Website Graphics / Web Page Graphics
One of the things that many people do on their computers is to work with graphics or pictures in some way or another. This is a far cry, however, from the website graphics that are typically used online and exactly how they should be used on your web page. In reality, the entire subject of web page graphics is a rather simple one, but you need to make sure that you have a basic understanding of it so that you can utilize them properly.
Website Graphics Formats
Although there are a number of different types of pictures and images that can be used on a website, two of the main types that are used are JPEG and GIF images. The reason why these are used is because they tend to be smaller images so they will load faster. This is not always going to be an issue, especially if your audience tends to be a technically savvy one that visits your website through a high-bandwidth connection. There are still some people, however, who expect the website to load in a snap and you would want to use one of these smaller images for that very purpose.
JPG / JPEG
The JPEG is a good solution when you are putting a picture online or if you need to have a compressed image with many colors. JPEG images can easily be resized and with the right program, you can also compress them considerably so that they will load even faster. Something that you need to keep in mind, however, is the fact that when you do compress an image you will lose some of the sharpness. This is not going to matter in some instances, but in others, high-resolution is preferred.
GIF
GIF images are frequently used when animation is going to be included on the web page. This type of image can also be used for pictures and other types of graphics, but they tend to be a little bit larger than the JPEG when used for the same reason. My recommendation would be, if you plan on using animated Web page graphics, use a GIF, otherwise use a JPEG.
Web Page Graphics
If you're looking for web page graphics that will really help to dress up your website, there are a few resources online for you to use which will really offer you almost anything that you could possibly want. One of these is clipart.com, a subscription based website with over 10 million images. Some of these were specifically designed as Web page graphics while others are pictures which can also be used on websites. Another resource that you have is dreamstime.com, where you can purchase high-resolution stock images for use on your webpage and in your web design.
Website Graphics / Web Page Graphics Video
One thing is for certain, using website graphics can really dress up your website and can make it a more interesting place to visit. Regardless of whether you're using the web page graphics as a logo or simple window dressing, they are something that will continue to be used regularly online.
