One piece background file size

Motorider

I'm looking for some feedback on the recommended file/image size for a single background photo (not for downloading or printing). I realize that I should keep the file size to a minimum so that my page loads quickly, but of course I want a good image. Here's what I'm using now, but I don't know if it would cause slow page loads for new visitors.

3.37mb JPG file
2000 x 2000 px
72 dpi

Thanks

mbonocore

2000 isn't as wide as a 27 inch screen, so we are resizing it bigger, therefore losing resolution. We resize to fit the browser, so just upload the full res and set the max viewable size of the gallery it's in to be Original.

Motorider

The original image is 7000 px @ 300 DPI (a 23 mb file). Wouldn't an image that large cause a delayed loading of my website?

I appreciate the feedback regarding the 27" screens. But isn't 72 DPI the maximum resolution that a monitor can display? If so, the image would only end up being 1944 px (so my 2000 px image should work fine). Am I misunderstanding something? Thank you.

PBolchover

What happens is that Smugmug automatically detects the size of the browser window. Internally, they store many copies of your photo, in different sizes, so the view only downloads the size that is necessary for them.

Motorider

Thank you for the explanation, this sounds like an incredible feature. In this case, it helps to understand what's happening behind the scenes. I guess I don't need to worry about files sizes & resolution any longer (although I'm still wondering about the 72 DPI setting, since I'm not selling or printing my site's images). So I did a little reading & found this article which others might also find helpful.