Images
Images enrich online content, and improve access by breaking up the text and providing visual interest.
Some ways you can incorporate images in your online course are
- directly within the page in MyUni
- within quizzes as part of questions and feedback
- attached to discussion board posts to promote discourse
- as browse-able web photo/image libraries
As with all multimedia you need to keep in mind file size and download times by optimising and compressing your images before uploading them or inserting them in documents.
Sourcing images for use in online course material
When sourcing images from the internet you must ensure compliance with copyright, moral rights and warning notices in accordance with our Part VB statutory license. This FAQ from the University Copyright Site outlines your right to copy and communicate for educational purposes images already in electronic form (such as those you see on the internet).
Wikimedia Commons  is a repository of media items (mostly images) that can be used by anyone for any purpose. You should still ensure you correctly cite items and also read any license conditions associated with each item you download from the site.
Picture Australia provides a facility to search for Australiana images from various image collections based in libraries, museums and art galleries throughout Australia and abroad.
MorgueFile is another repository of free images - "The purpose of this site is to provide free image reference material for use in all creative pursuits."
Google Images will do a Google internet search for images files only.
Note: To save an image from a website, just right mouse click on the image and select "Save picture as.."
Image formats for the web
There are two main image formats for use online. Jpg (pronounce J-peg) and Gif formats can be used to compress raw image files into a suitable file size for use online. Always use an image editing program such as IrfanView (available on standard University desktop in Programs/Accessories) or Photoshop to resize and compress images to the appropriate format and quality BEFORE incorporating them in online materials.
JPG format will give you the best result with the smallest file size for photographs and natural artwork.
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| 7Kb JPG |
17Kb GIF |
GIF format will give you the best result with the smallest file size for flat colour graphics, diagrams, lettering and cartoons.
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| 3Kb GIF |
4Kb JPG |
Reducing file sizes of files containing images (PowerPoint, Word, Pdf)
DO NOT simply adjust the size of your images within PowerPoint, Word or other program. This will only change the appearance of the image, not the file size.
DO use an image editing program like IrfanView (available on standard University desktop in Programs/Accessories) or Photoshop to resize and compress images to an appropriate format and quality BEFORE using them in PowerPoint, Word or other materials for use online. This will dramatically reduce the size of your final file.
For step by step instructions on how to do this see:
- How to prepare images for use in MyUni or PowerPoint ( html or pdf
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