Bigger Is Better Online

Most visual items online are small, be it a video, a picture, or album artwork, and one of the things that can defeat the entire purpose of these items is if they're not made with that fact in mind. It's really difficult to get the point across in 320 pixels or less, but it can be done if you keep the following in mind.

1) When shooting videos, wide shots don't usually work unless your shooting items that are really large. Most of the time you need to shoot at least medium close-ups to get the point across.

2) The same goes for pictures. There's not much impact with a wide shot so you have to go in close. Take a look at the two shots below. Which one works better?

3) On album artwork, make sure the name of the artist or band is large enough. Always think about if you can identify the artist if the artwork was shrunk to 150 pixels. Remember, what works on a CD doesn't necessarily translate to a smaller version. Which one works better here?

It's very easy to overlook when shooting video or designing artwork, but it's really worth the effort in the end. The chances of your pictures, videos or artwork appearing in a reduced form are great, so best to prepare for it up front.

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