resizing pictures for uploading to this site

Re: resizing pictures for uploading to this site

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Derek -

I think we'll be getting a digital camera soon. So, hopefully I'll be incorporating some pics in future posts. But, like you, I am somewhat computer challenged, so I very much appreciate the tips. I'll have to give this one a try once I get things up and running.

Thanks -

Dave

Re: resizing pictures for uploading to this site

David Miller from Iowa

>Thanks from me also - I never could figure this out. Now I need to figure how how Bob Smalser can get his tomes down to 40KB:)

Re: resizing pictures for uploading to this site *LINK*

Tim Caley - North Little Rock

>I just tried this it works great. I put a picture in a message on the main board. Went from 191K down to 40K.


http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/messages.pl?read=191586

Re: resizing pictures for uploading to this site

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>Thanks for the tip, Derek. I'll have to try that next time I'm posting a complex picture.

Nice driveby gloat, by the way.

Re: resizing pictures for uploading to this site

Dan Donaldson

>Bob doesn't have to. He links to an external site and that way there are no restrictions on size or number of pictures. Anyone can do the same, but it requires that you have a webpage somewhere.

Re: hopefully simple explanation

paul womack

>No need to go all around the houses.

We're talking about JPEG pictures here.

Only 2 things affect the file size.

number of pixels


The more pixels you have on each side, the larger the file will be. Number of pixels is pixels across multiplied by pixels down (it's a rectangle!).

compression


This is effectively how tight the picture is crunched. This is what generates fuzziness and those nasty little "square" artefacts.

Suggestions for picture processing

I can't tell you the exact commands, since programs vary. This principles are good, however.

Crop

Remove all extraneous detail; if it's a picture of a plane on a table, we don't need to see loads of table. Crop away anything that isn't "the main point"

Scale

Now go to "resize" or "sample" or whatever it's called. The current width and depth in pixels should be displayed somewhere. Set the bigger one to 500, and hit OK. This should re-sample the image, so it's 500 pixels wide (or deep).

Check that this stage has done what you expect, You should now have a lot less pixels.

save-and-compress

Now save the file as a jpeg (if it wasn't already). You want to use the least compression (crunching) that gets the file size down to the target, since the crunching degrades the appearance of your picture.

Most good applications will show the file size interactively as you alter the compression number. You're aiming for 40K.

BugBear

Irfanview and PIXresizer

Tony Sade (Charleston, WV)

>www.irfanview.com;

http://bluefive.pair.com/downloads.htm

I use both of these. Lots of additional features, but they'll both do what you want. HTH, Tony

I use PIXresizer too...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>Nice program, very easy to use.

Re: hopefully simple explanation

Ellis Walentine

>Thanks, Paul. I think we should excerpt your comments here and post them as an FAQ.

Ellis

Re: hopefully simple explanation

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>Bugbear

Your comments are spot on (even I recognise what they mean!). However, attempting to apply them with Photoshop just did not work out as well as my current method (which is actually easier than my description). I'm sure that I am doing something I ought not do, or not doing something I ought do, in Photoshop (and a few other similar programs), but I just can't get it right. Hence my alternate method. It is simply one that permits one-click re-sizing.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: hopefully simple explanation

paul womack

>I'm sure that I am doing something I ought not do, or not doing something I ought do, in Photoshop (and a few other similar programs), but I just can't get it right.

Which part of my "3-step program" didn't work for you? I'll try to help.

I was trying to give general instruction that would be applicable to most software - digicams come with a wide range these days, and there are many free-standing programs, which vary with operating system, so I avoided being over specific.

Understanding beats knowledge every time.

BugBear

Re: useful tutorial  *LINK*

paul womack

>


http://home1.gte.net/vze4p5bi/demophotos/jpeg_demo.htm

Re: resizing pictures for uploading to this site *LINK*

Gary Bingham

>If you are using windows xp, there's a very simple way to resize pictures that doesn't require any extra programs. At the link below, download image resizer, and install it. Then you just right click on the picture, hit "advanced" and select "resize pictures". Select custom and enter 480 for the first number. It only takes a few seconds, will get almost all pictures under 40k at 480, and it's as easy to do 20 pictures as it is one.

For example, here's a pic that was 1.12mb before, and is now 30.6kb after. It took me less than 5 seconds to resize.




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