How to Make a JPEG Advertisement File on Windows

JPEG stands for "Joint Photographic Experts Group." It is a color image storage format that was developed by this group to be used for online applications. The file is smaller in size, yet still has a good, clear, high-quality look when viewed onscreen. When you're putting together an advertisement for online display, it's best to use either a GIF (Gamma Irradiation Facility) or a JPEG file. Both file types were designed to mimic the quality that you would see walking by a billboard, without hogging the bandwidth on website hosting services.

Things You'll Need

• Image design and editing program (like Photoshop or Illustrator)
• Powerpoint (optional)

Instructions

1. Design your advertisement in an image editing program. You can also create a JPEG image by starting with a simple Powerpoint file. Decide what size you want your advertisement file to be in inches (length by width). Add your background first (a photo to complement your advertising message or a solid color).

2. Add in your words. Use a color that contrasts with the background optimally to convey your advertising message. Choose a font that goes with the feel of your advertisement. For example, if you are selling elegant wedding dresses, an italic, fancy script font would be most appropriate. If your advertisement is fun and silly, a wacky or bubble font would work. Reposition everything as needed.

3. Resize your file to fit onscreen. JPEG files are commonly used for web advertisements, so you want to make sure that it is small enough to fit the screen, yet large enough to give you a good resolution quality. Most web browsers are designed to fit a maximum image of about 800 by 600 pixels or 1024 by 768 pixels without the need to scroll in order to see the entire picture onscreen.

4. Save your file as a JPEG. In most image editing programs, this is a simple matter of selecting "Save As" on your "File" menu, then saving the file type as "JPEG" or "JPG." In Adobe Photoshop you have the option to "Save for Web," which optimizes the JPEG file for online viewing. In Powerpoint, you simply need to click "Save As" and scroll down under "Save as Type" to find the JPEG file interchange format.

Tips & Warnings

• Many banner advertisement JPEGs are sized to 728 by 90px (called a leaderboard), 468 by 60px (standard banner) or 250 by 250px (square).

Resources

• Working with JPEG files
• Adobe Photoshop