Good day! If you have hundreds of megabytes in a small folder with photos? Or do pictures take more than 10 minutes to be sent by mail, even with decent Internet speed? Or is it like this, does it take half an hour to send an archive of photos to a flash drive? Welcome to the right place, in the article I will tell you in which program and how to reduce the size of a JPG file without losing quality.
Compressing an image is a simple science. You can reduce all the pictures in one folder en masse, at one time, this is called batch processing. Or process each image separately. Let's talk about these methods.
Regarding the JPG format (and its variant JPEG), there are 3 ways to resize files. The size of PNG, BMP, GIF and other graphic formats can be adjusted only by the first method.
Any photograph is a collection of pixels. In modern cameras their number exceeds 2-4 thousand horizontally and vertically. This is a lot, and megabytes “grow” from such a resolution. Does this improve image quality? Almost none, especially for non-professional photographers during everyday shooting. Since changing the resolution of a photo can be almost painless for quality, many people use this method to make the image smaller.
I will definitely tell you about the most convenient methods in a note; all you have to do is choose the one that suits you.
By compressing the image by 2 times (by 50%, in terms of graphic editors), we will reduce its area (and volume!) by 4 times, school geometry in practice.
It is logical to reduce the number of dots in order to reduce the size of the photo - and not notice any changes in quality.
An alternative option for JPG files is to leave the image resolution at its original size, but allow the computer to reduce the quality. Some blurriness, smoothing, or fuzziness is acceptable. We can assume that the compression quality in graphic editors is something like this:
We will experiment with this “still life”: an ordinary telephone photo that does not pretend to be artistic, rather of the “terrible to show” class, but suitable for a family archive.
Technical details: JPG format, resolution 2560 by 1920 pixels, source file weight is unacceptable 2.44 MB. Before compressing a photo, we recommend copying it to a separate folder so as not to lose the image during the compression process.
Source file: 2.44 MB, with extension 2560x1920 pixels
It’s in vain that this standard graphic editor included with Windows is considered a frivolous tool. Firstly, it is very interesting and useful to teach “dummies” the basics of PC literacy, and secondly, it is available everywhere and always - and when a more powerful program for working with graphics is not installed on the computer, its capabilities will come in handy more than once.
Opening the source in Paint: the number of dots is amazing, but their number does not mean beauty or quality. Scale: 100%.
To open an image in Paint, you need to right-click on the file and select "Edit".
This editor doesn't allow you to manually adjust the JPG compression level, but it feels like it sets it to around 80%. It is enough to resave the file to get 1.83 MB instead of the original 2.44 MB. By eye, the level of quality remains almost the same.
The image was compressed to 1.83 MB after resaving in Paint in 2-3 clicks and 10 seconds.
Paint has a way to reduce the pixel size of an image. This is a button "Resize". When you click it, a dialog box appears asking you to enter new horizontal/vertical dimensions as a percentage of the original number of points.
Let's choose 50 to 50: 2 times less length and width means an area 4 times less. By the way, the resolution must be changed equally in both dimensions, otherwise the picture will be deformed.
Function “Change picture resolution” standard in most graphic editors, from primitive Paint to monstrous Photoshop.
The result is 616 kilobytes. Not enough for a family archive, but great for publishing on websites. Without a magnifying glass, the difference with the source is barely noticeable.
616 kilobytes with a resolution of 1290×960 px.
Note that 0.6 megabytes was obtained not only as a result of changing the resolution, but using a “combined” method - the image size in Paint is also adjusted by reducing the JPG quality by about 85%. It is impossible to change the value of the compress parameter in the desired direction. Paint does this automatically.
This powerful editor can be used for the tasks described. But it’s like transporting a bag of groceries not in a car, but calling a Kamaz. Photoshop is an overly powerful application for something as simple as reducing the weight of a photo.
Opening this program and saving the file in it will take much more time than the compression itself. However, to make our instructions complete, we will also describe how to compress an image in Photoshop.
After opening the file in Photoshop, you should select the “Image” section, click on it to the “Image Size” item. As shown in the picture below.
A dialog box will open where you can manually set the height and width of the picture. OK button – save the file. The same dialog is called hotkeys “Ctrl+Alt+I”, quick saving of the result, keyboard shortcut – “Ctrl+S”.
Second way to reduce file size pictures or photos, this is to apply quality when saving. Whatever you think is suitable for you. Let me show you with an example how to do this.
A window should open with settings for saving the image in the desired quality and format. I will continue to torture my photo with the doggies. Let me remind you that the file size is exactly 2.44 MB, let’s see what we can squeeze out of it.
Choose from above - 4 options. Look at the quality changes during compression, you can move the image by previewing it.
Please note that at the top left is the Source, then they come with compression.
If you look at the second option, the quality has not changed, and the weight of the image has decreased to 1.6 MB, when choosing quality 72. A completely suitable picture for storing or sending by mail.
You can also set the image size before saving. Which you need. And click save, select the recording path and you're done.
Paint is always at hand, but it’s too primitive. Photoshop is excessively bulky and clumsy. What programs are best to compress JPG? Good viewers are also image managers! Their advantage is support for batch compression: simultaneous processing of all or several selected files in any folder instead of manually changing pictures one by one.
ACDSee, XnView and IrfanView: just three of the many programs for compressing images en masse. Even the thoroughly commercial ABC has a free but fully functional version. If the program is not Russified, you should remember the word Compress - “Compression”. Let's look at batch compression technology using the XnView graphic browser as an example.
