Upload and Resize for All Pictures

 

This will be known to many of you but not everyone so I'll mention it.

 

It is OK to resize images to a smaller size but if you try to make your images larger you will end up with a poorer quality image. This is because the number of pixels in the image is being spread over a wider area  (this is often referred to as an image becoming pixellated). If you do need a larger image it is best to start with a fresh one follwing the guide below. (If you are just resizing upwards by a few pixels then it may be OK but the best way is to check).

 

A good quality image adds a lot to your online store and in the same way a poor quality image can detract from it potentially losing sales.

 

Images that have been subjected to multiple compressions will also lose quality as the compression process takes away image detail to reduce the file size. I would always recommend keeping your original images in non lossy format, such as Photoshop's PSD, PaintShop's PSP or even as a BMP or TiFF, until the time when you are ready to upload to productcart. Keep the images in this format if you need to edit them - cropping for example. When the image is ready, resize it, while still in its non lossy format to the maximum size you will need on your website (or a little larger), add some unsharp mask (at about 70 to 80 depending on the image), then save as a JPG or GIF. You can use the save for web feature in Photoshop or its equivalent in PaintShop Pro. It is the Export feature in Fireworks.

 

Resizing the image to the maximum size needed before uploading for batch processing will save time and make the whole process much faster and more efficient. An average 5mp digital camera creates images of 1.5mb - 2.5mb but these images are much larger in size than you will ever need on a website. Resizing them to say 1000 pixels wide or high before upload will reduce the file size down to around 200 - 300kb. If you have a lot of images this takes a lot of pressure off the server and can help you avoid timeouts when uploading your images to Productcart.

 

All the image editing programs I mentioned above have batch processing features that make this process easy. You can also save the batch processing command for re-use later on.

 

This does not stop you using Seans Add-on for Batch processing for ProductCart as you will still need to create the Large, General and Thumbnail images in your store. This advice is for preparing the images before batch processing to give the best quality on your website.

 

Nigel

 

Sometimes it's much better to use something designed specifically for the job than buying a more expensive image editing tool and spending hours trying ot learn how to use it. Just ask anyone about when they first started using Photoshop !

 

Nigel