks!

First, definitely resize the image in photoshop. Resizing it with html can cause the photo to get distorted, grainy, or blurry.
As someone else said, you will most likely have to just decide on one size.

About the graininess: Check your color depth. RGB 8 bit/channel, or 16 million colors is ideal. If you have too little color depth, then resizing will make your pictures very grainy. Oftentimes, photo editing software will decrease the color depth to the minimum level upon saving, to cut back on space used. So when you re-open the image, you need to bump the color depth back up.

Hope this helped! =]

[venti-anemoi]

Quick question - when you save your image file, are you using save as or save for web? I've noticed that if you use save as and make it .jpeg or .gif, the saved version tends to be a lot grainier than how it looks in photoshop. But if you use save for web, that shouldn't be a problem.

The smallest sized screen resolution most people have is usually 800*600 pixels, and people get annoyed if they have to scroll two ways (vertically and horizontally) so I normally make the image less than 780px or 770px (because the scrollbar takes up part of the screen). But like MissHygeinic said, if you're intentionally making it a horizontal-scrolling layout, the width can go beyond 800px and it's the height you have to think about; I'd say no more than 400px high.