How do I compress photo sizes?

[El Presidente]

I have some photos I want to send my mum, but the file sizes are too big to send via email.

What is the best way to compress them. I have photoshop and photoalbum, but have never got to grips with them. I don't like to use the method on XP as I don't use Outlook as my email program.

Help pretty please geekoids.

 

[tinx]

You could load them into photoshop resize them to smaller images and then save as jpg and choose low quality, that will make them very small. Depends if when you send them she will want to make prints of them or nto if its just to view in email then this is probably your best bet.

 

[ditchy]

print them out and post them !!

 

[CHAPPERS]

You should have used a smaller camera.

 

[El Presidente]

...or have a pc with a smaller monitor!

 

[Superphil]

Using XP, click on the photo, then click on "email this file". Chose "make all my pictures smaller" then click OK.

When outlook opens simply right click on the attachment and choose save as, then save it somewhere else, hey presto, smaller fuile size just right for emailing fomr wherever!

PM me if you have no luck

 

[Rangdo]

In photoshop open the original picture, choose save as, choose jpeg as the file type. Click save and another box will open with options for the jpeg. The slider in the middle sets the quality and as you move it the file size indicated at the bottom in KBytes changes. Just set it to the size/quality that you want.

 

[Mr C]

Why don't you Zip them up? Not sure how what compression ratio you'll get though as JPEGs (for example) are already compressed anyway.

 

[Titanic]

If it's just for viewing online, then re-sample the image to 72ppi, and save it with fairly severe compression (Level 4 seems OK in Photoshop - which seems similar to 40% when using the Microsoft Photo Editor).

It's also worth re-sizing the image - as it helps whoever is viewing it (especially if it's an email attachment or posted on a messgae board).

You can get most images down to between 20-70K, rather than the MB's that come out of most cameras, and they still look great.

 

[Superphil]

Follow my instructions on the above post and you get all the options to downsize the image to suit monitor sizes (600 x 800, 480 x ??) etc etc.

 

[Gazwag]

Do you have a CD burner, you could put them on CD and then post them. You mum presumably has a PC if you wanted to email them so she can then have the photos in their full size and quality.

 

[clapham_gull]

As well as reducing the size, reduce the color count down to something like 256 colors (as opposed to 16 million)

This will be itself greatly reduce the file size.

Some graphic formats are in themself "compressed" so zipping can have little or no effect.

In fact compressing an already compressed file can INCREASE the size, since the zip has to contain some extra information about the original file.

 

[perseus]

PHOTOSHOP 7

Image > Image size 640 X *** > File > save as web file

 

[Beach Hut]

Microsoft Office Picture Manager seems to do all this very easily for me.