Slice small parts of image without losing quality

[BekR]

I am trying to take the following image and convert it to a gmail signature, where each icon is clickable to direct to a link.  Everything works within gmail except for the sizing.  The icons come out very fuzzy at the size they are now.  I created a new document with just them and made them bigger, but then they are too big in proportion to the rest of the signature.  And resizing within gmail does practically nothing.

 

i am using Postimage.org for image hosting.

 

HELP!  I’ve redone this same thing 7 different ways in the last 5 hours.  

[Dan C]

Hi BekR,

Welcome to the forums

Could you please provide a copy of your .afdesign file to the following link, so I can look into this for you?

https://www.dropbox.com/request/1Ap5PjXoBtFnWwQ04JiZ

What size does gmail recommend for your signature image(s)?

 

[BekR]

Thanks, just sent over 2 because i uploaded the wrong one the first time.  

 

Gmail signature should be about 500 px wide total.  Setting the work at that width makes for small icons which end up just being blurry gray blobs.  I was able to scale larger images back in gimp and paint, but they still lose quite a bit of clarity.  It could all be a little clearer honestly.  Didn’t know if there was a way to get more definition and resolution without exceeding the width for gmail.  

 

TY again!

[Dan C]

Thanks for your file. When exporting, what format are you using please?

If you're exporting to a raster format (such as JPEG or PNG) at your current size, the icons will be about 30px x 30px which are bound to look 'blurry'.

I've done some testing, both with your file and in Gmail, and I believe the following is the best option for you

Firstly, move the contents of Artboard 2 onto Artboard 1, then delete artboard 1. You should see a notification toast at this point, please select 'Keep Objects'. This should revert your artboard document back to a 'regular' one that can be resized.

Now go to File>Document Setup. In the dialogue that opens I used the following values-

This will increase the size of your document by a factor of 3, meaning your logos are now 90px x 90px each @ 300dpi.

I then exported the file to PNG, as this is a lossless format, setting the Matte to White.

With the exported file, I then uploaded it directly onto Google Photos - at which point you're offered a Quality choice, where I chose 'Original Size'.

Once the image is uploaded, right-click it and select Open image in new tab. Copy the URL of the image, then open your Gmail settings.

In the signature section you have the option to insert an image by link - select this and paste the URL of the image here.

Once the preview has updated you have size options available, depending on how large you want the image to appear I recommend using 'Original' or 'Large'. 

I set the image to Original, then sent myself a test email to a Hotmail account to see how the image previews in other mail apps. The image was clear and the icons appeared crisp.

I hope this helps!

[BekR]

Thank you!  I will give it a shot!  Many many thanks!