Changing Image Size
To begin this discussion, let me state that images on a computer
are not like photographs. Computer images are made up of a lot of little colored dots. They're
known as picture elements or "pixels" for short. So, just remember that during this part of the
course, numbers refer to pixels rather than inches, or centimeters, or whatever. When I say pixels,
I'm talking little colored dots.
Every image is made up of pixels. The more pixels per inch the image has the better, and more
detailed, the image will appear. Of course, that also means the image will take up a whole lot
more bytes on your hard drive. You're going to find that most images on the Web are 72 and 100
pixels per inch. Yes, there are other settings, but 72-100 is a good trade-off between
loss of detail and bytes required.
Okay, so every image is made of pixels. This means that you can also denote an image by number
of pixels. For example, the
"bresunflowerframed.gif" image is 120 pixels high by 95 pixels wide. How do I
know that? I have an expensive graphics program that tells me
so. How would you know? Without a specific program, you wouldn't. You'll have to play around
with the numbers in these commands a little bit, but it's easy to do.
You might also want to open the image by itself in the Netscape Navigator browser window. Do
that by choosing OPEN FILE under the FILE menu. When the picture pops up, look at the title
bar along the very top. The height and width should be there.
Of course, you can also go out onto the Web and surf around for a shareware graphics program.
Two of my personal favorites are PaintShop Pro and Ulead Photoimpact. You get them for free for 30 days and then it's like $80 or so
to get it for good.
Here's what you do. Denote to the image command how many pixels high by how many pixels
wide you want. The "bresunflowerframed.gif" image is 120X95 pixels. If I want the image to
appear smaller, I will ask for the pixels to be smaller, say 60X48. If I want it bigger, I would set
the pixels larger, say 240X190. Just remember form. If you make the image smaller or larger, you
must keep the same
general square, rectangle, or whatever, form.
Of course, if I want to, I can totally distort the picture.
Here's the coding:
<IMG HEIGHT="##" WIDTH="##" SRC="image.gif">
Notice the HEIGHT and WIDTH attributes nestled right where the
ALIGN command went before. You will replace the "##" with a
number of pixels for height and width. Here are the three
examples:
This is normal size:
This is 60X48:
This is 240X190:
This is 100X23:
The <HR> Flag
The WIDTH command also works on the <HR>
command, except you'll use percentages. Watch this:
<HR WIDTH="40%"> gives you this:
<HR WIDTH="64%"> gives you this:
You get the idea, yes?
That wraps it up. Try these in the comfort of your own home under the supervision of an adult. If
you are an adult, then find a kid who can program the VCR to help you along.
