Optimizing images for the web is crucial for Core Web Vitals, but the process is overly complex. While tools like Squoosh and web.dev guides offer help, developers still struggle with image optimization. This difficulty stems from needing to consider file size, resolution, codec support, lazy loading, and more. CDNs offer a solution but introduce centralization. To simplify this, I created a prototype tool (https://just-gimme-an-img.vercel.app/) that generates optimized HTML for images, handles AVIF conversion, creates multiple image sizes, and does it all client-side using Squoosh's CLI. The tool aims to make image optimization easier and more accessible, especially for common use cases like hero images. I'm hoping this sparks further discussion and improvements in image optimization tooling to simplify the process for all developers.
I created a bookmarklet to easily download all images from my daughter's nursery school portal, which doesn't allow direct downloads. It uses the File System API to let the user choose a directory and save all images there. The bookmarklet grabs all images, fetches them sequentially to avoid overloading the server, and saves them to the chosen directory using file handles and writer streams. Now I can easily preserve these memories!
I've created a lighter fork of the SimpleImage tool for Editor.js! It addresses a couple of issues I had with the original. First, it now uses blob URLs instead of base64, which saves memory. Second, it adds the ability to select an image file directly, rather than only drag-and-drop. Check out the fork on GitHub!
During a trip to Llangollen, I noticed that the historical information on local signs wasn't available online. This sparked an idea to make such information accessible on the web, especially for those with reading difficulties. I experimented with my existing image text extraction tool and found it works surprisingly well on these types of images. I'm now considering creating a website dedicated to archiving and indexing the text from informational signs, inspired by Google's NavlekhÄ project which helps offline Indian publishers digitize their content.
I've created a new tool, AJAX Tagger, to help bloggers enhance their posts. It leverages AJAX to dynamically suggest related articles, topical tags, encyclopedia definitions, and images. It even integrates with your affiliate programs to recommend relevant products. Check it out and let me know what you think!
I've just released version 2 of AJAX Tagger, and it now includes a Related Images feature! It pulls images from Flickr that you can easily insert into your blog posts. While it works great, be aware that downloading many images might be slow in Internet Explorer due to its concurrent request limit. I believe this is a fantastic addition and can significantly boost traffic to your blog, especially considering images are known to attract readers.
As a user of the Windows Blogger Tool, I've identified some desired features for future releases. These include HTML editing before posting, image and table insertion, custom style application, accurate list creation (ordered and unordered), and proper handling of element shading. While the tool is currently not comprehensive, it serves as a decent starting point. Personally, I value control over post content, so I'll likely use it for drafting and later refinement, enabling quicker text entry without immediate tagging or styling concerns.
In a previous post, I failed to test the alpha transparency feature. This post rectifies that. I've included an image with a green fade to white against a black background to demonstrate the effect. It may be garish, but it effectively showcases the alpha transparency.
