Photo editing software question

I need some advice about what folks use for photo editing, specifically resizing images. My main issue is this: my digital images average 1.5 woo woo woo (old camera) to 2.5 woo woo woo (new camera) apiece. Most folks would not appreciate trying to download (or host) one of those large pics....

So what is the best way to resize your images? I have MS Digital Image Pro, but it refers to image size in inches (not pixels) and does not indicate what the final size will be in woo woo woo. I also have Adobe Photoshop 5.0 LE, which allows resizing in Pixels, but again, you do not know the resulting file size until you save it (and review it). Also, what # of pixels of resolution do you generally use???

I have 1000's of new photos eagerly awaiting the answer

Harold

 

I use Paint Shop Pro, version 8 (PSP8). I am at work at the moment, so I can't give you an exact description. If I remember correctly, when you go into image/resize, it gives you a choice of measurement methods, including pixels. I believe it also shows the expected result.

However, I "cheat" by having some else to my resizing. Since I need to have my original size pictures (after normal electronic darkroom work) available on line, that is what I upload to my main image service--Fotki. They automaticly keep the original and make a resized copy for display. I then transfer the resized version to RailImages if I plan to use it here or other railroad boards. The quality of the transferred image is very good, and it is the perfect size for forum posting.

Fotki is not a free service, but close to it. I pay $30.00 per year. It is well worth the price. A link to my albums on Fotki is in my signature.

 

I use a program called pixresizer. It's simple and easy to use (a must for me) here's a link:
http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm
Hope this helps
Tim

 

Best for on-line viewing would probably be a jpg type with a pixel size of 640x480 or 600x450. When you save this file, you sometimes have the option of setting the quality. If you set it at about 75-80%, it will still be fine for viewing, and the resulting size will be anywhere from 20 - 75 kB.

Don't forget that you do not have to resize the whole image either - you can crop it first to focus on the part you want, and then resize it.

I do all this in MS Photo Editor that comes with Windows.

One other note: never save your changes "over" the original, especially when working in jpg format. And try to avoid editing an "already edited" jpg. jpg's are small due to compression, and if you recompress the already compressed file - - well, it's like the photocopy of a photocopy. The quality goes downhill rapidly. Always start with your original (but save a copy, as mentioned above!)

Hope that is helpful.

Andrew

 

I wouldn't worry about the file size and concentrate more on making it an acceptable viewing size, which for most people will be somewhere between 600 and 700 pixels across, depending on the aspect ratio. Images of that size at any normal compression will be an acceptable file size for sharing online.

 

IRfanview has been suggested by Charlie and others on the board. It is free, I think at the address by same name, and does a great job with huge files. It gives you a choice of several sizes, and I have found it's "sharpen" function to do wonders for fuzzy images.

 

here is the URL

http://www.irfanview.com/

It is a nice program rather simple to use. I was using up untill I got my new HP comp, it came with photo editing software that I use more.

but IRfanview can edit and modify alot of diff photo file types and I use it for those file types my HP will not edit and it is a good price.
Free

 

Brian,
I fully respect your advice and pictures, but find that an 800x600 pic can still greatly exceed the 100 kb file size (average limit on most free sites) when you start with a 2.5 woo woo woo file size.....

Harold

 

Notice I didn't mention using photos that large. I suggested photos with the long dimension being between 600 and 700 pixels. Almost all of my web photos are sized to 600x400 pixes which provides the preferred 1:1.5 aspect ratio for prints. (The 640x480 "VGA" [1:1.333] images digital cameras provide would also fall under this category.) When using this size almost all of my photos come out to be under 150k and many are under 100k.

Precisely why I don't use the space provided by RailImages. If I'm going to share my photos I generally want to share the photo, not some blurry little blob that was forced to be a certain file size. This is why I prefer to use railpictures.net for my hosting. Heck, they even have a minimum image size that's acceptable.

 

Same here and the DHVM has over 1,600 images online using this tool and method.

 

On both the "Request Account" and "New User Help" pages I see an informal 100k limit mentioned but I see no mention of an 800x600 image size restriction. Where are the new guidelines mentioned?

 

As usual, great info! I plan to try some of the suggestions to get my photos posted faster.

Harold

 

Update: I tried Pixresizer for my RailImages photos and am very happy with it so far.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Harold