Stretched Images = Ugly Website

How often have you gone to a website and seen an image that looks like the one above?

One of the many mistakes we see on websites throughout the tangled web is the improper and almost amateur use of images.

Images truly make a lasting impression on your viewers especially when the average visitor makes the decision to stay or not within 12 seconds of arriving, and it really comes down to a matter of professionalism.

We’ll be putting together a few points for using images properly, but our biggest pet peeve is stretched images so that takes first priority. Granted, most people who maintain their own website don’t know or don’t have the proper tools to use images properly, but after this post… there are no excuses!

Please don’t stretch your images. It looks ugly.

If the height and width of your image needs to be 300 pixels in width and 150 pixels in height, please don’t select an image that is 150 pixels in width and 100 pixels in height. It won’t work. It’ll look really really bad and very unprofessional.

It’s difficult to select the proper picture and we can sympathize. However, liken choosing a picture for your post/page to picking a proper title. You need JUST the right one to capture the attention of your visitor. So try out the following

1. Goto Google Images and search for your image. On the left side click on the link that says ‘More’ and use the filtering tools to get the right size.
2. Try to find your picture on SXC, a popular free stock photo site, and filter your search by size.
3. If you feel you have just the right picture, but the dimensions are way too large, use a picture editor such as Picnik. It’s an easy to use website to edit all your images and best of all it’s FREE!
4. For the more advanced users, you can download Gimp (free software used by professional designers everywhere) and edit your images.

If you have any questions, feel free to share a comment and please forward this article to anyone whom you feel needs it!

Renaya is a Creative Design Firm specializing in four areas: web design, brand identity, social media strategy and internet marketing. Defined processes, high satisfaction, and return on investment are all recurring themes in the way we complete your project.

As experienced designers and advertising professionals we are able to mix our creative talent and our expertise in business strategy to provide you with an end-product that not only complements your marketing plan but greatly enhances it. By creating compelling products we deliver the solutions our clients demand.

With Renaya, your success is how we measure our own.