Above is a photo that has not been optimized. On my system, it takes several seconds to load. Under it is another copy of the same photo that has been re-sized and optimized.

 

The website that was used to re-size this photo was http://www.webresizer.com/resizer/

Now that you know what to look for, clear your browser cache and reload this page to see the bottom photo load in a snap compared to the top photo. Go ahead, — try it!

I am writing this post as an experiment and illustration to show that you do not need to make your photos “smaller” to have them load quickly. I hope that was informative, and that you will find this helpful in making your website visually appealing.

At webresizer.com — browse and upload a photo into the work area. Choose a new size by width or height. You can play with image quality, tint, etc. I used the rounded corners (down in the “border” choices) on my re-sized photo above.  I chose 600 pixels wide.

The re-sized photo is approx. 98% less in file size than the original photo, resulting in a much faster image load time.

If you linked this re-sized photo to a larger size, then if someone wanted to see the details, they could click and see.  For example, if your bio-pic in your by-line is 75 pixels wide, you could have that pic linked to the original of the portrait in your media library so that if anyone wanted to see a larger picture, they could click and admire.  Just a thought :)