Yahoo web tool speeds up image shrinking

06 Oct 2008 11:51

Smush It helps web programmers automate the process of trimming image size without sacrificing visual quality

Yahoo, which has considerable expertise in maximising website performance, has long offered advice on how to speed up sites up by minimising photo size. Now it's released a tool to help web programmers automate the process.

The web-based tool, called Smush It, can perform multiple operations to shrink graphics file sizes without impairing visual appeal, Chris Heilmann of the Yahoo Developer Network said in a blog post after tool creators Nicole Sullivan and Stoyan Stefanov announced the tool at this week's Ajax Experience conference.

The operations Smush It can do include: convert GIF images to the PNG format; reduce the range of colours used in PNG files; strip out textual metadata from JPEG images.

Web developers can upload images to the site, send it a website address, or install a Firefox extension that submits a particular website with the click of a button. The tool presents users with a downloadable package of the smaller images that can be substituted.

Story URL: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39498913,00.htm