Photography tips for the Web

From CreativePro.com:

Photos that look great as large prints can shrink into muddled, fuzzy messes when viewed on a computer monitor or, worse, a mobile phone. Here's how to compose, shoot, and process your images so they work well on the small screen.

Summary

• Small screens have fewer pixels so images have less detail at smaller sizes.
• Take extra shots with small screens in mind.
• Crop your subject tightly.
• Keep the composition simple.
• Use a shallow depth of field if necessary.
• Give the foreground contrast against the background (eg: light vs dark).
• Boost the image contrast and saturation before uploading. (Hint: use Curves instead of Contrast.)
• Try removing the background altogether.

Pixelmator 1.5 Update (Photoshop alternative)

From The Unofficial Apple Weblog:

The Pixelmator team has released another update to my favorite little photo editor. Pixelmator 1.5 Spider brings a host of web exporting and sharing options, including a new "Save for Web" feature and the option to send a picture straight to Mail or iPhoto. Additionally, there's a new Trim tool that will cut off transparent or background pixels, and a new Slice tool that will let you cut an image up into pieces and optimize each for the 'net. There's also the usual round of bug fixes, including support for full compatibility with Snow Leopard.

As usual, the new version is available for update from right within the current app. For new users, Pixelmator is available for $59 over on their website, complete with a free trial if you want to check out this photo editing powerhouse before buying. I really enjoy using Pixelmator -- it's lightweight and easy to use, and while it's not quite as full-featured as Photoshop (though with every big version release like this, they get closer), it's a great app to do a little image editing in.

I purchased Pixelmator recently for home use and it does a nice job for photo touchups. I'd say it's comparable to Photoshop 5.5, which was pretty good back in the day. Who needs 17 different ways to blur anyway? :)