After all your hard work making a layout, it's time to resize
and save your layout to post on the web!
1. Resize Image
Saving for the web is very easy. The first step is to go to Image>Resize
or Shift-S to open the Resize dialog box.
fig 1.1
When resizing for the web, use 72 pixels/inch (also called 72
dpi for dots per inch). Either manually type 72 into the Resolution
box, or click the arrows or slider to scroll to 72.
After selecting the correct Resolution, enter the dimensions.
For the DSP gallery, the height should be between 500 and 600
pixels. Manually type the Height into the box and the Width will
change accordingly if the Lock Aspect Ratio box is checked to
make the padlock icon visible.
Note: Always enter the resolution first before making any dimension
changes! Changing the resolution automatically changes the dimensions,
so if you enter your desired dimensions before lowering the resolution,
PSP will automatically update the size with the smaller resolution
equivalent! Then you'll wonder why your image is so tiny on the
web.
In figure 1.1 I manually typed in 550 pixels for the Height,
then changed the resolution to 72. See how the height was changed
to 198 pixels? That is tiny and will be difficult to see any detail
on a web layout at that size. Always check to make sure the resolution
and the dimensions are correct before clicking OK.
Check all three boxes at the bottom.
Resample is the mathematical calculations PSP performs to fill
in added or lost pixel information in a resize or resampling function.
PSP can choose the best resampling algorithm if Smart Size is
selected.
The resampling parameters are not critical as we'll change the
image quality when saving for the Web that could override these
settings.
Lock Aspect Ratio keeps the Height and Width relative so there's
in no distortion. Try resizing without this box checked to see
the effect!
Check the Resize All Layers box to resize all the layers: leaving
it unchecked resizes just the active layer.
2. Save in Web Quality
Web images are not in PSP format of .psp or .pspimage, but in
a format called JPEG or .jpg
After resizing your image, go to File>Export>JPEG Optimizer
to open the save for web image dialog box. Paintshop Pro has an
image optimizer function that allows you to preview the effect
of changes in image quality on file size.
Fig 1.2
Use the Preset drop down box for the Default or Last Used settings.
Though in scrapbooking, each image is so different, unlike photographs,
that the settings must be adjusted manually to ensure correct
file size.
DSP requires web file sizes under 125k for posting to the galleries,
but most other applications such as sharing with the Yahoo! Computer
Scrapping group or submitting layouts for publication require
file sizes under 100k. Change the number in the Compression box
to get a file size under 100k: the sample in figure 1.2 is 95.93K
(there are 1,000 bytes in a kilobyte, so keep the file size under
100,000 bytes to be under 100k). Less complex images will still
have good image quality at higher compression settings: each image
is different.
Save Exif Data is only for digital photos. New images like scrapbook
layouts don't contain this data.
Chroma subsampling helps blend colors more smoothly to reduce
jagged edges on compressed images. Leave this on Default as it's
the best choice for images with many colors and subtle transitions.
Click Use Wizard to go through each step with dialog boxes and
prompts instead of manually in the dialog box. It gives clear
explanations of what each setting is for.
You can also look at the other tabs to set the Background Color
if there are transparent areas of your image (JPEG does not support
transparency, but scrapbook pages do not usually need transparent
backgrounds). The Format is either Progressive loading, or Standard,
but Standard is more common and less prone to sharing errors.
The Download Times gives an overview of the approximate time to
download a file of the current size with various modem speeds.
Once you're satisfied with the preview quality and file size,
click OK.
Now you're ready to upload to the DSP gallery to share with others!
Click here to learn how!
© 2004 Digital Scrapbook Place, LLC
