Why they cut big pics

J

Jan Faerber

Why is it that on many pay sites and on others (like those you find
sometimes on alt.html when someone asks for advice)
they cut a big photoshop styled entrance pic into more small pics and
fix them again together with html (or css or whatever)

When you load the page you see the different parts of the site do not
load at the same time.

Has this some reason (e.g. to be able to add a link to one part of a
picture sometimes later - ? - )

This is not a specific html topic
but when you do your site with pics what is wrong with one big pic?
 
A

Adrienne Boswell

Gazing into my crystal ball I observed Jan Faerber
Why is it that on many pay sites and on others (like those you find
sometimes on alt.html when someone asks for advice)
they cut a big photoshop styled entrance pic into more small pics and
fix them again together with html (or css or whatever)

When you load the page you see the different parts of the site do not
load at the same time.

Has this some reason (e.g. to be able to add a link to one part of a
picture sometimes later - ? - )

This is not a specific html topic
but when you do your site with pics what is wrong with one big pic?

That's what I call slice n dice, and the reason it is done is so the
browser will download pieces of the larger picture, hopefully saving
download time. However, this does mean there is a separate request to
the server for each piece, which can _increase_ download time instead.

My advice is to use a graphic program to optimize the image to its
smallest size without losing quality.
 
J

Jan Faerber

hopefully saving download time.
which can _increase_ download time instead.

Ok - a undefinable secret of webdesign. You better stop. Thank you.
My advice is to use a graphic program to optimize the image to its
smallest size without losing quality.

Yes - I think I understand: Last time we had this page:
http://www.tssarcade.com/test.html
and the pic on the top is smaller: http://www.tssarcade.com/graphics/logo.jpg
hope noone is angry when I repost this url
 
C

cwdjrxyz

Gazing into my crystal ball I observed Jan Faerber
<[email protected]> writing in (e-mail address removed):







That's what I call slice n dice, and the reason it is done is so the
browser will download pieces of the larger picture, hopefully saving
download time.  However, this does mean there is a separate request to
the server for each piece, which can _increase_ download time instead.

My advice is to use a graphic program to optimize the image to its
smallest size without losing quality.

Slice and dice is very easy to do if you have certain graphic programs
such as PaintShop. First you need to use the image program to produce
the smallest bite size for which you will tolerate the quality. For
example, many photos these day have a many MB byte size. Then you use
a program provided by PaintShop to slice into cells of the desired
vertical and horizontal dimensions. This is very easy and rapid to do
once you do it one or two times. The program outputs and labels all of
the cells and even writes the html to put them back together again on
your web page. Thus it is mainly a matter of copy and paste to put the
restored image on your page.

Slice and dice does not seem to be used as much as it once was. I am
not for sure when it would save enough time to be justified. However
slice and dice is sometimes useful for special situations. See my
parrot's puzzle page at http://www.cwdjr.net/test/picturePuzzle.html .
Rather than restoring the whole picture from the 36 cells, I
randomized their position and left considerable white space between
them. A drag-and-drop script in the head allows you to move the cells
to restore the image.

For someone using a page of small images with links to a huge high
resolution images, slice and dice might be more useful. Even if it
saves no time, it would show the high resolution image being built up
if someone clicks the link to it, and thus it might keep people from
thinking the link is not working and leaving if they are on a very
slow connection.
 
D

dorayme

Adrienne Boswell said:
Gazing into my crystal ball I observed Jan Faerber
....

That's what I call slice n dice, and the reason it is done is so the
browser will download pieces of the larger picture, hopefully saving
download time. However, this does mean there is a separate request to
the server for each piece, which can _increase_ download time instead.

It is very rare to see just simple whole picture slicing. Usually you
will see it in conjunction with whole page layout. Then the reasons for
it are more complex than for mere speed of download.

Text in the picture or pictures - that is, picture of text) is isolated
this way in some of the table cells, for the purpose of links sometimes
in conjunction with rollovers.

Sometimes real HTML text is inserted into some cells, not necessarily
with pic or pic bg.

As for the download speed saving idea, one idea touted for this
technique is that not all bits of pictures are equally deserving of
quality, so the bits not so blessed can be compressed more, thus saving
file space on the whole.

The whole business of it seems to be a bit like taking a smaller
elephant to a party in order not to make too much of a disturbance.
Better to take a good looking sheila or a handsome feller along.
 
T

Travis Newbury

Why is it that on many pay sites and on others (like those you find
sometimes on alt.html when someone asks for advice)
they cut a big photoshop styled entrance pic into more small pics and
fix them again together with html (or css or whatever)

When you load the page you see the different parts of the site do not
load at the same time.

Has this some reason (e.g. to be able to add a link to one part of a
picture sometimes later - ? - )

This is not a specific html topic
but when you do your site with pics what is wrong with one big pic?

It's a design thing. Images (designs) can have curves. Tables (and
divs), which most of these are based on, are square. Cutting up the
image lets you put a round peg in a square hole.
 
J

Jan Faerber

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