Fac-Tech ResourcesScholarly Technologies for Teaching and Learning |
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PaintShopPro, http://www.jasc.com, and PhotoImpact, http://www.ulead.com are graphics programs with a built in compression routine, which is advantegeous for making graphics files small without losing clarity. Both of these programs can manipulate and compress graphics.
Many of the professional reviewers claim that PaintShopPro and PhotoImpact can do 90% or more of what Photoshop does for about a third of the price. And the truth is, most users never get even close to using all the functionality of most software programs. PaintShopPro and PhotoImpact are likely to have more features than you need and will probably dazzle you with all that they can do. Each is available as a free download to be used on a trial basis. Good deal!
Adobe's Photoshop, http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/, is the top professional graphics program, with a full range of features. It is aimed at the top of the market both in terms of the price and the expertise required to use the program. It is the best graphics program, despite its expense and high learning curve. The typical user might want to start with a simpler graphics software program.
Macromedia's Fireworks, http://macromedia.com/software/fireworks/, is a graphics program for the Web, and is integrated into their Dreamweaver HTML editor, http://macromedia.com/software/dreamweaver/.
Fireworks has similar features to Photoshop, and the ease of use when integrating graphics into Dreamweaver Web sites is Firework's enormous time saving advantage. Both also feature a Web Accessibility plug-in that helps you easily make your site accessible.
Macromedia's Flash, http://macromedia.com/software/flash/, is a high-tech animation and graphics program that can incorporate sound and moving images. With a solid background in computer graphics and a lot of time, a designer can add some way kewl effects to a page.
Swish, http://www.swishzone.com, is an animation program that is relatively easy to use and is an inexpensive alternative ($50) to Macromedia's Flash.
Alan Marks Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Gerontology and Aimee Dixon Instructional Technology Specialist Provost's Office
Aimee Dixon acdixon@ualr.edu
Updated October 2, 2001
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Compressing graphic files will make your site pop up faster on your user's monitor. This is true for those planning to use WebCT and for those who are creating their own free standing websites.
If you only have a few graphics to compress, try Spinwave, http://www.spinwave.com. It compresses both GIFs and JPEGs online.
You can make a graphic file transparent (using a GIF format) or use a graphic that has the same background color as your web page. |
