Optimizing Your Photos for The Web

There are several things that you can do with an image to optimize it for the web. Your goals are to correct flaws in the image, to make needed size adjustments, and finally, to convert the image to an appropriate file format.

The first step is to import your photo into an image editing program. Do this by importing from your scanner, digital camera, or hard drive. Now take a look at your photo, and decide what you want to adjust. Some flaws to fix or improve are blurriness, discoloration, lightness, and darkness.

Adjust a blurry image by working with your image editing program's "sharpen" feature. For best results, do this before moving on to other adjustments.

Many image editing programs have an "autocorrect" option that will fix the levels, contrast, and hue of your photograph. If you use this function, and you don't like the results - or if you don't have access to this function - try tweaking the specifications, manually. Hue adjustments can be made manually by mixing in opposite colors. For example, if your image has a blue tone, try mixing in some orange. If your image has a greenish tone, try mixing in a bit of red.

If needed, adjust the lightness or darkness of your image. Keep in mind that adjustments made to your photo's lightness can give it a flat appearance. To fix this, boost the contrast. This will separate the various elements within your photograph. If you want your colors to appear brighter than they are, boost the saturation to your liking.

When you are satisfied with your image, you can personalize it by adding a caption. Some image editing programs have a text tool that you can use to accomplish this. A caption can be anything: your name, the location where the photo was taken, the date, a copyright symbol, or even a funny quote. Use a text tool to type directly onto your photo. Most captions are placed in the lower portion of the image so that it doesn't draw too much attention away from the image itself.