Multimedia considerations
(images, charts, clip art, audio & video)
Lets face it, a lot of text is just plain boring! In todays society we want to break that up with a bit of visual and audtio information in addition to the printed text on a pages.
Images
Images create interest and engage the user. They can also convey information (a picture, or course, is worth at least a thousand words).
When it comes to images, your Web pages must walk a line between distracting eye-candy and text-heavy boredom. Too many images, and your pages may be overly busy and slow to load. No images, and your page may appear uninteresting and unpolished.
There are several types of Web images:
Photographs
Clip Art
Tables and Graphs
Imagemaps
Photographs
Photographs can be scanned in from various sources, or they can be images taken with a digital camera. Before using any photograph, be sure the image isn't copyright protected, and if it is, be sure to get permission from the owner. Remember that just becuase you found the image on a google search does not mean that you can just use it without permission. Also never link to an image to display it in your webpage but rather download the image and then upload it to our server instead. This saves download time and protects you from broken image links.
 Rule of thumb: save photos as JPEGs.
Photos can convey specific information important to your Web page (e.g., a photograph accomanying a news article). Or, they can simply help set the "tone" of the site, or draw the attention of the user.
 Photos also increase the file size and download time of your page. Do not add photographs just because you can. If the photo does not provide useful information, enhance the page design, or convey a sense of tone, don't use it.
Before using a photo or other graphic on your site, you must correctly size the image using a program like Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. All images on your Web pages should be saved at a resolution of 72 dpi (dots per inch). Most photos that were originally used is print publications have a much higher resolution of 150 to 300 dpi. These higher resolutions create larger image files and slower download times for your users. Also, do not rely on width and height attributes in your page code to set the size of your images. Size your photo correctly in Photoshop first, then upload it to your page. There are some special considerations when importing things into Adobe Contribute. The LMC web administrator can walk you through the steps to do this. She can also help you with finding images for your pages. Many times these images are free or of little cost.
Rule of thumb: When resizing images, ALWAYS make large images smaller. NEVER make small images larger. They get blurry when you do that.
Clip Art
Clip art, buttons, bullets, icons — any and all of these types of graphics can enhance the look and navigation of your Web site, IF they are used sparingly and consistently.
The "thumbs" this page are examples of clip art. They help set the "tone" for the site (informal but educational — hopefully!), but the "thumbs" in particular also help users scan for basic information.
Rule of thumb: save clip art and simple graphics with solid color as GIFs.
Bullets, buttons and icons can add to the overall design of your page, and are also useful as navigational elements. For example, a homepage button like this example of a homepage button can replace a text link back to your homepage. Consistency is key; if you use a homepage button on one page, use it on all.
Tables and Graphs
On the Web as in print, it is often better to present large amounts of data in a table or graph, as opposed to text. If you save your table or graphic as an image (e.g., a GIF or JPEG file), then be sure to provide a link to a text-only version of the data for users who cannot read images. This in ensures that content can be understood by everyone.
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