Image site--reducing load

[Ernest Perez]

From: Mary-Ellen Mort <memort at netcom.com>
  To: Multiple recipients of list <web4lib at library.berkeley.edu>


There is a website where you can enter the URL of a .gif and the site 
will then return a page of the .gif with reduced colors (and perhaps 
compact the .gif somehow.)

Does anyone know the address?

-------------------------end of original message--------------

Don't know abour the URL for such a graphic-file-reduction program.... 

But for another approach to "efficient graphics," subscribers may wish
to try out a shareware copy of WebImage, a graphics utility. This does
lots of manipulations of graphics, builds button bars, image maps,
reduces colors, etc.  It's not a regular graphics editor package, like a
PhotoShop or such. It's a powertool utility. 

F'r instance, here's a quote from the HELP file, relating to Mary
Ellen's file-size question: "One way that WebImage may quickly reduce
the size of a GIF file, is to resave a file and let WebImage auto-detect
the number of colors in an image and save the file in the appropriate
bit depth. For example, a 30 color GIF file will most likely have been
saved as an 8-bit (256 colors) file. WebImage will auto-detect the color
content of the image and save as a 5-bit (32 colors) file, effectively
reducing the file size.
"The content of the image is another consideration. Images with a wide
array of colors do not compress as well as images with large areas of a
single color. When color reducing an image, evaluate the difference
between the matched and dithered methods, as dithered files do not
compress well. Also consider using the JPG format for 24-bit images,
carefully evaluating the size versus quality issue."


Published by Group 42, the price for WebImage is $39.95. (Cheap)

Their site, for download or registering WebImage:
   Secured Web Orders: http://www.group42.com/
   Email: info at group42.com
   Toll Free: 800-520-0042 (US Only)
   Phone: (513) 831-3400

Cheers,
- ernest

Ernest Perez, Ph.D.//Oregon State Library//perez at opac.state.or.us
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