AOL Image Compression and You
Many AOL users will see web images that are fuzzy, incorrect colors or otherwise degraded in quality. This is due to AOL's behind-the-scenes image compression. AOL's software is set by default to compress images beyond the level of compression set by the web site designer, resulting in a far lower quality image than the original posted picture on the site. AOL assumes you want this compression turned on, they say it makes web sites load faster, and that you prefer speed to quality."Members can individually disable AOL graphics compression, but most choose to allow compression because it speeds up web page delivery."My understanding is that some 18 million AOL users are unaware that this option exists, or that their web experience is being degraded. Below I have three images of one photograph, in an attempt to visually explain what happens when AOL compresses images, and to let you see if you're affected by this process.
- http://webinfo.aol.com/compgraphics.html
 Image Number 1 forced to work in AOL 92 KB |
|
 Image Number 2 Original Photograph 11 KB |
 Image Numger 3 AOL Compressed Photograph 14 KB |
It may render on your screen the way it is supposed to look or it may look different to it's intended appearance. Image Number 3 is what I found when looking at the same image with an AOL browser. I saved the file so that comparisons can be made. It takes up 14 kilobytes. (Yes, that's right, the compressed file here is larger than the original - go figure) Image Number 1 is what I did to make the photo appear the way it is supposed to look. However, in order to get it to look right, I had to increase the size of the file to 92 kilobytes. And, because I had to save it in a different format, one which is not designed for photographs, some of the color and detail has been lost. What does this mean to you? When you look at Image Number 2, does it look like Image Number 1? or Image Number 3? If you are using AOL and compression is turned on it's quite likely that what you see looks like Image Number 3, and you can see that that is not the same as Image Number 1. Image Number 2 is supposed to look like Image Number 1 Would you like to see pictures as they are supposed to appear? The trade off is that web pages will display slower - that's why AOL put in the compression system. Fortunately, you can change the image quality settings. If you would like to view web pages the way they were meant to be viewed - with clear, crisp graphics and pictures, we recommend you turn off AOL's automatic image compression. This will allow you to view images undistorted in their native format. Follow the steps for your version of the AOL browser to turn off AOL image compression:
- AOL 9.0 (and some versions of 8.x)
If you have trouble following these instruction, try this tutorial
- Click "Settings" on the icon bar across the top of the window.
- Select "Internet [Web] Options" under the "I" on the next page.
- Click on the "AOL Browser" tab of the window that pops up. Under "Web Graphics" choose "Never compress graphics".
- To correct the distorted images for web pages you've previously visited, you will also need to click on the button in the lower half of the window "Clear Storage". You may also want to select "Do not store Web pages" to free up extra space on your computer.
- Click the "Apply" button at the bottom right of the window and click "OK" to close the window.
- Earlier Versions of AOL (i.e. 4.x, 5.x, 6.x, 7.x, and some versions 8.x)
- Click "My AOL" on the icon bar across the top of the window.
- Select "Preferences" on the next page.
- Click on the "WWW" icon. In the Internet Properties window that comes up, select the "Web Graphics" tab and uncheck the "Use Compressed Graphics" box.
- To correct the distorted images for web pages you've previously visited, you will also need to clear your cache. In the Internet Properties window, select the "Advanced" tab.
- In the section "Temporary Internet Files", click the "Settings" button once, then click the "Empty Folder" or "Purge Cache" button once. Click "Yes" once to empty the folder and remove previously viewed files.
- Click the "Apply" button at the bottom right of the window and click "OK" to close the window.
