| The shortest and simplest answer is the smaller | | | | they want, your message, the content. When |
| the file size of the images used in a web page, | | | | used properly, image slices, tiles, are not contained |
| the faster the page will display. This in itself is a | | | | in a web page. They are instead, referenced from |
| good enough reason. | | | | a stylesheet, which includes instructions on how to |
| Website visitors traditionally have a very short | | | | display your webpage's visual appearance. This |
| patience span. Broadband's steady proliferation has | | | | among other benefits, allows you to remove all |
| not changed this. If anything, visitor expectations | | | | non-essential graphics from the page code. A |
| is now that pages should load instantaneously. At | | | | non-essential graphic is one that doesn't add any |
| rate, the longer they have to wait for a page to | | | | meaningful content to the page. It's only there to |
| display, the more likely it is you will lose them | | | | make the page more visually appealing. So part of |
| before they have viewed your offerings. | | | | the art of slicing and dicing a web template from |
| So how does slicing and dicing produce faster | | | | it's original graphic form is the decision making |
| page display? | | | | process of determining the essential from the |
| Have you ever seen a page with central table | | | | non-essential graphics by envisioning how a text |
| with shadows to make the table appear as if it | | | | reader will navigate through your site. |
| were floating on a layer above the page? The left | | | | This covers most of the most important reasons |
| and right edges of the central table are tiny tiled | | | | as to why you would slice and dice, but there is |
| vertically to produce the effect of a solid graphic. | | | | one more I would like to briefly mention. |
| The slice is a very small file size, so takes much | | | | Slicing your graphics |
| less time to display than if a side graphic big | | | | Slicing your graphics (and referencing them from |
| enough to fill the required area was used. This | | | | an external stylesheet) gives you the first basic |
| brings up another reason - why we slice and dice | | | | level of protection (albeit slender) for your/clients' |
| images. | | | | artistic property. It makes it more difficult for |
| Scalability... By using a tiled image slice, it makes no | | | | unscrupulous people to steal all the hard work you |
| difference how much content is in the page. It | | | | put into your artwork. Or at least make them |
| could go on forever and the slice would be tiled to | | | | work harder by having to download more pieces, |
| eternity. Using a tiled slice means you don't have | | | | reassemble them like a puzzle. This is called site |
| to consider the amount of content. The design | | | | scraping and is a serious problem currently. There |
| becomes stretchy, scalable to whatever content | | | | are even several software creators who will sell |
| it is asked to contain. Another benefit of is this | | | | your products who's one purpose is for stealing |
| method stands the best chance visitors will enjoy | | | | others websites! Another problem is some sites |
| a consistent look regardless of which web | | | | will actually try and use your work by linking to |
| browser they have, what size monitor they have | | | | your image from their webpage, so it looks like |
| and what screen resolution they are using. You | | | | it's on their site! You can make it hard for them |
| ensure a consistent look for the widest possible | | | | by slicing up your images. You can also fight this |
| audience. | | | | kind of theft using tools available in the |
| There are other good reasons to slice and dice. | | | | administration control area of your hosting |
| One of most important reasons is to increase | | | | service... But that's a topic for another article! |
| accessibility for visitors using text reading | | | | Happy 'slicing and dicing'... But if you try it watch |
| software. Instead of their software reading a | | | | you don't cut yourself! |
| bunch of image tags, they get straight to what | | | | |