Most pictures that come from a digital camera are really big. The image size is usually 1200 x 1600 pixels high and wide or above and the dpi (dots per inch) is about 300 which is a good size for printing on paper. Computer monitors however, cannot display 300 dpi, they can only display 72 dpi. So, in order to save space on our web sites, we should reduce the size of our images, thus optimizing them for the web.

Here's how to do that:

1. Launch Photoshop


2. File > Open > [the image that you want to edit]


3. Change the Image Size:
   
   • Image > Image Size > Change Width: 400 or larger depending on how big you want the picture. (Note: don't change the height, changing the width should automatically change the height as well.)
   
   
   • Click OK. Note: the image will appear small. Just drag the border of the image to the right and change the magnifation to 100% (Ctrl +)
   
   
4. Optimize Your Image for the Web:
   
   • File > Save for Web
   
   
   • A screen will come up with your image. You'll see in the lower left-hand corner the type of file and the size. Your goal is to make the file as small in size (kb) as possible while maintaining a quality image.
   
   
   • Up on the right you'll see Settings and a pull down menu listing different jpg & gif settings. (Jpgs are best for photos. Gifs are good for clipart) You can play around with these, every time you choose one you'll see the quality of the image and the file size change.
   
   
   • Most often you'll choose jpg high quality
   
   
   • When your satified with your settings, click ok and save it to your computer. (Note: You'll probably want to keep the larger image on your computer in case you want to print it out. And so you may want to create a folder just for the smaller, optimized images)