How many images are best?

Compare the difference between 18 images, 36 images and 72 images.

The 18 image example downloads the fastest. The 72 image example feels the smoothest.

18 images

Width 239px Height 360px Quantity 18 images File-size 11kb each Total file-size 198kb

36 images

Width 239px Height 360px Quantity 36 images File-size 11kb each Total file-size 396kb

72 images

Width 239px Height 360px Quantity 72 images File-size 11kb each Total file-size 792kb

The trade-off

How many images are best for your 360° spin? It's a trade-off between download speed and user experience. The more frames per spin, the smoother it feels but the longer the user waits for the images to download.

Magic 360™ and Magic 360 Flash™ always display the first image straight away, which helps keep users happy while the other images download.

Consider this...

• Dimensions: file size increases exponentially with larger width/height images.
• Compression: try JPEG compression of 40% to reduce file size while maintaining acceptable image quality.
• Connection speed: mobile users typically have slower connections than those in an office/home.
• Content of your page: if your page is already heavy with images and scripts, be careful not to add too much more.
• $$$ cost: the more images per spin, the greater the cost to photograph them.

The happy medium

36 images is usually best. The spin feels smooth and if you have compressed your images to a suitable size, the download time is normally acceptable.