Getting an image small enough to post.

[WesternGuy]

I need some help. I am using Photoshop Elements 4 and for whatever reason, I cannot get an image small enough to post to the Wildlife forum. There is obviously something I am missing. Any insight that anyone would care to provide would be greatly appreciated.

I go through Image>Resize>Image Size and set Resolution at 72 pixels. When I go to save it as a jpeg, I put the slider over to "1" and it still tells me it is over 900 K. :blush2:

WesternGuy

[another view]

Changing only the resolution won't change the actual size of the image. Resolution in this case only affects printing.

Set the image at 600 pixels on the longest side and make sure the "constrain proportions" box is checked. If it's not, you'll have an image that is stretched (or squashed) on one side. Save this at about an 8 compression and you should be somewhere around 60-95k.

[WesternGuy]

another view...
I cannot figure out how to set the image at 600 pixels on the longest side - this is what is frustrating me. If go to Image>Resize>Image Size there is no option in the Image Size dialogue that allows me to set a length in pixels. I can set it in percent, inches, cm, mm, points, picas and columns - no pixels. Maybe I am using the wrong menu in the editor to change the size(?). For some reason, the top box where the pixel size is displayed is not active so I cannot change anything. Any thoughts as to what I may be doing or not doing?

WesternGuy

[freygr]

another view...
I cannot figure out how to set the image at 600 pixels on the longest side - this is what is frustrating me. If go to Image>Resize>Image Size there is no option in the Image Size dialogue that allows me to set a length in pixels. I can set it in percent, inches, cm, mm, points, picas and columns - no pixels. Maybe I am using the wrong menu in the editor to change the size(?). For some reason, the top box where the pixel size is displayed is not active so I cannot change anything. Any thoughts as to what I may be doing or not doing?

WesternGuy

To resize menu bar Image > Resize> Image Size or older Photo shop Image > Image Size.

Just enter in the largest pixel size field "640" and make sure you have the resample box and constrain proportions checked. The screen shot was resized this way.

[another view]

Thanks for posting the screen shot. The blue highlighted box at the top is for the width of the image in pixels, since pixels are the unit selected at the box immediately to the right. There are other units that can be used - inches, etc. If you don't see pixels here, click on the arrow on the right side of the box to pull out the list of what can be used, and select pixels. See the "chain" icon between width and height (right below it)? That means that Constrain Proportions at the bottom has been checked. When you adjust the width to 600 or 640, the height will decrease by a proportionate amount (so it will look right). Also keep the Resample box checked, and choose Bicubic.

I'd recommend that you use either 600 or 640 as the maximum size. If the image is wider than tall, then set the width at this. If it's taller than it is wide, set the height at this.

Hope this helps.

[WesternGuy]

Okay, I discovered that as soon as I clicked on the Resample box, I got access to the part of the display that allows me to change the size in pixels, so having done that and following the advice of another view, I was able to adequately downsize the image and save it. Thanks for all the help freygr and another view.

WesternGuy

[freygr]

For resizing photos for posting I use Thumbs Plus, its a photo database. The reason I use it over the PhotoShop software suites, is I more control over the JPG compression settings.