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Design Photoshop Foundations Slices & Save for Web Optimization: Part 1

Adarsh Prabhu
Adarsh Prabhu
15,394 Points
Posted by Adarsh Prabhu
Adarsh Prabhu
15,394 Points

If GIF is a lossless format, what does the "lossy" setting do in Photoshop?

I don't understand why there is a 'lossy' setting if GIF, like PNG is lossless.

2 Answers

Colin Marshall
Colin Marshall
32,861 Points
Colin Marshall
Colin Marshall
32,861 Points

The way I understand it is that GIF is lossless normally. If you want to make the file size smaller, you can use the lossy setting. That would of course make it no longer a lossless image. It's just an option you have.

Max Weir
Max Weir
14,963 Points
Max Weir
Max Weir
14,963 Points

I'd use lossless for things like logos, icons etc where I don't want to sacrifice on any quality. Lossy would be ideal for things like thumbnail photos or things more graphical.

Try using this site for optimising your images and compare the results, it's just a simple drag-n-drop.

https://kraken.io/web-interface