Optimize photos for the web

If you upload photos to the web for a blog or website, it is best to optimize the photo first. This reduces the file size so your viewers don't have an annoying delay while large photo files are loaded.

I use Adobe Photoshop for photo optimization. It is part of the Adobe Creative Suite I bought for my web technology classes. There are other photo editing programs so research the web for the best option for you. Your camera's software may have photo editing capabilities.

To optimize in Photoshop:

1. Open the image in PS
2. Duplicate the image (image > duplicate)
3. Crop excess photo around subject
4. Reduce image size (image > size > change dimensions here/select bicubic sharper > ok)
5. File > Save for web > jpeg medium quality

Duplicate your image so, if you're not happy with the results, your original is preserved.

For landscape orientation, I use a 300 pixel width and let the height set proportionately.
For portrait orientation, I use a 250 pixel width.



Most jpeg images, will be fine at a medium quality.
The optimization process reduced a 183K file down to 18K. That will allow websites with your photographs to download much quicker.


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Finding a web host

I blogged earlier in the year about trying out a free web hosting service. If you followed those blogs, you are aware that the site was down more than it was up. Taking into account the time spent putting together a website, setting up the server account, and loading the website to the web host server, I concluded that even a free web host was not worth the trouble if the site was down extensively.

Web hosting can be obtained for around $5 a month, and there are many reliable choices. I launched my first commercial website in September, and have found IMH to be a good web host. As with many host companies, their website provides tutorials and instructional materials for website management. They also have customer service tools like a chat line and faq pages that are helpful.

I chose my host company by geographic location and pricing. Decide what aspects of a web host are most important to you, and chose your host accordingly.  Recommendations from friends can also help in the decision making.

Posterize with Windows Moviemaker

There’s an interesting effect available on Windows Moviemaker. 

After loading your video, select Visual effects > posterize.

Here’s a video demonstrating the effect:

Windows Moviemaker software comes standard with many computers. 

It allows you to add music, title, credits, and captions to a video. I usually cut excessive video with Adobe Media Encoder then load the video (avi) file into Windows Moviemaker for music and text. If you need a flv or f4v format, load the file back into Media Encoder to convert it. 

If you don't have Adobe Media Encoder (this comes with Adobe Flash which is part of the Adobe Creative Suite), Windows Moviemaker allows length editing, but no format conversion.

Obviously, a tripod would have made a much smoother video.

The music was downloaded from ccmixter.org. It's DoKashiteru by The Annual New England Xylophone Symposium.