This post tears into the murky world of testing image compression for the printed comic book INDEFINITE. The mission is to squeeze those files down to their bare bones. In the process, the gritty details of each stroke of the artwork must remain intact. Numerous graphic blog sites have been slogged through to select image format options. Initial impressions lead to the WEBP file format rising from the grudge match to live on this site. The winning format will hold the line between size and clarity like a reluctant hero in a futuristic saga.
There is a sprawling wilderness of articles on the web providing extensive information about image formats. Here is one blog article that was useful from Design Powers: Image File Formats
For this post, the fancy technobabble will be ditched. The simple digital facts are presented with reference images.
The comic book cover image was captured by a Canon CanoScan LiDE 400.
The “original” cover image is NOT shown in this post. The enormity of the file size threatens to slow load times to a snail’s crawl. These are the original image specs:
Format: JPEG
Pixel Size: 1653 x 2551
DPI: 300 x 300
File Size: 1.4 MB
Below lies the gritty test images for the INDEFINITE (issue #1) comic book cover.
Image: #1
Format: PNG
Pixel Size: 500 x 772
File Size: 764 KB
Image: #2
Format: JPEG (best quality)
Pixel Size: 500 x 772
File Size: 591 KB
Image: #3
Format: JPEG (high quality)
Pixel Size: 500 x 772
File Size: 137 KB
Image: #4
Format: JPEG (medium quality)
Pixel Size: 500 x 772
File Size: 41 KB
Image: #5
Format: WEBP (best quality)
Pixel Size: 500 x 772
File Size: 230 KB
Image: #6
Format: WEBP (high quality)
Pixel Size: 500 x 772
File Size: 98 KB
Image: #7
Format: WEBP (high quality)
Pixel Size: 500 x 772
File Size: 33 KB
Image #3—the JPEG (high-quality) version won out. The JPEG image retained a little more detail than the WEBP image. The results are a bit surprising. The WEBP format slightly softened the jagged pen strokes. The plan was to utilize the smallest file size to enhance page speed and load time. Striking the perfect harmony between file size and image clarity was the JPEG (high-quality) format.
The quality plummeted into a murky abyss when the compression was cranked to “medium” for JPEG and WEBP. These are unacceptable images for presentation.
Between the “best quality” and “high quality” images are practically indistinguishable. In both WEBP and JPEG formats, the “best quality” versions fail to deliver any noticeable improvement. The extra kilobits (KB) in bloated file sizes are pointless.
A lone PNG test was created. The file size was notably larger than the JPEG and WEBP formats.
Most illustrations are stark, with text paired with gritty black-and-white sketches. If the comic book were designed with a riot of vivid colors and intricate details, further image tests would be considered.
Below are links to the INDEFINITE comic books. Christopher Kuiper wrote and illustrated three comic books. The comic book Indefinite (issue #1) is chapter 1 of the story series.
The final “choose your own adventure” style comic book 1 for Indefinite (issue #1). (Final 2010)
The draft “choose your own adventure” style comic book 1 for Indefinite (issue #1). (Draft v5, 2009)
The mini comic book 1 for Indefinite (issue #1). (2014)
Below are links to the INDEFINITE short film. Christopher Kuiper and I co-created the short film INDEFINITE. The short film is chapter 2 of the story series.
INDEFINITE short film premiere poster. (2010)
The short film INDEFINITE (chapter #2). (2010)