OT: Images for Mobile

[Sannyasin Brahmanathaswami]

I'm trying to come up with an overall algorithm for processing many images for mobile. Use case is to take 100's of preselected images and run bulk actions to get them all to the size we want. Initially we save to max image quality and then post process with imageMagick and MozJpeg to optimize file sizes.

FYI: this has worked in the past… there is a lower limit to the original size before the optimization starts to degrade the image… but we manage that by setting do not re-size/do not optimize conditions for smaller images, where the file size already fits below our target maximum.

But I am interested in other's experience for the longer term as to what you think works and what you need in your UX.

given these assumptions

a) the top and bottom of Landscape images contain no significant elements
b) the left and right sides of portrait images contain no significant elements
c) we are looking at a crop that goes full screen,
d) you don't want to generate 5 different possible versions of any one image to package in your apps.
e) Your "eye candy" team of UX reviewers are very, very forgiving of quality differences and fully appreciate the file size issues (i.e. minute improvements in sharpness and clarity do not warrant keeping a 1.5MB version of the file for mobile when you can put a 250KB file right next to it an you can barely see any difference. )

Then to work in both 16 X 9 phones or 3 X 4 Tablets (with all other Android rects being ignored for the moment) one simple algorithm is:

process all images to 3X4 or 4X3 and, then, using Fullscreen show all, these will center "everywhere" and fill "everywhere" with some areas top and bottom or left and right appearing and disappearing depending on the screen/orientation.

Where your livecode placement scripts always puts these images at the card loc. (centered)


1X minimum
  Portrait: 552w x 736h
# left and right edges hidden on 9 X 16 device in portrait orientation
  Landscape: 736w x 552h
          # top and bottom hidden on 16 X 9 devices in landscape orientation.

2X
Portrait:  818w X 1472h
Landscape: 1472w x 1104

Setting aside for now the merits of the different Fullscreenmode options

(we use ShowAll because of our fixed design layouts, but of course other use cases may do better with, exactFit or noBorder… ),

I am just curious if you have decided, in the long run to keep your entire repository at 2 X or 1 X for the majority of your use cases and what rects you are targeting for general processing.

What do you do?

Brahmanathaswami