Expert: Amy - 1/25/2008

Question
hi amy. i have designed logos in illustrator and they look quite clean but when i go to "save for web" the images are pixelated and fuzzy in every format, even when the quality is at "maximum" and anti-alias is checked. what am i missing? thanks for your help.  carolyn

Answer
Hi Carolyn,

Try enlarging your artwork by 300-400% in Illustrator, using the scale tool. Then proceed with the save for web. Sometimes a small amount of artifact noise is eliminated this way, giving smoother results. At least, *I* think so - some people will argue against it.

I don't know if you are saving a graphic as a gif with transparency but setting the matte color to the intended background color helps in that case.

I have experienced a sort of bug with the save for web, too, that you might be experiencing. Sometimes no matter what settings I adjust, the optimized preview doesn't change at all. When this happens, I select any one of the presets in the Save for Web box (right under the DONE button). Then I go back to the adjustments I need to make. It seems to reset the Save for Web brain.

And remember, you cannot enlarge in Save for Web without experiencing a loss of quality. So keep that in mind, too.

If you need more help with this, let me know!
Amy