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Why Mozilla had a change of heart about WebP images

Sure, technology decisions often are the result of personal predilection, political scheming, and inter-company rivalries. But cold hard data still can win the day -- and that's the main reason why Mozilla is reconsidering its earlier decision not to support Google's WebP image format.

Specifically, new data shows that Google isn't just blowing smoke when it promised that using WebP lets Web site operators save precious bytes when it's sending Web-page data to browsers. Smaller file sizes mean that browsers can show Web pages faster, that Web site operators cut bandwidth usage, and that people with … Read more

Mozilla takes a fresh look at Google's WebP image format

Mozilla is taking a new look at the WebP image format it once rejected after some large Web sites encouraged the Firefox developer to take a fresh look and after Google released a freshly upgraded version.

WebP, which derived from the VP8 video compression technology in the WebM project Google launched three years ago, is part of the search giant's effort to speed up the Web. In WebP's case, that speedup comes through use of an image compression technology Google says produces more compact files than either JPEG or PNG.

WebP can be used where both JPEG and … Read more

Google to fix some WebP image format shortcomings

Google is on the cusp of fixing some initial shortcomings of its WebP, an image format it hopes will speed up browsing.

A new version of libwebp, the library that software can use to display and create WebP images, adds support several features, some of which were the subject of criticism when Google announced WebP in 2010:

Metadata handling so people can see camera and exposure information stored in the file with the EXIF and XMP technologies.

ICC (International Color Consortium) color profiles for more accurate color rendering.

Animated WebP images, a new spin on a once-once obscure GIF technology … Read more

Google touts benefits of WebP image format

Google, which controls both ends of the Internet connection for a significant fraction of online activity, has a lot of power over the Internet. A little image-format tweak to one of its Web sites shows just how much.

Few others have expressed much enthusiasm for its WebP image format, an offshoot of the WebM project to promote a royalty-free video codec. Google asserts that its smaller file sizes would unburden networks and help Web pages load faster, but as Mozilla likes to point out when grappling with such matters, adding a new format to the Web means adding a requirement … Read more

How to compress PNG images with PNGGauntlet

PNG, a lossless image format, works well for text and graphics, like screenshots. The one drawback to PNG is that the resulting file size can be larger than JPEG files. PNGGauntlet, a free Windows program, can help reduce the size of PNG files and since PNG is lossless, compressing it will have no impact on its quality.

To use PNGGauntlet, first make sure you have Microsoft .NET framework 4.0 installed. When you're ready to start, add the PNG files you want to compress by dragging them over to the screen or clicking on the Add Images button. Next, … Read more

Rotate your wallpaper with 100dof Wallpaper Rotator

Most versions of Windows do a pretty good job of changing your wallpaper, whether once a day or every few seconds. But if your version of Windows lacks those features (some do) or you're running an older version of Windows (some do) or you just don't like the Windows tool (some don't), you can use aftermarket freeware like 100dof Wallpaper Rotator.

It's a simple tool that can rotate your wallpaper at startup or manually. It stretches images to fit, and it handles the most common image types. What sets it apart from the crowd is its … Read more

Dolby aims for richer images with JPEG-HDR

BARCELONA, Spain--High dynamic range (HDR) photography has largely been the province of photo enthusiasts willing to put up with its hassles, but Dolby Laboratories hopes to bring it to the masses with a semi-proprietary technology called JPEG-HDR.

HDR photography began as a way to compensate for cameras' shortcomings compared to the human eye. The biological image sensor can capture a much greater range of dark and bright tones, whereas cameras typically can capture only one, the other, or something in the middle.

That means problems with photos in areas with a wide range of lighting- a scene where someone is … Read more

Google's WebP crosshairs target PNG, not just JPEG

Google launched WebP to outdo JPEG. Now a new version is designed to take on another dominant graphics format on the Web, PNG.

WebP is based on the open-source compression technology used in Google's WebM video encoding technology, and with it, Google hopes to reduce Web page file sizes and thereby speed up the Net. There are plenty of challenges for the technology, but Google just made WebP a bit more competitive through the addition of two major features.

First is a "lossless" compression option that can image data without loss of fidelity. Second is support for … Read more

Word up

The creator of VerMan's Art Converter admits in the program's documentation that he created the program to impress a girl (and to practice his C+ skills). The girl wasn't impressed, but we were, at least to some extent. In terms of useful software, VerMan's Art Converter ranks pretty low on the list, but if you want to play around with word art, it's worth checking out.

The program has a plain interface that's easy to navigate, as each step in the process is outlined for you. First, select the image you want to work … Read more