image offer to chriscool9

[soybean]

chriscool9, let's tame that monster image you recently inserted into your sig block image to replace the former image.  As you will recall, we went through this exercise with your former image.  Your current monster is 98,896 bytes; it's a PNG image.  By merely opening it with Paint and saving as a JPEG, that file size will drop to about 16,463 bytes, about 1/6 the current image.

If you want, grab it here: http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/farmpond/forums/kanonz5.jpg and move it over to whatever web server you're using for your web images.

[chriscool9]

Hahahaha, thanks for that. I shoulda learnt from the last time, ive moved it over already so you can deleate it. Hahahah thanks buddy.

Chris

[rlprlp]

Really, I'm only curious; not trying to "stir something up"...  I notice that a lot here.  If it's such a problem, why doesn't the site limit image sizes?  If I were going to post an image, if the site allowed me without some kind of "error" message, I would assume that it was perfectly okay.  

[soybean]

That's a good point.  Actually, some forums do limit the size of avatar files.  I don't know for sure whether some also limit the size of sig block images but it would make just as much sense, if not more so, as limiting the file size of avatars.  I know phpBB forum software allows limiting avatar file size; I don't know whether that feature is built-in to YaBB forum software, which is what Computer Hope uses.

I don't know whether forum admin here considers bloated images a problem.  But, avoiding bloated images will definitely make a noticable difference to anyone using dialup Internet connection.  

Many people just don't know that an image file size can be vastly different and yet look the same on the web.  As in this case, just converting the image from PNG to JPEG with Paint, which all Windows users have, greatly reduces the image size.  It's easy to do.  So, why not do it?

[Zylstra]

YaBB Forum Software does not regulate Avatar size.
I'm sure there is a board mod to do so, but that would require tedious installation and backups.

[rlprlp]

Then how about some type of polite notice:  "Please help your fellow members surf CH faster by only using JPEG..."?  Could that be done fairly easily?  Just a thought.  

[Zylstra]

Then how about some type of polite notice:  "Please help your fellow members surf CH faster by only using JPEG..."?  Could that be done fairly easily?  Just a thought.  

It could be done in an agreement that you get when registering...
Or the Admin could email all the members...
But there's not much you can do... we can only make posts...
Luckily, we have Soybean here to moderate Avatar size and help the boards become more efficient.

[Dilbert]

Well, if the avatar/sig pic has text, and the quality of the text is compromised by the JPG format, then it should be OK to use PNG (the smallest non-dithering image type), if the image is "actual size". But if it looks OK with JPG then you should use it. Not official rules, just common sense.

[soybean]

Dilbert, I agree.  I would not suggest to anyone that they use JPG rather than PNG if it resulted in loss of image quality for use as an avatar.  But so far, I have not seen such a case here in the forum.  

I just found a web page titled Benefits of the PNG Image Format and it has this paragraph, which I found interesting:

"What about JPEG?
Unlike PNG, JPEG uses a lossy compression routine. Lossy compression means that the image loses quality and information each time it is saved. Because JPEG uses lossy compression, the filesize is almost always smaller then a PNG, especially for photographic images. Care must be taken when working with JPEG images as each time a JPEG is re-saved, more and more compression artifacts are introduced. Since PNG uses lossless compression it's an ideal format ideal for archival purposes, and for editing before saving a final version as a JPEG. JPEG is the most common image format used on the web, and will continue to be. Most photographic images should be saved as JPEG as opposed to PNG for viewing on the web as the filesize will be much smaller."

[Dilbert]

Well, of course. I didn't think that you would be some sort of walking billboard for JPG (unless you invented the format. )