Introduction
Once you create your Adobe Photoshop masterpiece, you will have to decide the output for the image file, and how the image will be printed. These are not easy considerations. For example, an image created with a resolution of 72ppi, might be fine if output to the Web, but would not be of sufficient quality for output to a high-quality laser printer. In addition, images saved in the RGB color space, would not work, if the image were to be printed on a 4-color (CMYK) press.Raster images (Photoshop files) do not handle change very well, so it's important to design with a goal in mind. Designers call this process a workflow. When you start a Photoshop project you should have a good idea of where the project is headed to a press or inkjet printer, a copy machine, or a monitor. Knowing this information helps you design with the end in mind. That's not to say you can't make changes to a Photoshop document; however, when it comes to color space and resolution, the less change the better the output quality.When preparing images for the Web, it's important to understand that file size and format are important considerations. People aren't very patient when it comes time to downloading Web pages. Creating good-looking, yet fast-loading images keeps visitors on your Web site, waiting for more. Photoshop gives you the ability to perform image compression using formats such as the JPEG (Joint Photographers Expert Group), and GIF (Graphics Interchange File) formats. That will make your images as small as possible, while still retaining great image quality. In image preparation it's all about control, and Photoshop gives you the tools to make the job easy.