Why Your Online Photos Might Look Blurry (And How to Fix It!)

Remember back in the day when we used to wait a week to get our photos developed at the local camera store? If a photo came back blurry we didn’t know it for a week, and there was nothing to do about it. But now, in our digital world, we have many other considerations to be aware of. One of them is image optimization and compression. 

Big words that mean what?

Image optimization is the simple process of reducing the size (compression) of an image as much as you can without ruining its quality.

The Mystery of the Blurry Photo

You’ve invested in professional photos to showcase your business, but when you upload them to your website or social media, they suddenly look blurry. Frustrating, right? Don’t worry, it’s not your eyes playing tricks on you, and it’s probably not your photographer’s fault. 

So let’s start by saying that a blurry photo online may not mean it is out of focus. 

Why are your brand photos blurry?

Think of it like this: You have a beautiful, oversized painting (your high-quality photo). But to hang it on a small wall (your website), you need to shrink it down. If not done carefully, some of the details get lost in the process.

Here’s why this happens:

1. File Size Matters: The photos your photographer gave you are likely large files. They’re perfect for printing but too large for most websites to handle efficiently.
2. Automatic Compression: When you upload a large image to your website, it often tries to make it smaller automatically. This can lead to a loss of quality, resulting in the impression of a blurry photo. 
3. Loading Speed: Large images take longer to load. In today’s fast-paced online world, if your website takes more than a few seconds to load, your audience may have been too impatient to wait, so they don’t even see your beautiful photos.
4. Mobile Viewing: Large images can cause display issues on smaller device screens, potentially turning away customers.

Why It’s Important to Avoid Blurry Photos

1. First Impressions Count: Your photos represent you and your business. Blurry images can make your brand look unprofessional.
2. Google Likes Speed: Search engines prefer websites that load quickly. Using properly sized images can help your site rank better in search results.
3. Customer Trust: Clear, high-quality images build trust. In fact, 92.6% of people say that visual input is the leading factor affecting their purchase decisions.

The Simple Solution

Good news! As a personal brand photographer, I want to be sure you have the file size you need to best represent yourself (which in turn also best represents me). That’s why my clients get 

1. Web-ready files to post on your socials and website
2. Larger images to print for marketing material

Always use those web-ready photos for your online presence. They’re specially prepared to look sharp and load quickly on websites and social media.

Quick Tip

If you’re not sure which photo to use, look at the file size. Web-ready photos are typically saved around 500kb (kilobytes), and high res around 5MB.

Remember, in the online world, the right photo size can make the difference between a fuzzy first impression and a sharp, professional image that truly represents your amazing business.

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Some details from M. Monaghan at https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/grow-online/image-optimization-guide/