You use slices to divide a source image into functional areas. When you save the image as a Web page, each slice is saved as an independent file that contains its own settings, color palette, links, rollover effects, and animation effects. You can use slices to achieve faster download speeds. Slices are also advantageous when working with images that contain different types of data. For example, if one area of an image needs to be optimized in GIF format to support an animation, but the rest of the image is better optimized in JPEG format, you can isolate the animation using a slice.
Web page divided into slices: A. Image slice B. Layer-based slice C. No Image slice D. Slice that contains a rollover
You set how the Photoshop or ImageReady application generates HTML code for aligning slices--either using tables or cascading style sheets--in the Output Settings dialog box. You can also set how slice files are named. (See Setting output options.)
