Model Paint Conversion Chart

I think we all agree that online courses benefit from graphics, even if the topic you are presenting is dry. Nobody likes to read large amounts of text on the screen. Using graphics to break the text gives the eye something to rest before continuing to read. Here are some tips for using graphics in e-Learning development, so without further ado, let's get started.

1. Size Chart

Sure, you may want to make your courses more attractive by adding graphics, but do not overdo it! Depending on your audience, you can have users with slow connections or older hardware. You'll want to deliver the course content for the shortest possible time, and adding hi-resolution graphics will only slow things down.

- Make sure you optimize your graphics so they load quickly.

- Use Photoshop or Fireworks a„c a„c to tighten the size of your images.

- Make sure you use the right formats for your images.

- Try not to crowd pages with multiple graphics.

- Avoid images that strongly contrast with their environment.

If you use a photo-continuous tone, be sure to save the file as a JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). JPEG compression can provide a true weight in the waist. The disadvantage is that the JPEG compression scheme that is built into the file format (which makes the file size) is lossy, meaning that the more compression you apply, the image quality you sacrifice more. There is a nice balance between file size and quality, so that the image files as small as possible, while still looking sharp.

Any flat graphics, charts and graphs with colors should be saved as GIF (Graphic Interchange Format). The algorithm in the GIF file format looks for common occurrences of color, and groups of all colors in a palette. The palette can contain 256 colors or less. GIF compression is lossless, so GIF conversion does not introduce artifacts and aberrations, such as the JPEG scheme can.

GIF files have two more rounds to roll up their sleeves: they can have transparency and can be animated. The transparency adapter in the GIF file format is only 1-bit transparency, which means that only one color palette can be transparent. Usually, this color is white, but you can make any color the transparent color. GIF 89a allows multiple frames in a single file for animation. You can get really creative with GIF animations now, with new animation panel in Photoshop CS3. However, this does not mean you should be spinning logos and flashing graphics everywhere. But an animated series of steps can be very useful when used in conjunction with explanatory text.

Even if a page can benefit from a few graphics, adding too many images of different sizes, qualities and colors can really cause problems for readers. The size and complexity of graphics is also an important factor when considering the number of images to use per page. A sophisticated wiring diagram, with all its legends and explanations, probably tax a reader's eyes for a while, so that the image of an ocean would have a different effect.

In addition, the course may have a shell or structure with its own colors and shapes. Choose images contrast sharply with the colors and forms can not be a good idea. You might think that if the image stands out, it will attract more attention. This may be true, but it might not be the kind of attention that you really want. If possible, mix your color palette in all graphs. There may be variations in color between the acceptable locations screen such as highlights, arrows, gradients, and.