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Guides to web media

Plain-language articles on finding and saving media, streaming formats, image optimisation, SEO and using online media responsibly.

Guide · 8 min read Where to find free images and videos legally The best sources of free stock photos, videos, illustrations and sounds, what each licence actually allows, and how to credit creators properly. Read guide →

How-to · 7 min read Find the direct URL of any image or video Step-by-step ways to find the real file address behind an image, background or video on any web page using Chrome, Firefox and Safari developer tools. Read guide →

Guide · 8 min read Image SEO: alt text, file names and sitemaps A practical image SEO checklist: useful alt text, file names, formats and sizes, structured data and image sitemaps so your pictures rank in Google Images. Read guide →

For developers · 8 min read Responsive images: srcset, sizes and picture How websites serve a different image size to every screen, how srcset and sizes work, when to use the picture element, and the common mistakes that waste bandwidth. Read guide →

How-to · 8 min read How to download images and videos from any website Five reliable ways to save images and videos from a web page, from right-click to developer tools and automated extractors, and when to use each one. Read guide →

For developers · 7 min read Lazy loading images and videos, done right What lazy loading is, how the native loading attribute works, why it sometimes hurts speed, and how to lazy-load videos and embeds without breaking SEO. Read guide →

Explainer · 7 min read What is an M3U8 file? HLS & DASH explained Why online videos are split into hundreds of small pieces, what .m3u8 and .mpd files are, how adaptive bitrate works and how a stream becomes a single MP4. Read guide →

How-to · 6 min read Open Graph images for better link previews What og:image is, the best size for WhatsApp, Facebook, LinkedIn and X previews, the exact meta tags to add, and how to fix a preview that shows the wrong picture. Read guide →

Explainer · 9 min read JPEG vs PNG vs WebP vs AVIF: which to use A practical comparison of the main web image formats: how each compresses, when to use it, browser support and the trade-offs between quality and file size. Read guide →

Explainer · 8 min read MP4 vs WebM vs MOV: video formats explained The difference between video containers and codecs, which formats play in which browsers, and the best settings for putting video on a website in 2026. Read guide →

Guide · 8 min read Using web media legally: a plain guide Copyright basics for web media: what you may save and reuse, Creative Commons licences, public domain, fair dealing in India and where to find free content. Read guide →

For developers · 7 min read Audit your website's images for page speed A step-by-step method to find oversized images, wrong formats and heavy videos that slow your website down, with target sizes and fixes for each problem. Read guide →