trouble keeping a low-res project lookin good

[berbes]

hello. i've been spoiled since broadband when it comes to keeping images good looking AND small in size. i have a bowling alley client that has those tv scorers, and the system mandates that the adverts be bmp's no bigger than 512x256. working in these conditions can make some fonts and images look pretty raggy.

i'm not that deep into PS, so any and all suggestions about how to make things look cleaner would be GREAT.

thanks!

[Novo]

There is not a whole lot you can do about the images, other than making sure that you use good source material before your decide to size down (use interpolation method bicubic sharper).
As for text; when you have little resolution and tiny fonts to work with, then it's advisable to fiddle with the anti-aliasing options for that particular font, but often it's better to turn it off completely. A lot depends of course on how big your font is going to be. When the font is rather tiny, it might be wise to use what we call Pixel Fonts. You can Google it, many of them are free. Also make sure that you add the fonts after you resize to 512x256, to keep them crisp and exactly the way you want them to be.

[berbes]

excellent font tip that will be used. i always wondered if it was better to work in a higher res and shrink it down afterwards or start with the low res.

thank you & merry christmas!