for static (non-animated) indexed 256 or fewer colours static PNG offers better compression and reduces file sizes.In any case GIF, animated or not, is an outdated inefficient decrepit web file format that should no longer be used because (much) better alternatives exist: RIOT standalone version (no installation required): is in the pudding: provide examples of the original image converted with your methods. PNG Optimization Guide: More Clever Techniques - Smashing Magazine Other resources (these refer to png, but are also effective for GIF optimization in Photoshop): At least that one allows for 8bit PNG files with full transparency (another missing essential feature that SfW fails to provide). a better choice to export PNG files is Photoshop CC Generator. file sizes of png files created in external utilities almost always beat the ones generated in Photoshop and SfW for optimum quality a quality mask tool, such as the one in CQ, is a very effective and efficient method to guarantee the best possible conversion Remember, each frame can save its own custom 256 colour palette You can also optimize each frame in a tool such as CQ, and then import the individual frames into a animated GIF utility. Or use online optimization tools to optimize animated GIFs ( Optimize animated GIF). Color Quantizer and RIOT deliver better results than SfW. fall back to external and/or online utilities to optimize PNG and GIF files. Sfw cannot save PNG files with reduced colours beyond 256 colours avoid Photoshop and SfW if your intention is to optimize PNGs well. avoid Photoshop's "Save for Web" function if your intention is a quality colour reduction Of course, if you are saving this as a still image, jpg should have been your choice in the first place, since it is a photo. This last version is visually (mostly) indistinguishable from the original, and clocks in at only 52kb. Here is a 512 colour version produced in Color Quantizer (Photoshop's SfW function lets us down once more, unfortunately: there is no option to reduce an image to 512 colours for PNG): Only use GIF when small animated movies are your goal. GIF is terrible in comparison to properly optimized and compressed PNG files. Far superior to Photoshop's failed effort.įourth, if you are still using GIF to optimize still images: STOP NOW. Even the woman on the right in the background looks spot on (which was yet another sore point in SfW's version).Īrguably the best version. The shoulder's highlight is also preserved nicely. The colours are all there, especially the important ones for the makeup and the smooth facial tones of Kate. There is slight banding visible in the lighter area of the wall on the right, but still much less pronounced compared to SfW's version. I painted a mask for the lips, the building and greenery in the background, the skin of the woman on the right in the background, the lighter area around the vent, and the forehead to preserve those areas' quality as much as possible. Much less grainy than Photoshop's version.Ĭolour Quantizer features a quality mask brush, which allows us to safeguard smaller areas with unique colours from colour degradation. Dithering was set to Shiau-Fan Slight banding in the lighter areas of the background, and the building and lips are again missing colours from the original. Next, let's try Color Quantizer with standard settings, a two factor gradient priority, and 256 colours. At the expense of smaller areas with unique colours. Overall, though, the final result is much less grainy looking than Photoshop's effort. Notice how the gradients are quite nicely retained, although here and there some issues pop up (lips/makeup, building, arm highlight, and greenery are missing colour). RIOT features a newer "NeuQuant neural-net" colour quantization algorithm. Next up: RIOT (Radical Image Optimization Tool). Obvious banding issues, and a very grainy result. The best visual quality I could achieve in SfW (diffusion dither at 81%, perceptual). Here is the original version zoom (32101 colours): For a good conversion you will have to look elsewhere. Second, Photoshop's Save for Web colour reduction algorithms are quite old-fashioned, and (far) better methods are available. Second, the quality of the GIFs you produced in Save for Web (SfW) prior to the purchase of the new laptop were never any "better" - it merely means that the previous screen was unable to display the results at a decent enough quality to actually discern the differences between the original and the GIF version with reduced colours. First, JJMack is correct: lots of colours (around 32100) in this example do make it harder to convert without grain.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |