DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> File Sizes - Help!
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 5 of 5, (reverse)
AuthorThread
 10/25/2015 08:15:48 AM · #1
I'm not very good at the ol' photoshop thingummy but did think I'd grasped the simple task of taking a mega-big image and reducing it to just under the 700k mark. But it seems I can't even do that now!

Here's my dilemma: I have a 30MB(ish) RAW file that I have tweaked a little in iPhoto and then exported to Photoshop,saving as a PSD image. I did a tiny wincy bit of sharpening and then carried out the usual 'save for web' wizardry that I have been using for a while now. Reducing to 1200 pixels along longest length drops the file size to approx 300k, so I don't even bother with the second step of adjusting file size. 300k - really? That's up from 203k but can't get it any higher.

So - is there anything I can do to keep file nearer 700k than 300k? Will it make a huge difference (not likely to have any effect on my chance for a ribbon!) ?

Feeling twitchy as this is an image I really like and don't want to compromise on its quality.

All guidance gratefully received.
 10/25/2015 09:42:08 AM · #2
JPEG file size depends on all sorts of parameters, resolution/quality being the most significant. After that a lot depends on the image details. A rather uncomplicated B&W image might be 200K at full resolution at 1200px, while I've had to reduce the quality setting of a complex color image to as low as 65 to get it under the 700K threshold. When using Save For Web, start with your quality setting at 100 and if your size is under 700K then you're golden. Otherwise reduce until it fits.
 10/25/2015 12:33:36 PM · #3
In Save For Web there's a ;little icon on the upper right which, if you click it, leads to a page that allows you to, among other things, "optimize to file size": you enter 700 in the box and press the go button, and you're all set: the best compression ratio they can offer under 700kb. Mine will be anywhere from 100% to 60%, depending basically on how much complex detail is in the image.
 10/25/2015 12:52:21 PM · #4
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
In Save For Web there's a ;little icon on the upper right which, if you click it, leads to a page that allows you to, among other things, "optimize to file size": you enter 700 in the box and press the go button, and you're all set: the best compression ratio they can offer under 700kb. Mine will be anywhere from 100% to 60%, depending basically on how much complex detail is in the image.


Yep. Just make sure you have everything else set before you go into the drop down.
 10/25/2015 01:19:12 PM · #5
Folks, thank you sooooo much. I've been playing around with your advice and think I've got it now. Muchly appreciated! :-)
Pages:  
Current Server Time: 09/17/2026 03:08:38 AM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.
Theme: Classic / Light / Dark
Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2026 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 09/17/2026 03:08:38 AM EDT.