Mystery Inc.: Image Formats

This will go over and explain the various image formats and their roles on this wiki.

.PNG
PNG images are the ideal file type. They are "lossless" meaning that they will be perfectly saved and distributed around the Internet. This means that there is no difference between an original file that has been saved onto this wiki once and the same file that has been bounced around the Internet millions of times. PNGs are best suited for computer generated images, logos, and images that will be used repeatedly (such as the question mark background of this wiki). Since Scooby-Doo is mostly computer animation where the colors are exact, PNGS are almost always the best choice.

.JPEG
JPEG images have a very large palette of colors, which makes them best at displaying photos. They are not lossless, meaning that if you save a JPEG once on this wiki, there will be a difference between it and one that's been bounced around. Each time you re-save it, it will lose a bit of information that it deems irrelevant. Using JPEGs would be good for images of the live-action movies or something that is not computer generated. Images with text should not be saved as a JPEG. Try a PNG instead.

.GIF
GIF files are similar to PNG files: they are both lossless and are both suited best for computer generate images and logos. The difference is that GIFs do not support alpha transparency, meaning that transparency on a GIF is like a switch: a pixel either is transparent or it isn't. GIF files are also bigger than PNGs, so PNGs are preferred. The only time you should use a GIF is for animation.

Animated Images
Unlike some wikis, we here at Mystery Inc. Wiki support the use of animated images. They add a whole new functionality that you can only find online, so we're not going to deny their use. For file formats, use animated GIFs over animated PNGs because, currently, only Firefox supports animated PNGs.

With animated images, it is important to censor their use however. Only use animated images when they add an important and unique aspect to the image. If the same idea could be expressed using a non-animated image, please use the non-animated version. This makes articles cleaner, easier to read, and quicker to load. As a rule of thumb, for every five sections, there can be one animated image. You may use more if you think it's necessary though.

All GIFs should be at a width of 250px to display correctly in an infobox. A good online GIF resize tool is here.