NONE: Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Netscape or "safe" palette use in banner ads
Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Netscape or "safe" palette use in banner ads
Lauren Guzak (guzak_at_slip.net)
Wed, 28 Jan 1998 11:11:06 -0800
Nick Jones wrote:
> To use the Netscape or "safe" palette when building a banner ad, or
> not
> to use it - that is the question
Nick, don't forget that a browser-safe palette is _not_ limited to that
of Netscape Navigator. Based on our metrics at Palm Computing, some 45%
of those who visit our site use IE. That said, never trust a web
designer that doesn't use a browser-safe palette. It is the cornerstone
of good web design.
> The argument for using the safe palette is that it guarantees (or at
> least greatly increases the probability) that the banner ads will be
> seen by all viewers with consistent colours. Unfortunately, the safe
> palette does not always facilitate the sharpest images (because
> certain
> colours are not available).
Using a browser-safe palette guarantees that you won't get dithered
colors, i.e., a noisy, pixelated image as the browser tries to
approximate a color that it does not support (not that those colors will
look exactly the same across all platforms, on all monitors). Thus, the
sharpness of the image as viewed through a browser is assured when you
use browser-safe colors, not vice-versa. Of course web-ready graphics
never look as good as high-res print graphics. The (highly simplified)
difference is millions of colors v. 216 (or less) colors, high dpi v. 72
dpi. The fewer colors you use, and the lower the dpi, the better
(faster) that graphic will be on the web. And, well, the crummier it
will look in print!
Color is, of course, an integral part of corporate identity. The problem
is that most companies select colors based on how they look in print,
effectively relegating digital media to an afterthought. If you go to
our site (http://www.palm.com), you'll see that we have approximated the
print colors of our style sheet (PMS 2767, PMS 485, and PMS 123) for the
web. We chose browser-safe colors which we felt best represented those
Pantone colors -- and still looked most consistent on Macs and PCs
alike.
> The argument for using "exact" palettes is that it helps designers/
> programmers deliver banner ads which are smaller in file size (most
> size
> banners ads are required to be equal to or under 10K in size) and that
>
> are "sharper" in appearance (due to the ability to deliver the exact
> number and type of colours need).
This is not true. Exact palettes do not help decrease the size of your
.gifs, nor will they make your images sharper in a browser. They will,
in fact, make them dither (read: make them look less-sharp, more noisy).
And, depending on the number of colors in your exact palette, you're
more likely to fatten that image up in terms of K, rather than slim it
down for web optimization.
For a great resource on this subject, I recommend Lynda Weinman's book,
Coloring Web Graphics (http://www.mcp.com/newriders).
Best,
Lauren
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lauren Guzak
Electronic Marcom Manager
Palm Computing/3Com Corporation
1565 Charleston Road
Mountain View, CA 94043
lguzak_at_palm.com -or- guzak_at_slip.net
ph: 415.237.6183 fax: 415.968.9822
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's Online Advertising Discussion List sponsor:
HotBot - http://www.hotbot.com - The WIRED Search Center
HotBot, rated the #1 search engine by CNET, has keywords available now
in these categories: computers, software, shareware, Internet, games,
music, and more. Contact Rick Boyce at 415.276.8440 or rick_at_wired.com.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Online Advertising Discussion List To Unsubscribe send UNSUBSCRIBE
http://www.o-a.com/ to online-ads-request_at_o-a.com
