HTML image tag is used to add images to web pages. Images are an essential part of web design, as they add visual appeal and help to convey information. The image tag is represented by the <img> tag in HTML and is a self-closing tag, which means it doesn’t require a closing tag.

The syntax of the image tag is as follows:

<img src="image_path.jpg" alt="Image description">

The src attribute specifies the location of the image file. It can be a relative or absolute path. The alt attribute provides a description of the image for users who cannot see the image, either due to slow internet connections, browser issues, or visual impairments.

The image tag supports several other attributes that can be used to control the size, alignment, and appearance of the image.

The image tag also supports several optional attributes, including:

• width and height: specify the width and height of the image in pixels or as a percentage of the parent element.
• title: provides a tooltip when the user hovers over the image.
• loading: specifies how the browser should load the image (e.g. lazy loading to improve page performance).

width and height attributes: These attributes are used to specify the width and height of the image in pixels. It is recommended to specify both attributes to prevent the image from stretching or shrinking.

<img src="image_path.jpg" alt="Image description" width="500" height="300">

title attribute: This attribute is used to provide a title for the image. It appears as a tooltip when the user hovers over the image.

<img src="image_path.jpg" alt="Image description" title="Title text">

align attribute: This attribute is used to specify the alignment of the image with respect to the surrounding text. The values can be left, right, top, middle, bottom, texttop, absmiddle, baseline, or absbottom.

<img src="image_path.jpg" alt="Image description" align="left">

border attribute: This attribute is used to add a border around the image. The value is the thickness of the border in pixels.

<img src="image_path.jpg" alt="Image description" border="2">

style attribute: This attribute is used to apply CSS styles to the image.

<img
      src="image_path.jpg" 
      alt="Image description" 
      style="border: 1px solid black; margin: 10px;"
>

It’s important to optimize images for web display by compressing them and reducing their file size. Large images can slow down page load times and negatively impact user experience.

In addition to the standard image tag, HTML5 introduced the picture tag, which allows for responsive images that can adapt to different screen sizes and resolutions. The picture tag can include multiple sources for the same image, each with a different resolution or format, and the browser will choose the most appropriate one to display based on the device’s capabilities.

Overall, the image tag is a powerful tool for adding visual interest and conveying information on web pages, but it’s important to use it responsibly and optimize images for web display.