Reducing pic file size

Opie

Opie

Stronger than shortstop?
Silver Member
I hate to start a thread about this since it isn't pool related, but I wanted to post a pic in the "faces for the names" thread and all my pics are WAY over the file size limit. I would have asked in that thread but it's like 13 pages long and I thought maybe someone could answer it for me quicker here. Again sorry for the question and for being somewhat computer illiterate.
 
I use the basic paint program (in accessories on most PCs) to Scetch/Skew the photo to a smaller size... the quality doesnt fall off much... Just put the same smaller % in both boxes of the Scetch/Skew function...
 
Opie said:
I hate to start a thread about this since it isn't pool related, but I wanted to post a pic in the "faces for the names" thread and all my pics are WAY over the file size limit. I would have asked in that thread but it's like 13 pages long and I thought maybe someone could answer it for me quicker here. Again sorry for the question and for being somewhat computer illiterate.
Click to expand...
Do you have Adobe or any kind of image editing program?
 
I use a free program called Irfanview. You can get it at tucows.com. I set the file size to 600x400 or something like that. That's just big enough not to distort the page when people view it.
 
I was posting with Gabe's mom yesterday about this. It seems to be a problem for many. Before I figured out how to do it, I too was in the dark. :p

Can you use PAINT? Do you have a Windows XP operating system? If so, I have cut-and-pasted my response to Gabe's mom. Hope it helps, and it's not as hard as it looks (LOL).

There is a a limit to the FILE SIZE of an attachment. Sometimes folks may try to download a file from their computer which is a HIGH-RESOLUTION .jpeg file, and it will not upload because of its size. Most .jpeg files have to be reduced in size.

I usually COPY the high-resolution .jpeg file and PASTE it to my DESKTOP as opposed to changing my original .jpeg file.

The easiest way I know how to REDUCE a high-resolution file is as follows. If you have Windows XP operating system, click the START button and then click the PAINT program.

Within the PAINT program, click the FILE tab. Click OPEN in the dropdown window. Locate the copy of your high-resolution .jpeg file on the DESKTOP. Then click OPEN. The high-resolution .jpeg file will be displayed within the PAINT program.

Click on the IMAGE button located at the top (fourth one over from the left). Then click STRETCH/SKEW in the dropdown window. Change the HORIZONTAL and VERTICAL measurements in equal percentages from 100 to a lower number. I like to use 25 for both.

Then SAVE the new settings by giving the .jpeg file on your desktop a different name. Now you are ready to add a picture to your post.

At the bottom of the REPLY TO THREAD window in the AzBilliards Discussion Forum, click the MANAGE ATTACHMENTS button.

Then click the BROWSE button and locate your newly named and reduced-resolution .jpeg file on your desktop.

Click UPLOAD and wait for several seconds. As it is uploading, a message will appear which says UPLOADING FILES/PLEASE WAIT. When it is finished uploading, then click the CLOSE THIS WINDOW button.

JAM
 
Thanks for the info everyone. I used the step by step instructions JAM gave and got my ugly mug posted. Thanks again.
 
Opie said:
Thanks for the info everyone. I used the step by step instructions JAM gave and got my ugly mug posted. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

I feel some quality is lost using Paintbrush to shrink photos.

Photoshop does a great job but needs some practice.

Here's another easy method.

If you can view your pic in a picture viewer software where you can change the size of the appearance you can make it the size you want and then take a screenshot. Hold 'Ctrl' and press 'Prnt Scrn' middle top right of keyboards usually.

Then paste into paintbrush, drag a cut box around the part you want and drag it to the top left. Then grab the little dots on the middle sides of the frame and pull in to get rid of the parts you don't want.

If you don't have a picture viewer, paste your pics into PowerPoint, or even Microsoft Word and pull the corners to make it the size you want. Then take the screenshot.
 
Hal said:
I use a free program called Irfanview. You can get it at tucows.com. I set the file size to 600x400 or something like that. That's just big enough not to distort the page when people view it.
Click to expand...

Good call Hal, same program I use.

Shorty
 
I use photo filtre

its free, and works great and I don't have to change the size of the photo to make it smaller. Can just save it as lower quality, which doesn't really make the picture look bad. Can also just change the image size and it keeps the ratios the same.

http://www.photofiltre.com
 
JAM said:
I was posting with Gabe's mom yesterday about this. It seems to be a problem for many. Before I figured out how to do it, I too was in the dark. :p

Can you use PAINT? Do you have a Windows XP operating system? If so, I have cut-and-pasted my response to Gabe's mom. Hope it helps, and it's not as hard as it looks (LOL).

There is a a limit to the FILE SIZE of an attachment. Sometimes folks may try to download a file from their computer which is a HIGH-RESOLUTION .jpeg file, and it will not upload because of its size. Most .jpeg files have to be reduced in size.

I usually COPY the high-resolution .jpeg file and PASTE it to my DESKTOP as opposed to changing my original .jpeg file.

The easiest way I know how to REDUCE a high-resolution file is as follows. If you have Windows XP operating system, click the START button and then click the PAINT program.

Within the PAINT program, click the FILE tab. Click OPEN in the dropdown window. Locate the copy of your high-resolution .jpeg file on the DESKTOP. Then click OPEN. The high-resolution .jpeg file will be displayed within the PAINT program.

Click on the IMAGE button located at the top (fourth one over from the left). Then click STRETCH/SKEW in the dropdown window. Change the HORIZONTAL and VERTICAL measurements in equal percentages from 100 to a lower number. I like to use 25 for both.

Then SAVE the new settings by giving the .jpeg file on your desktop a different name. Now you are ready to add a picture to your post.

At the bottom of the REPLY TO THREAD window in the AzBilliards Discussion Forum, click the MANAGE ATTACHMENTS button.

Then click the BROWSE button and locate your newly named and reduced-resolution .jpeg file on your desktop.

Click UPLOAD and wait for several seconds. As it is uploading, a message will appear which says UPLOADING FILES/PLEASE WAIT. When it is finished uploading, then click the CLOSE THIS WINDOW button.

JAM
Click to expand...
Thanks Jam

i really dont know what copy and paste to your desktop means though i think i know what a desktop is and i definitely know how to copy and paste but anyway i got it done with the rest of your instructions.

I used to know how to do it too but if i dont do things regularly, it slips out of the old brain. I just relearned how to auto hide the taskbar today too. Tomorrow i may have to have to relearn how to make ice!

OK Thanks again.
 
JAM said:
The easiest way I know how to REDUCE a high-resolution file is as follows. If you have Windows XP operating system, click the START button and then click the PAINT program.
Click to expand...

The Paint icon might not be located in Start.
If you cannot see the Paint icon there, try: Start-All programs-Accessories

Hope this helps.

Also another great free software is GIMP. I use it, it's surprisingly versatile. But admitted, resizing pics is not particularly easy for a computer beginner.
 
Opie said:
all my pics are WAY over the file size limit.
Click to expand...

Install this Microsoft Powertoy Image Resizer. Once installed, open windows explorer (explorer.exe), navigate to where your image is, right click on the image and there will be a option to resize the picture into 4 common file sizes. For jpg's on forums like this, 640 x 480 is just fine. If you then click ok, it will create a new jpg that is named like this...

mypoolman.jpg old
mypoolman(small).jpg new

A better way (for me) is to click on the "advanced" tab and it keeps the same file, but just makes it smaller without creating a new jpg.

Here's the direct link to where you can d/l the image resizer from...

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
 
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