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When providing an image for use on sun.com, steps should be made to satisfy these concerns legal and quality concerns.
Minimize legal troubles by verifying:
- have written permission to use the image from the photographer
- model releases of individuals in the image are on file
- the image is free of controversial subject matter (sex, violence, religious themes)
- meet or negotiate conditions of use partners may have: addressing logo use, what can and cannot be included in the image, how long the image can be used, etc.
Satisfy quality and technical issues by making sure the image is:
- digital
- unmanipulated
- provided at the highest resolution possible
- gifs of the highest quality possible
- subject matter doesn't violate branding guidelines
- color accurate
- meet at least the basic definition of quality photography (framing, balance, etc.)
When creating any new images that are component specific and belong to one of the groups listed in the Graphic Library then be sure to submit it to webdesign@sun.com so it can be posted in the central /images directory for others to use.
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- The maximum allowed image file size is 40k. However the image size should be proportional to the dimensions of the image. Think of it in terms of 10k for every 100 pixels, a 120x120 pixel image = 12k, a 300x280 pixel image = 30k, etc.
- The maximum image WIDTH is 600 pixels.
- There is no set limit to the number of images on any given page, but there are a few things that should be considered when using a number of images.
- Are all the images helping the user to better understand the content?
- Is the maximum page size (85k) being compromised because of the number of images?
- Could a group of images be merged into one image in order to lower the number of server request, and possibly lower the overall size of the page?
- Is the page a secure document? On secure pages, multiple images can have a more profound effect on overall page download time--due to the need for the secure and sometimes slower connection.
- Use only GIF and JPEG images on Sun's web properties. Try to use JPEGs for more photographic images and GIFs for more illustrative images. When in doubt, try both and see which image yields the best quality and smallest size. For a more in depth discussion on this topic check out the Webmonkey article GIF vs. JPEG.
- ONLY use Sun Sans typefaces in graphics.
- Try to use colors from the Sun Web Color palette.
- Use animated GIFs sparingly. They should be small in size and cycle through two to five times maximum. Avoid gratuitous animation (no animated e-mail buttons, etc.).
*For information and tips on how to optimize images for the web, check out these Webmonkey articles relating to graphics.
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- Keep file names short but descriptive.
- ALL template-related images are kept in "/im/" directory. Do NOT make local copies of this directory.
- ALL component specific images are kept in "/images/xxx/" directory. Where "xxx" can be one of several component designations, such as L0, PN0, etc. Do NOT make local copies of this directory. To browse available images in the /images/ directory, see the Graphics Library page.
- Keep ALL content related images in an "images/" directory.
- ALWAYS add the "HEIGHT" and "WIDTH" attribute to ALL images so that they load faster.
- NEVER scale a graphic with the "HEIGHT" and "WIDTH" attribute. It produces a poor quality graphic and has an adverse affect on load time. Resize the image in a graphics application and scale size you wish to use.
- ALWAYS add the "ALT" attribute to your images. The "ALT" statement should describe the image sufficiently for users who can not see the image. Take care not to use useless or duplicate information (ie. a print icon next to Printer Friendly should have no alt text since adding Printer Friendly to the alt would be redundant) DO NOT use the name of your image as the "ALT" value. For widgets gifs, or spacer gifs that need not be described with text DO NOT omit the ALT attribute, instead use alt="".
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