| IMAGE OPTIMIZING
Hints to improve your AOL internet experience... We provide the following information for those visitors who may be unfamiliar with the limitations that AOL's default image compression utility places on their viewing experiences (in fact they may be unaware that there is an image compression utility!). Please follow the simple instructions below so you can turn off image compression and begin to enjoy websites as they were meant to be seen.1. You may ask yourself, why do images look blurry, blotchy or speckled; why do color ranges appear striated; why are graphics partially rendering and/or appearing with black bars on them? America Online utilizes a graphics compression software that speeds up the delivery of web pages by compressing the images of various multimedia applications (such as images that have already been compressed, as .GIF, or .JPG). This graphics compression software converts them to a proprietary Johnson-Grace image format with the extention .ART. Even though the images still carry the extention they started with, they have been altered -- converted to the .ART format. While this conversion assists in speeding up site-loading times via proxy servers by compressing already compressed images (thus making them even smaller), it can also lead to images failing to download completely, or appearing blotchy and blurry, with striated colors. Depending on why you are visiting a site, this can lead to a negative internet experience. All AOL members have the option of deselecting the utilization of this proprietary graphics compression software. To get the most from your internet viewing experience, change your settings on your AOL browser. Here's how: * AOL 3.0: Start AOL, click on MEMBERS. On the drop down menu click PREFERENCES. Double click the WWW icon. On the tabbed menu, click on the WEB GRAPHICS tab, on the right. Uncheck the box "Use compressed graphics." Press "OK." * AOL 4.0, 5.0: Click on MY AOL. On the drop down menu click PREFERENCES. Double click the WWW icon. On the tabbed menu, click on the WEB GRAPHICS tab, on the right. Uncheck the box "Use compressed graphics." Press "OK." * AOL 6.0: Start AOL. Under "AOL Anywhere" choose the "Settings" drop down menu. Select "Preferences," then "Internet Properties (www)," then "Internet Options," then "Web Graphics." Click on "Never Compress Graphics." Click "Apply," then click "OK." * AOL 7.0: Start AOL. Choose the "Settings" drop down menu. Select "Preferences," then "Internet Properties (www)," then "Internet Options," then "Web Graphics." Click on "Never Compress Graphics." Click "Apply," then click "OK." * AOL 8.0: Start AOL. Choose the "Settings" drop down menu. Select "Preferences," then "Internet Properties (www)," then "Internet Options," then "Web Graphics." Click on "Never Compress Graphics." Click "Apply," then click "OK." Remember, if you prefer speed over image quality, you can always change these settings back at any time. 2. My images still appear blurry! Nothing has changed. What should I do? Your browser has stored pages that you have recently visited on your computer in order to serve them to you faster, and it has stored copies of the compressed version of the images. In order to clear your CACHE (the temporary storage area) you need to: * AOL 3.0: Start AOL, click on MEMBERS. On the drop down menu click PREFERENCES. Double click the WWW icon. On the tabbed menu, click on the GENERAL tab, on the left. Near the bottom under "History," click on "Clear History." Right above that, under "Temporary Internet Files," depress the button "Delete Files." Under "Settings," you can choose to see the latest version of a web site every time. * AOL 4.0, 5.0: Start AOL, click on MY AOL. On the drop down menu click PREFERENCES. Double click the WWW icon. On the tabbed menu, click on the GENERAL tab, on the left. Near the bottom under "History," click on "Clear History." Right above that, under "Temporary Internet Files," depress the button "Delete Files." Under "Settings," you can choose to see the latest version of a web site every time. * AOL 6.0: Start AOL. Under "AOL Anywhere" choose the "Settings" drop down menu. Select "Preferences," then "Internet Properties (www)," then "Internet Options," then "General." Under "History," choose "Clear History" or you can set your "Days to Keep Pages in History" to zero (0). * AOL 7.0: Start AOL. Choose the "Settings" drop down menu. Select "Preferences," then "Internet Properties (www)," then "Internet Options," then "General." Under "History," choose "Clear History" or you can set your "Days to Keep Pages in History" to zero (0). * AOL 8.0: Start AOL. Choose the "Settings" drop down menu. Select "Preferences," then "Internet Properties (www)," then "Internet Options," then "General." Under "History," choose "Clear History" or you can set your "Days to Keep Pages in History" to zero (0). You may need to sign off and restart your computer for these preferences to take effect. |