Converting HTML to PNG can have unexpected results. Screen captures from a web browser are reliable but limited. Programs may not render pages correctly or with all components loaded. Image quality can also be an issue. Automatic converters may not render all components and create distorted images. Pages with user information should be excluded. Be aware of aspect ratio when resizing.
Converting a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) page to a portable network graphics (PNG) file format can lead to unexpected results. Some methods are very reliable, but also very limited in their usage, including using screen captures from an active web browser and then editing the saved image. Other methods, such as using programs to specifically convert HTML to PNG, may not render the page correctly, at the correct resolution, or even with all the more complex components loaded. The scripts run by a web server to convert HTML to PNG are sometimes very complex or require the installation of specialized libraries which themselves may have bugs that prevent them from working. Knowing what to expect when creating a website image can help speed up the process and reduce unwanted results.
The easiest way to convert HTML to PNG is to simply load a website into a web browser and use a screen capture program to save the displayed image. This method has good results and is quite predictable. It’s also limited in its use and requires manual processing of each screen capture, meaning updates to any application that uses the image will need to be updated whenever an HTML document changes. However, if all else fails, this is a basic working method.
Programs and scripts that automatically convert HTML to PNG might have automation built in, but they also have the possibility of not being able to render all components of a site. Some basic design elements, such as animations, some style sheet formatting, and streaming media, may not display, leaving large holes in the website image or incorrect page formatting. This can be avoided by not using dynamic elements or by finding programs that claim that they will, in fact, render these components.
The quality of the image created when switching from HTML to PNG files can also be an issue. Some mechanisms that enhance the images, text, and other visual elements of a page are sometimes employed independently of the browser’s renderer. This means that text and images may appear pixelated or washed out. There are few solutions to this problem except to design HTML documents with all image enhancement software turned off.
When using automatic HTML to PNG converters, it is important to consider which web pages should be saved as image files. Site users could be put at risk if a picture of a page is taken as they enter their username and password, view private messages, or enter personal information. Having this type of image acting as a thumbnail for a site creates a huge security risk. Pages that may display user information or that may create dynamic information from user input should always be excluded from automatic HTML to PNG generation programs.
Especially with automatic HTML to PNG converters, one should be aware of the aspect ratio of the final images. Some programs will attempt to resize a captured website to fit predefined parameters. This may cause the software to take an image of an HTML document and scale it to fit in a differently proportioned rectangular area. This can create distorted images that are unusable.
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