Expert: Kevin Stohlmeyer - 8/27/2010

Question
QUESTION: I have been having problems with the look of my text...not while editing in illustrator, but when I "save for web" as jpeg and upload it to my website it doesn't look sharp.  I have attached an image for you to see.  The "Dintelman Marketing" logo just doesn't look sharp to me.  The text only has white fill, no stroke..and I am in RGB color mode.

I have taken a course on Illustrator and was under the impression that once you created a vector image in Illustrator you could size it anyway you want and it would still look sharp, etc.

Any help with the issue is greatly appreciated!  Thank you!

ANSWER: Hi Carol,

The issue is not necessarily with your Illustrator file per se, it is when you Save for Web that this occurs.

When you Save for Web, you are creating a raster file, which is resolution based. You are correct that your vector Illustrator file can be resized and remain smooth, but when you convert your image to a jpg, that rule does not apply. You will have to rely on the preview tab in save for web to keep its integrity at 100%. Any enlargement of the jpg will degrade the quality. It is basically turning this into a 72 dpi (web/lo-res) image.

One solution is to choose a thicker font style  prior to Save for Web. It does appear to be quite thin.

Thanks

Kevin





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Kevin,

Thank you for your reply.  The whole image you see with the blue background and text is sized exactly to the specs I need it to be in Illustrator.  I am not resizing it at all after I convert it to a jpeg.  I can't change the font because that is the logo design!  Can you think of any settings, etc. that will make it look more smooth without changing the logo? I checked and the way it is it was save with 100% quality.  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Carol,

Unfortunately, when you save for web you are reducing the resolution which is what is causing your soft looking text. The thin text in the logo is too small/thin for 72 dpi on that color background which is why it is looking so soft. You could try saving the image out as a GIF file instead of a jpg, which will keep things sharper or Save As an SVG file format. That is a vector format for the web (basically). If it needs to remain a jpg, your only option is to redesign the logo/background somehow.

Thanks

Kevin