Overview
Creating graphics and images for your website is an important part of making your posts attractive to readers. On the web, most listings have a graphic to catch the eye, to get a visitor to decide if the content is right for them, in the hopes that they read your article. There are so many aspects around graphics that we cannot cover it all here, so we will provide the basics, enough to get you going.
Basics
WordPress has a built-in Media Library, where you can upload graphics to use in your posts. It supports many different file formats, and has many features of its own. You can find out more on the WordPress Support page, and in this great Media Library overview article.
Using the WordPress Media Library
In order for a graphic to be added to a WordPress post like Nooz, it is stored in the Media Library. You can add graphics and images to the Media Library in advance, or you can add them at the same time that you are creating the post, or you can add graphics after you have published a post. In either case, the media file is stored in the Media Library, which you will see as a tab on the left side of the WordPress Admin Dashboard.
Adding Featured Images
Images help your posts to look visually appealing. A Featured Image is added to a post in a side panel on the lower right of the post editor. Using a Featured Image is a standard aspect of Wordpress publishing. (Images can also be inserted into the body of a page or blog, along with the text. This is called an 'inline image'.)
The way to add images to Nooz posts is through the Featured Image. In fact, with exception of Press Releases, it is the only way to add an image to a Nooz post. Press Releases are usually just text, but since they have a text editor box, an inline image can also be done.
Image File Formats
The Media Library supports many different file formats, ranging from static graphics, to documents, to videos. The most common image formats are JPG, PNG, and GIF. Recently there is a new file format from Google known as WebP, that is designed as a replacement for the previous three. As of WordPress version 5.8, the WebP format is natively supported. The format you choose is up to you, based on your requirements and preferences. See our Best Practices section below for more information to help determine what is best for you.
About Image Size and Shape
The term 'image size' is a measurement that has two different types:
- The measurement of image dimensions (which pertains to width and height), calculated in pixels, and
- The measurement of memory size (which pertains to bandwidth), calculated in bytes
There is an important related measurement to image dimension, and that is image shape. Image shape refers to whether it is square or rectangular. The technical term is 'aspect ratio', which is expressed mathematically, like 1:1, or 16:9.
Both dimensions and memory size are inter-related, but the most important size measure for a web page is memory size, because it impacts page load time. The smaller the memory size, the faster the page load, and faster is better. Image dimensions are directly related to memory size, since more pixels take up more memory.
See more information in our Best Practices section below.