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The last article, Web Photos that Pop,
attracted a lot of mail. It seems there are many of you out there who
feel a little out of control when it comes to photos for your Web pages.
We looked at enhancing images with raster program controls in that article,
and this time, rather than go deeper into the correction mode, I want
to focus more on composing your images, or choosing the best way to
present your photos.
If you have any experience with photography, you know that using the
correct light, film, or settings will only take you so far. Soon into
your development, you will discover that the best technical settings
in the world will not overcome weak composition. Artists who work with
pen or brush discover the same reality. Good composition is the backbone
of any photo.
Most times, however, we do not have the control with Web photos that
we have with photography. If we are working for clients, or even compiling
our own pages, we are usually working with prepared images. These images
can be poorly composed, and if scanned, quality is questionable. To
bring this content to life, make sure you see Web
Photos That Pop. You can also add energy and impact to photos, by
cropping the image, which means to trim some of the content, or stripping
out a background. Reducing clutter in a photo can make the difference
between a "yawn" image and one that makes your page sizzle.
Take a look at the images at the left. In the top image, it is hard
to find a focus for the image. Are you showing a family, a car, or a
suburban street scene? Pay attention to how your eyes dart all over
the image without finding a resting spot. This is a weak photo.
However, zoom in many times, and strip out the background, as in the
lower image, and you are making a connection with this family. The detail
that emerges as the size increases brings the people to life.
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Photos in this article are from the Hemera
Photo-Objects 50,000, Volume 2. The images in this collection are
excellent quality. However, for this article I may deliberately wreck
images to represent a common problem with image composition, so that
I can show you how to fix them
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Before we get into the specifics and artsy topics of selecting image
content to feature on your pages, we need to step aside for a discussion
about resolution. There may be no more confusing topic to beginners
in the graphic world, and even designers with excellent skills and years
of experience may not understand resolution issues well. The next page
is a bit dry, and certainly not exciting, but please do not skip over
it. Unless you understand how resolution works for images, you will
never reach full mastery of images.
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