Introducing Save for Web

Photoshop Save for Web Command

Photoshop's Save for Web command is specially designed for saving Web images, which you generally want to keep as small in file size as possible. Save for Web allows you to adjust various settings and save your images out to the following Web-friendly formats:

• JPEG
• GIF
• PNG
• WBMP

With the exception of WBMP, all of these formats are explained in my article, Which Graphics File Format Is Best To Use When? WBMP files consist of only black and white pixels and are used for mobile devices such as cell phones. Chances are you won't be working with this format.

Each of these formats have their own unique settings which can effect file size and the appearance of the image. In the Save for Web dialog, box, you can preview up to four different settings and compare the results before committing to the Save.

Download the Save for Web practice file and open it in Photoshop: SFW-practice.png

Choose the Save for Web command so you can explore the dialog box as you follow along. The Save for Web (SfW) shortcut is Alt-Shift-Ctrl-S on Windows or Option-Shift-Command-S on Mac. The dialog box is completely resizable, so it can be as large as your entire monitor area if necessary.