NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THIS TRICK
for slimming image files
FACES . EXPRESSIONS . SYMBOLS . ICONS
DRAWING . TOUCHSCREEN PAINTING ON iPAD, iPHONE OR GALAXY NOTE
PHOTOSHOP. GIF Optimiser.
THE SECRET OF THE BUTCHER'S APRON
Every woman knows that horizontal stripes are a no-no if you want to flatter the figure.
With GIF graphic files it's the other way round.
The file on the left is 1,210 bytes. The one on the right with the horizontal stripes is exactly the same size and has the same number of colours. The only difference is the direction of the bands of blue. Yet Horizontal Stripey weighs in at only 974 bytes.
Why? Because GIF computer images scan from side to side across the picture, noting whenever the pixel colour changes. There are many more changes when the stripes go from top to bottom. This makes a larger file.
Yes, yes, I know it's a small difference; but small differences make a big difference when you are optimising small graphics!
Anyway this is something you may like to bear in mind when you are making GIF graphics for phones, emoticons, logos or other images you need to keep at the smallest possible size.
Of course when we're talking of GIF optimization, nothing beats Photoshop Save For Web for dramatic file size reductions.
You may associate Photoshop with huge graphic files, but Photoshop is good at tiny too.
Photoshop GIF optimiser. An extra trick.
CUT PIXELS, CUT EXPENSE Email big photos . Cut gallery costs
HANDLING ICON-SIZED IMAGES Sharper pictures . Nano images
Icons from photos . Photoshop icons . MS Paint . Graphic Converter
DOWNSIZE GIFs Photoshop GIF optimizer . Rainbow ride . GIF secret
SAVE SPACE Use a pun . Animate . Anagrams . Part for whole
AGENDA ICONS Beat information overload . Calendar icons
(c) Valerie Beeby 1998 - 2012
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