Embedding & linking images

In this video we’re going to look at how to bring in images. Now there’s many ways of binging in images from different programs.

The easiest way is just to go to file, and you’ve got these 2, “Place Embedded” or “Place Linked”.

Now we’re going to use “Place Embedded’. It’s definitely a better way of working when you are new to web design, or new to designing in photoshop.

Linked files can be quite handy if your file size is getting really high. They don’t tend to get super high when you’re dealing with web design, because the resolution is not huge, and there’s not a lot of detail to some of the effects that you are doing. But let’s have a quick look at the difference. By embed it, it means that, - I’m going to bring in my, - so go to your photoshop, - photoshop web exercise files. I’m going to open up this one called image books. I’m going to place him in -he comes in, you get to resize him. I’m going to leave him exactly how he came in and hit return.

Now you’ll see in my layers panel here, it's called image books, what’s happened though is that it’s been kind of put inside this document, and will be carried around. If I send somebody my photoshop document, it’s going to come along for the ride. Now if I do it the other way, OK if I go to Place Linked what will happen is the image will come in and it will look the same, I hit enter. I’ve got 2 images the same, - you’ll see the icon changes.

This one has got a little linking icon. It just means that if I now send this, say to my designer, or my web developer to build, they’re not going to have the images unless I send them separately.

Ok I’m going to need that image books.jpg to send along, whereas the embedded one , it’s stuck in the file, and is a little bet easier to share.

The other problem you need to watch out for, for linked ones like this, is if I go to my desktop now, and I go and delete image books , can you see in here this little question mark means that hey, I’m freaking out because I’ve lost that image in here. It will come up with error saying can’t find it, don’t know where it is. So it is a bit easier at the beginning to use embedded. The reason you’d use linked images is that if you are using that same image over and over again in lots of files.

You don’t really want to have lots of copies of it everywhere, taking up a lot of file size. It also can be working on a really complex document with lots of embedded images, it can start running really slow. If you’ve got a terrible old laptop that you are using, that is something you might want to consider. For the moment though, I’m going to delete this layer here, and leave the one that was embedded.