Reducing picture size for posting.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

If you want pictures e-mail me they are "again" too big to load here. This feature needs to be adjusted because modern cell phone and camera pictures won't load here.

We have a size restriction first because we pay for the storage of these photos. And since we don't delete them we are going to be paying for the storage for a long time. Most cameras and phones these days take photos that are 5 times the size required to show a decent image on a computer monitor. The limit we set actually allows a file several times larger than would be required. Cameras and phones are now taking pictures at limits that were a very short time ago only available to those who cared to buy a camera that cost several thousand dollars. Technology will only get better. We still need to limit the size. Yes at some point the Association might find a forum utility that will reduce photos automatically, but that is not today.

The second reason we limit image size is we have many many members still using slower internet connections. Larger photos take for ever to load on their computers. And no one sees a better photo because it is larger.

So what to do. Currently that is set to 1.5MB per file but I have successfully uploaded files as large as 2.1MB but not 2.3MB. If your file won't load make it smaller by reducing it's physical size. In the case of a picture, 2000 x 2000 pixels or less will usually be a good size.

There is a myriad of ways to reduce image size. Experts use PhotoShop but the cost is prohibitive. Most photo editing software including free titles can do this. One is Picasa from Google. If you use a Mac I can send you a Automator utility that will do it. If you take a picture with your phone the easiest way to reduce the photo size is to use your phone to email it to yourself. When you do this you get to choose the size of the image sent on an IPhone but I'll bet all others as well. Then post the emailed picture.

I'm a Mac guy and I've been using PhotoShop for 23 years. Surely there are some Windows tricks someone can share.

I'll attach a Mac Automator utility for the Mac users shortly.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Attached is a Mac Automator script I put together that will reduce a jpeg image, several jpeg images or a folder of jpegs that are dropped on top of the icon. This will only work on a Mac operating system 10.4 or later.

The spript creates a folder and reduces the image(s) and places them in it with "-scaled" ammended to the name. Your originals will be untouched.

The first window is asking you to name the new folder if you don't want the default name "Scaled Image(s)". You also get to choose where the folder is created. The default location is your desktop.

The next window is asking how you want the files reduced. If you understand pixels, the default method, let that stand and choose a suitable pixel size. If you don't select By Percentage on the left and choose a suitable percentage. If you files are to big and you took them with an IPhone 5 at 8 megapixels 25 percent will produce a image about 3-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches. 33 percent would be a nice bigger size at the forum.

Scale Image(s).app.zip

(1.47 MiB) Downloaded 2263 times

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

I just downloaded this IPhone/IPad app, Image Resizer+ to try. It is 99 cents.

It looks very promising. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/image-r ... 27422?mt=8

I don't sent photos directly from my phone to the forum very often and I have other of other ways to reduce photos that are free like the previously mentioned email it to oneself method. So it may be some time if every I report back with a review. It's 99 cents, I loose that much in my car seat.

There are other free utilities at the app store that work as well.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

The easiest way to reduce a photos size is to email it to yourself from your computer and choose to reduce the size while doing it. This feature is available in most email programs and will either automatically ask what size image you'd like sent or is a feature you can change.

In Gmail:

Drag or place a picture in your email

The picture will come in reduced in size for best fit in the email and I'd bet this size will work for our forum.
Double clicking the image will bring up options at the lower left of the image of small, best fit, original size and delete

Choose the size you'd like
Send the email
Open the email you just sent and save the image someplace on your computer you know
Attach this image to your post in the forum

Sample of a small image

Sample of a best fit image. Note the picture has been clicked to show the sizing options bottom left

Sample of a original size image

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

On a PC you can reduce the size of an image in the Paint program