Google Launches New Image File Format, WebP

[HunkyLuke]

from this link:

Most of the common image formats on the web today were established over a decade ago and are based on technology from around that time. Some engineers at Google decided to figure out if there was a way to further compress lossy images like JPEG to make them load faster, while still preserving quality and resolution. As part of this effort, we are releasing a developer preview of a new image format, WebP, that promises to significantly reduce the byte size of photos on the web, allowing web sites to load faster than before.

Images and photos make up about 65% of the bytes transmitted per web page today. They can significantly slow down a user's web experience, especially on bandwidth-constrained networks such as a mobile network. Images on the web consist primarily of lossy formats such as JPEG, and to a lesser extent lossless formats such as PNG and GIF. Our team focused on improving compression of the lossy images, which constitute the larger percentage of images on the web today.

they say it will result in clearer photos at an "average 39% reduction in file size"

...interesting, I am not so sure that photo size is really an issue with todays broadband around the world, but maybe for mobile devices or undeveloped countries???

[Bec]

Well for many of us I'd think it translates into lower bandwidth usage/expense. :worm:

[raymor]

from this link:



they say it will result in clearer photos at an "average 39% reduction in file size"

...interesting, I am not so sure that photo size is really an issue with todays broadband around the world, but maybe for mobile devices or undeveloped countries???

For most webmasters, it makes sense to spend the money to get decent broadband
service, so we forget what typical consumers are using. Something like 35%-40%
still have dial up, so for them many newer pages take several minutes to load.
Of the 60% - 65% who have "high speed", that includes not only the standard
Comcast cable modem service that's advertised at 1.5 Mbps but actually only
does 768K according to the FCC, but also service Road Runner advertises as
"up to 768K".

Overall, something like 60%-70% of users get 512K or less at any given time.
Webmasters pay a few extra dollars for better service, but most buyers don't
have super high speed connections.

[hydepark]

WebP?! Hey, sounds ok but it would be useless in Photoshop, etc. It would take a long time to switch over programs to recognize this new format.

Interesting - but Google doesn't do this out of the kindness of their heart

[raymor]

WebP?! Hey, sounds ok but it would be useless in Photoshop, etc. It would take a long time to switch over programs to recognize this new format.

You don't edit web ready images in Photoshop or any other tool.
You edit uncompressed or at least very lightly compressed high resolution images,
then compress them as jpeg, png, gif, or webP as the last step in the process.
Otherwise, you get sometimes severe quality degradation, like making a copy
of a copy of a copy of a cassette tape.

Interesting - but Google doesn't do this out of the kindness of their heart

Google does this and many other things because a large percentage of web sites
run Google ads or other Google services, and a large percentage of surfers use Google.
Therefore, the more that people use the web, the more money Google makes.