Best image optimizer for the web

[aPerson]

What do you guys use?

I save best quality in photoshop (in the compressed format) and then optimize in a WebOptX (used to use Image Optimizer, but for the most part it doesn't optimize as good).

I use GIF for less colors, JPG for bitmaps like real life pictures.

[Poxicator]

Gig is excellent for flat colours, jpg for photographs.
I often optimise direct from Photoshop (save for web) or jump into ImageReady. I always go for highest settings as I'm not a fan of image degradation.

what benefits does WebOptX give? not tried that.

[KDLA]

From my experience, it isn't the program that determines the quality of optimization, but the user. If you pick the right file types and compression rates, you'll get good results, no matter what the program. ;)

[aPerson]

I was talking more about sites like this: http://www.fishmarketing.net/ that rely on images for design

So you guys think now in this day and age it's ok to make load times for 56K 5 seconds or more? What's acceptable?

[WebJoel]

I was talking more about sites like this: http://www.fishmarketing.net/ that rely on images for design

So you guys think now in this day and age it's ok to make load times for 56K 5 seconds or more? What's acceptable? 8-10 seconds at 56K is a very good target for download speed. There is visitor drop-off that become drastic after 10+ seconds waiting for content to show. Basically, try to keep the page-size 'arouind 30-K' or less. This can be difficult with more than just a couple of images, so you want the images to be, yes, optimized, and state the width & height so the browser can allocate that much space for the image to download into, and can move on populating the page with other content.

Back 'in the day' of TABLE-based layout and not using width="" & height="", pages as they resolved, would 'jump around', shoving content and images around, until the page was fully loaded. This lack of declaring width & height on images (and TABLEs too) is partially to blame, as the browser cannot know the physical dimensions (W & H) of the image as it is being served to the visitor unless the html states width & height as part of it's URI.

[Robert Wellock]

Always use PNG-8 over GIF for static images PNGOUT does a good job of PNG too.

[aPerson]

Thx for the PNG tip ^

Yeah I always state the width and heights on images