Things You'll Need:
- Monitor
- Photos
- Image Editing Software
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Step 1
Before you start playing with your images, you need to calibrate your monitor. The chances are good that is it is off. Use the color bars I’ve uploaded next to this paragraph. Follow the directions I’ve outlined in my posting “How to Set a Video Monitor or TV” to Color Bars at http://www.ehow.com/how_4471296_video-monitor-tv-color-bars.html The hot link is below:
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Step 2
Another option is to pick up a Pantone Huey Monitor Calibrator available readily on line for less than $80 that lets you calibrate your monitor consistently in just a few simple steps. You can also adjust it quickly as ambient lighting conditions change.
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Step 3
Now upload your photo to your image software. Familiarize yourself with all of the controls: hue, which is tint; saturation which is the amount of color; lightness which is the percentage of white; brightness which lightens and darkens a picture; and contrast which is like the picture control on your monitor. It’s better to manipulate your image when it is the biggest, ideally in RAW, BMP or TIFF, before you decide on the compression scheme you’ll be using. I like to use brightness color and hue first. Contrast is my last control that I use to add snap to the image. Use the brush or clone stamp tools to clean up the image.
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Step 4
Now decide on the shape you need for your photo. If I’m adding photos to an email newsletter, sometimes I won’t know the aspect ratio of a shot until I’ve finished the accompanying story. Again, to maximize quality do your initial cropping to the file when it is still full sized. Get into the habit of saving your work at different stages to protect yourself. I like to keep files of the raw photos in case I make a mistake I can’t undo. I also put aside the corrected images in a separate folder before I compress them.
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Step 5
Next decide on your compression scheme. JPEG photos offer great compression for full color images. GIF’s have the advantage of being able to knock the background out of the original shot so that the background of the web page shows through. They are good for logos or for layering in Photoshop. GIF’s also work well with black and white images. They load faster than JPEGs because the files are more highly compressed. If you are using Photoshop, to decide on compression, go to the controls marked Save for the Web.
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Step 6
Adjust the size of the image. You don’t want somebody to navigate away from a page while it is loading. In Photoshop set the resolution at 72 dots per inch, setting the dimensions at what you think it will take on your page. Now save it at the lower resolution.
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Step 7
Finally if you are doing an email newsletter, never send the photos as attachments. In your HTML editing software for your newsletter, either Dreamweaver or the propriety software like that supplied by constant contact, give each photo a distinct URL that will link 24/7 to a server like this one: http://www.checkmatepictures.com/paul%20lightning.jpg Below I’ve provided a link to my latest email newsletter, Reverse Aging News, for a closer look at how this is one.
Comments
Hode said
on 12/21/2008 Good advice. Thanks!