Image streaming is used to display images online, but how can you ensure you are enjoying the full benefits of this innovative technology?
Any new technology can be a little intimidating, especially technology that’s set to change something as significant as the way we publish, view, and interact with images online.
We’ve been using image formats like JPEG to display images online since the early 1990s. So, after such a long time, it’s only natural to be reluctant to embrace a new way of doing things – especially when it involves technology that seems hard to understand.
However, image streaming isn’t complicated. Think how easy it was transitioning from watching MPEGs to streaming video on YouTube, or going from playing MP3s to streaming music on Spotify. And more importantly, consider the endless benefits.
It’s for this reason that we’ve put together the following article, which outlines seven ways to get the most out of image streaming. And if you want to get started with streaming, you can do so here.
1. Use the highest possible image resolution for longevity
The first thing you need to do when streaming your digital images is to upload your original files to a secure server. Once uploaded, these source files can be streamed to infinite websites using an embed code, all without a single copy being made.
When uploading these source files, it’s important to upload images in the highest resolution possible.
This is important for two reasons. First, it will ensure your images work as well as possible with the Hyper Zoom and full-screen features (more on these later). Second, and arguably more important, it ensures your images are futureproofed against ever-increasing screen resolutions.
For example, this image from The Guardian in 2004 was of sufficient resolution for the screens of the time, but nowadays when HD displays are standard and 4K displays are ever-more prevalent, the faces in the shot are almost unrecognizable.
Streamed images take the user’s display into account to deliver the precise number of pixels required. This means that as screen resolutions increase, the number of displayed pixels increases to match, and so your images effectively grow in line with screen resolutions.
That said, a streamed image can only ever be as big as the source file it is being streamed from; it will never be displayed beyond its maximum resolution. That’s why the bigger the original image is, the better.
Learn more: Low-resolution images make sense from the perspective of security. There’s just one problem.
2. Add a caption for context and permanent attribution
Online misinformation and disinformation are ever-increasing problems. Digital images can play a large part and the main reason for this is a lack of context.
Images in JPEG, PNG, and GIF formats can be easily copied and saved with no information or attribution. This makes them very easy for bad actors to repurpose as they wish.
By streaming your images instead, you will not only be protecting them from theft but also ensuring they carry an uneditable caption with them wherever they are embedded. This allows you to guarantee both context and permanent attribution.
Therefore, once an image is uploaded, be sure to attach as many details as you can to provide some background and outline what it portrays. You can always amend this later if you need to.
Learn more: Spotlight: SmartFrame Captions
3. Enable in-image ads for a potential new revenue stream
In addition to giving context, attaching detailed captions and metadata to your streamed images allows them to be matched with contextual in-image advertising campaigns, which have the potential to open a whole new revenue stream for your image content.
Because streamed images are live frames, it is possible to serve relevant ads into them. Enabling this feature is as simple as flicking a switch on the Image details page and means that, provided your images get enough views, you could get paid every time an ad is served.
Learn more: In-image advertising: How it works and FAQ
4. Offer users Hyper Zoom and Full-screen viewing for maximum engagement
Another reason to uploaded high-quality, high-resolution source images is to ensure that viewers can fully enjoy them. Image streaming offers two key ways to do this: Hyper Zoom and Full-screen viewing.
Hyper Zoom is a multi-level zoom function that allows users to explore the finest details of the image, without upscaling or any other degradation. The Full-screen mode, meanwhile, allows viewers to fill their display with the image, removing any distractions so it can be seen in its full, unencumbered glory.
These features can significantly increase user engagement, which can lead to improved page dwell times and a better overall user experience. Not only that, but they can be used in tandem too, and the fact that only details required at the time are delivered to the user means that the whole process is as efficient as possible.
Learn more: More detail than ever: Hyper Zoom meets 100MP images
5. Choose how your images are shared in line with your goals
Streamed images can be shared via a URL, on social media, through email, and by using embed code, and all through the use of buttons that appear within the image frame. These can be enabled, disabled, or customized to suit your specific needs.
Shares via a URL, social media, and email all link back to the page on which the image is embedded when the button is pressed.
Shares via the embed code allow the user to copy the code and then republish the image to their own website.
For this reason, consider what you are trying to achieve before selecting your sharing options.
For limited placement: Disable embedding
If you would like your image to be shared but would prefer it to only be published in one place, we recommend enabling the share button and disabling the ‘Embed’ option.
This way, users will be able to share a link to your image with friends and followers on social media and via email, however, it will only ever be streamed to one URL.
For maximum exposure: Enable embedding
If you would like your image to reach as wide an audience as possible on as many websites as possible, we recommend enabling the ‘Embed’ button.
By doing this, any user can copy the embed code with a single click, then paste it into their web editor and publish the image on their own website. This dramatically increases the chances of it being seen.
For complete exclusivity: Disable all sharing
If you would prefer for your images to be exclusive to your website, it is possible to disable sharing options altogether.
This means that users will not have the built-in option to share the image via social media or email, or be able to embed the image on their own website.
While exclusivity can be beneficial in some cases, this approach will limit potential exposure, so we would not recommend it if you are hoping to capitalize on in-image ad revenues.
Learn more: How do you share high-resolution images online without fear of theft?
6. Add a custom CTA button to direct traffic to your site
Image streaming also provides you with the ability to add a call-to-action (CTA) button to your images. The CTA button can be customized to suit your needs, with the option to edit the button text and the URL.
This is ideal for professional photographers or artists who would like to offer viewers a direct link from their images to their portfolio site.
Alternatively, e-commerce brands can ensure that, regardless of where their official product photography is published online, it always includes a direct link to their online store.
7. Use analytics data to help inform your content strategy
Streaming images gives you access to a range of insights and tracking data that would be impossible to gather from JPEGs, PNGs, and GIFs, or any other file formats that are uploaded online without any security.
With SmartFrame Insights, you can view a variety of metrics, including how many impressions your images have received and the location of their viewers. It is also possible to understand how viewers are interacting with your images through their use of the zoom, full-screen viewing, and sharing functions.
Additionally, image streaming allows you to track exactly where your images are being shown. You can view a list of every URL that contains an embed and block specific websites at your discretion.
This level of insight allows you to make better-informed decisions on your overall strategy, while the power to control the distribution of your images ensures they always appear alongside content that is safe and contextually relevant.
Learn more: SmartFrame Insights: How to use your data to make better decisions
SmartFrame’s innovative image-streaming technology is revolutionizing the way images are viewed online for content owners, publishers, and advertisers around the globe
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get the latest articles and updates delivered straight to your inbox