File Format in the Web and Graphic Basics
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by: Ranold Anton
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You currently can use only three image file formats in the Web Site Design:
GIF, JPG, and PNG. These formats all compress images to create smaller
files. Knowing which file format to use for which type of images is
important. If you choose the wrong file type, your image will not
compress or appear as you expect. Color depth (described in the “Color
Basics” section of this chapter) is a factor in image file format as
well. Of the three Web-based image file formats, JPG supports 24-bit
color, GIF supports 8-bit color, and PNG supports both 8-bit and 24-bit
color. The file format’s color depth controls the number of colors that
can be displayed.
GIF
The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is San Francisco Web design
for online delivery of graphics. GIF uses a lossless compression
technique, meaning that no color information is discarded when the
image is compressed.
The color depth of GIF is 8-bit, allowing a palette of no more than 256
colors. In fact, the fewer colors you use, the greater the compression,
which results in smaller file size. The GIF file format excels at
compressing and displaying flat color areas, making it the logical
choice for line art and color graphics. Because of its limited color
depth, GIF is not the best file format for photographs or more complex
graphics that have gradations of color, such as shadows and feathering.
GIF Transparency
With GIF files you can choose one color in an image to appear as
transparent in the browser. The background color or pattern will show
through the areas that you have designated as transparent. Using
transparent areas allows you to create graphics that appear to have an
irregular outside shape, rather than being bounded by a rectangle.
You can create transparent areas using a graphics editor. When you
choose the transparent color, all pixels of that color in the image
will let the background color show through.
GIF Animation
The GIF format lets you store multiple images and timing information
about the images in a single file. The means that you can build
animations consisting of multiple static images that play continuously,
creating the illusion of motion. This is exactly the same technique
used in cell-based animation. You can create animated GIFs with a
variety of both shareware and commercial software.
GIF animation is somewhat limited when compared to the results of other
proprietary animation tools such as Macromedia Shockwave or Flash,
which can play synchronized sounds and allow Web users to interact with
the animation. Creating animations with these applications, however,
requires browser plug-ins, and viewing the animations demands heavy
download times. Unlike most proprietary tools, you do not need any
special plug-ins to view animated GIFs, and, if you limit color and
motion when creating your animations, you can keep your file sizes
small for faster downloads.
Use restraint when adding animated GIFs, such as blinking icons and
scrolling banners, to your pages. Users may find them annoying because
they are repetitive and distract from the page content. Consider
choosing to play an animation only a certain number of times rather
than letting them loop endlessly.
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About the Author
The author is an experienced Web designer specialized in building Search engine friendly websites. He is with Flying cow , a web design las vegas, california web design and san francisco web design silicon City based company.
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