As I have completed the first month of a tutorial series, I’m noticing that the site seems to be slowing down and not as reactive as it started out.  After doing some analyzing and data-checking, I’ve determined that this is due to the type of image files I’m using.

Up to this point, I’ve inserted bitmap (.bmp) images into the posts due to their superior crispness and quality over most other formats.  However, they are extremely large in file size per pixel and they are putting a strain on the site.

I feel this decreases the user experience far more than the image quality warrants.  Because of this, I’ve decided to start using portable network graphics (.png) files.  They are extremely “lightweight” files and they retain a reasonable amount of image quality and clarity.  The .png file type does grant a slight blurriness, so the image sizes may grow a small amount to compensate, but the overall file size will remain a fraction of the .bmp files.

I will work toward replacing all existing .bmp image files with their .png counterpart over the next few days.  In addition, I will begin using .png images for all new entries.  This conversion process may slow my first tutorial entry for this month, but all posts will be made regardless of delay and I should be back on schedule next week.

If anyone sees an undesirable drop in quality, please let me know and I will research other alternatives.  Hopefully this change will improve your experience on Indydrafter.com and maybe be the determining factor for future visits to the site.

Thanks,

Bryan