Web Graphics - Exporting To Web Format

Most (if not all) web browsers rely on graphics being saved in either JPEG format or GIF format. PNG format is also typically accepted, but you might have problems displaying PNG in some.

What this means for those of us who build web pages, is that we have to make sure we save our images in the right format. As long as your image is in GIF or JPEG format it should be displayable, however, your images will look much better if you know which format to choose (i.e. GIF or JPEG).

JPEG is a format that suits images with lots of colors such as photos. GIF is better for images with less colors and especially if they're flat colors. Therefore, images are great for logos, cartoons, fancy text etc. To learn more about this, check out the GIF vs JPEG article.

How to Export to GIF/JPEG Format

Graphics software usually provide you with an "Export" option from the file menu. This option allows you to export the image to a different format, for example GIF format.

Select "Export" from the file menu:
Name your image, select a format, then click "Save":

"Save As" Web Format

Some graphics software, especially photo editors, allow you to "Save As" straight to a web format.

Select "Save" from the file menu:
Name the image. This example uses a photo editor called "GIMP". GIMP allows you to set the format by giving it the appropriate file extension (.gif for GIF and .jpg for JPEG):
Further options. In this case, we're saving in JPEG format. When saving as JPEG, we get the option of choosing its quality. The higher the quality the larger the file (the longer the download time):

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