AOL BROWSER USERS

If you are browsing through AOL's "internal" web browser (actually an AOL branded version of Microsoft Internet Explorer), you are most likely missing out on the true graphics that are available from this site. Of course, the graphics will download in your browser, but they are not the same images that I created. AOL has compressed them for your viewing pleasure, and in doing so may have turned some of them into blurry, garbled versions of their original form. Would AOL like it if MY browser did this to THEIR graphics?

In addition to compressing the graphics (which I have already done for you), AOL shrinks each one to 640 x 480 (due, it says, to limitations in their compression software. On images larger than 640 x 480, this resizing further degrades the image quality.

If you want to read AOL's explanation of why and how they do it, go here. This will take you to AOL's site, so press your browser's back button to return here.

AOL users greatly improve the quality of your web images by unchecking 'Show Compressed Graphics.' Unless you have an ancient computer & modem, it really won't slow down your surfing pleasure a bit (as inferred in that box). Those default browser settings only serve AOL's bottom line profits & certainly not your interests as the paying customer.  

Change those settings >>> Step-by-step:

These instructions are for AOL 4.0 (Win95), but will probably be similar for the newer AOL versions:

1. Start AOL and connect as usual.

2. Once connected, click on the button that says "My AOL", and select "Preferences" from the list provided. A window will be displayed containing buttons for all of your AOL settings. Find the one marked "WWW"

3. Click the WWW button. This will bring up another window with tabs across the top. Select the tab marked "Web Graphics", and uncheck the box which reads "Use Compressed Graphics".

4. Close down AOL. When you reopen it and surf the web, you will see the graphics as they were intended.

This also eliminates that low quality .art extension file format by leaving pictures in their originally created higher quality formats.

Finally, please update to AOL's latest version (6.0) to insure these pages display properly.

Click to return to the front page...

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last update: 08/06/01