Preserved Topic: Image optimisation question?

Hello all.
I am doing my personal site at the moment, and i am having trouble getting the title image to blend with the tiled background image of the page (see http://zonedesigns.virtualave.net/title_prob.html for details)

If i save the image as a gif (for transparency, the drop shadow doesnt turn out properly, but if i save is as a jpg with the page background, it gets distorted and doesn't match the page.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance

[This message has been edited by mjv (edited 11-10-2000).]

I'm guessing here but when you created the text image is your background layer white?
If so you need to make that a similar colour to the background that you will be placing the image on before you export the file to .gif and choose that colour as transparent. That should help I think.

Thanks trixter for the help
I'm trying it now
I hope it works!

James

I don't know what program you are using to optimize, but make sure your matte is set to none. It looks like the white fringe in .gif one could be because matte is set to white, otherwise, Trixter is on the money with the transparent bit.

Thanks guys
I will try your suggestions when i get home from work.

Your help is much appreciated
Thanks

btw
i use photoshop for the optimisation

mjv: you have a couple of options here.. first off have you checked out the Docs tutorial on transparency...
http://www.handson.nu/HTML/dither.shtml

this will explain a bit how to maintain a drop shadow...

The size of your image and the number of colours will dictate the file size (kb) of your final optimized image. Sometimes you have to make do with what you have. 26kb is kind of big, but then how big is the page that graphic will be on in total? if its not huge then maybe 26kb is fine?

All about compromise... maybe you can make the graphic smaller... maybe sacrifice a little quality...

From looking at your graphic you might be able to save some kb size by cropping it down closer to the text?.. all just thoughts that you might consider..

hope that helps

~Vp~

edit:typos



[This message has been edited by vogonpoet (edited 11-10-2000).]

thanks a lot vogonpoet

I am checking out the tutorial now.
On the final image i will crop it down closer, but for the sake of showing this forum my problem, i didn't bother.

thanks for your help

Hey again

I ended up just saving the file as a gif, with the background included in it because i couldn't work out how to select a colour as being transparent (like thetrixter suggested above).

I am using photoshop's "save for web" feature btw

If anyone knows how to do this can they please tell me.

Thanks in advance

hey mjv... try this.. FILE---->EXPORT-----GIF89A

in this menu you should see a colour dropper and a little preview window that lets you see yur graphic.

what you can do here is use the dropper to select the colours of your BG around your graohic that you would llike to be transparent. As you select areas of your graphic the little preview window should update.

This method is only availabe once you have converted your RGB to indexed colour via the IMAGE--->MODE----INDEXED... this FLATTEN your PSD fiole so make sure you have a saved copy of it befor eyou flatten!..

that should do the trick.... if ya get stuck post back <img border=0 align=absmiddle src="http://www.ozones.com/forum/smile.gif">

~Vp~

To do it using the save for the web feature:

1. Turn the layer with your background off.
2. Select File -> Save for Web.
3. Put the checkmark in the transparency box.
4. Make sure your matte is set to none, or the average color of your bg.(there's a tute to find the avg. color somewhere on Doc's site)
5. Save your file as .gif.

edit* When I said turn your background layer off, you also need to be sure you see the grey and white checkerboard squares beneath your logo after that. If not, you might need to turn off some other layers that are below the layer with your logo on it.

[This message has been edited by butcher (edited 11-12-2000).]