Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

"is there some "GREAT PHOTO RESIZING SECRET" that is only privy to certain select people??????"

ImageReady CS2 (Adobe) works well. As does the 'Preview' application that is part of the Mac OS...

I use ImageWell on my Mac but, unfortunately, I think Chris uses Windows.

Thanks for the tips!

Yep.....I'm still using Windows.

I run The GIMP on my Linux box.

I have Photoshop Elements as well. I'll try to go through the steps involved.

First, I take the photos with my Nikon Coolpix 8700 camera in the "fine" setting which creates a large file size. After I download the pictures into a separate folder on my desktop (iMac G5), I make copies of each image and drag them to the desktop so I can retain the originals. I open each copy in Photoshop elements.

The first thing I do is crop with the crop tool -- no sense having to deal with all the unwanted area and the pixels involved -- and rotate the image if necessary. On these shots, I didn't do any color correcting or retouching. Next thing is "Image" menu: pulldown to "Resize", then over to "image size"; there, I set the resolution at 72dpi -- the images come in at 300dpi. You want 72 dpi because that's all most computer screens can do; anything above that resolution is wasted on screen. However, for print (publishing) you need 300dpi. Then within the "image size" menu is the "Pixel Dimensions" with a width and height. I take the larger one and make it 500 (that's the max allowed for photos on the Forum), and the other dimension will scale itself if you have the three buttons on the bottom clicked on: Scale Styles, Constrain Proportions, and Resample Image Bicubic. Click OK. Now your picture will be about postage stamp size on screen with a little notation at the bottom of the big frame that says 25% or something. Not to worry.

Next, go to the "File" menu and select "Save for Web." This will give you a comparison of the original file size which may be in the neighborhood of 500k or so, and next to it, the reduced web size file which may be 45k or so. The pictures will look nearly the same, so it can be confusing. Now, the maximum k size allowed here is 36k, so you have to do some further shrinking. On the side there is more tweaking you can do. I shrink the largest dimension (500 pixels, remember?) down a bit and click "apply" and do it again until the file size goes down below 36k. For the body shot of the Monte which I'm trying again now for this test, I had to shrink the height (largest dimension) down to 420, which brought the file size to 32k. Click OK, and it will ask you to rename this new smaller file. Give it a name like "MonteForum" so you know what it is, and save it to the desktop. That file will close.

What will remain open then is the resized file you were working with, which you won't need anymore, so you can close and say "don't save" on that one. Remember, your original is still in the photo folder you made in the beginning: You're working with a copy. So shitcan the working copy, but the one you'll load on the Forum is the "saved for Web" copy which you just renamed. Follow?

Now you post your message on the Forum, click "upload attachment," choose the file from your desktop (the new "saved for Web" file), click "upload file" and you'll see a goofy code tagged onto your post's text that usually starts with backslash popjpeg and a number. It's a good idea to put a return or two between the text and the photo code, so that when the photo shows up it isn't inbetween words on your post. So, if all this works, you should see your photo when you "Preview/Post Message." If you get an error message, saying that the attachment file is too large, reopen your "saved for Web" file in Photoshop and dial down the maximum dimension again, and repeat the rest of the procedure. Ta daaa!

Got it!

Thanks , Paul!!!.....the "cropping" part ,,, I've never done. I'll use one of the existing programs and try it...(keeping fingers crossed)

Paul, if you'd like a very simple interface try ImageWell at http://xtralean.com/IWOverview.html . I keep it on my dock and when I want to resize a pic I simply drag it to the icon then use a slider to get it to the size I want then save. It takes 15-ish seconds total. It is certainly no Photoshop CS (which I also have) but it is very efficient for quick web posting.

Thanks, Brian. That's certainly simpler. I'll have to see if it works on the Mac (your's a Mac?).

It is only for a Mac....I have a G4 Powerbook.


BTW....ImageWell is free.

72 dpi is the key! NOT 180 or 300! 500 pixels max dimension gives a very nicely sized image at 72 dpi!

I'd like to add that, in Photoshop CS, which one of my Apples has, the "Save for Web" command is quite useful, but instead of fiddling with the pixel dimensions, I leave the image at 400 X whatever, and play with the resolution instead. Most photos come in at about 65% on the resolution slider, some may go as low as 35%, which still isn't bad for web display. I do some sharpening and of course, work with "Brightness and Contrast" to punch up the shadows and colors.