Having opened one of the files in the target folder, double-click on it. A filer window will open with previews of all images.
The XnView viewer and editor says that 9 files take up almost 20 MB. Disorder!
Viewers also have the “JPEG Compression” function without reducing resolution.
Although it is convenient and correct to have a program at hand to resize a graphic file, you can use numerous online services for this task.
The principle of operation is completely similar to the work of classic PC applications: either compression, or resizing, or both actions at once. All parameters are customizable.
The disadvantage of the online method is the need to send an initially large file: this process takes some time. Web services for compression are usually free, but you also need to download the result back to your PC.
The waste of time is justified if the number of files being reduced does not exceed several pieces per month. Any specific recommendations? Please, those online services that I use myself.
Not a bad foreign service, without unnecessary settings. The service will do everything for you, just specify the location on your PC to download the pictures, after which the compression process will begin automatically.
I’ll warn you right away that the site has compression restrictions for unregistered users - 20 images with a maximum size of 5 MB.
Upon completion of the process, it is possible to download all files in one archive or one at a time, as is convenient for you.
If you use this service, you can change the size of the image itself, as well as compress the file itself with the desired quality. I wrote about what quality is acceptable at the beginning of the article.
One of the free online services.
Both services allow you not only to play with sizes and quality, but also to edit pictures. There is a detailed help system. Which I advise you to read before using.
In other operating systems, including mobile ones, the principles and settings of compression technologies are the same.
Let's look at the process of working with images on a Mac. For example, pictures can be perfectly compressed by the standard Preview application: there is no need to install additional software, even for batch processing. Preview on Mac knows how to resize several photos at once.
Select one or several images, open them in preview, then select Tools > Adjust Size, and fill in the required values. And save it.
We recommend experimenting with image compression yourself, copying them to a test folder first so as not to lose important photos. After 3-4 attempts, you will understand in practice how to reduce the size of an image in an optimal way, with the most suitable compression, width and height parameters.
Disclaimer: no dogs were harmed during the artistic or programming experiments. :)
People upload photos to pages on social networks, to their websites, open topics on forums, send to friends and relatives via email, etc. Photos taken with modern cameras take up a lot of space on various media.
Users often have a question: “ how to compress a photo?", because the "large weight" of the image causes the following inconveniences:
To avoid such problems, you need to compress photos for the Internet. For personal use, that is, viewing on your PC or laptop, this is not necessary.
Compressing a photo online is the easiest and fastest way to solve the problem that the image weighs too much. To do this, you need to go to an online service that focuses on photo compression: basically, it is reducing the size of pictures by reducing the expansion.
Below are several free online services of this kind:
« How to compress photo size?“- such a question often appears before beginning photographers, and not only before them.
The biggest mistake is trying to make a photo smaller without changing the image size, but sacrificing the quality of the image. The result of such actions is a blurry image that does not fit on the screen. To get a good picture with little weight, you can use the simplest graphic editor called Paint:
Reducing the size of an image in paint is not difficult if you follow these steps:
You can also reduce the weight of a photo in the professional graphics editor Photoshop:
To reduce weight you need:
How to compress photos for sending by email or just for posting on the Internet? As mentioned above, before sending, you need to reduce the weight of the images. When performing compression, it is advisable to adhere to the following rules:
How to compress several photos at once? Often there is a need to send someone a large number of photos or simply post them on a website. Naturally, first the weight of the photo needs to be optimized. This can be done either online or using programs installed on a PC or laptop.
How to compress many photos online at once? To solve this problem, there are specialized services, such as Kraken.io. This service allows you to process a large number of photos at one time, but their total weight cannot exceed 10 megabytes.
For better photo processing, it is better to use applications that are installed on your computer. An example of such a program is Picture Combine - this graphic editor allows batch optimization of photos. The program is easy to use, so anyone can master it:
Photoshop also has the ability to compress multiple photos at once. To do this, you need to create an action - an action algorithm for batch processing of photos.
Below are the steps to create such an algorithm:
How to compress a folder with photos? This question usually arises when you need to save photos on a medium with a small capacity, for example, on a flash drive. Or when you need to send a large number of photos by email.
From time to time there is a need to reduce the “weight” of JPG files. Most often, photographs or scanned copies need processing.
Minimizing the size of photographs or other images makes it possible to significantly reduce the amount of information stored on a disk drive.
In addition, such small files can be sent very quickly by email or social networks.
There are programs that do not accept large images, so there is a need to minimize their “weight”. The easiest way to increase disk space is by reducing the size of the image by converting it to JPG format, but sometimes this is not enough.
Compressing a JPG file using Paint.NET
This program is very easy to use, thanks to its clear Russian-language interface. In addition, it takes up little space and can be easily found on the Internet.
In order to compress a photo, you need to launch Paint.NET and drag the required file into the program window. Then go to the main menu, click on the “Image” button, select “Resize”. After these steps, a new window will open where you will need to configure the resolution. It is very important that the “Maintain proportions” option is turned on.
A special window will then appear allowing you to select the image quality level. Changing the picture level within 95-100% will maintain its visual quality. You can verify this and also see the final file size by clicking the “Preview” option to the right of the menu. Having done everything indicated above, you must select the “Save” option.
Upload the photo into the pre-launched PhotoShop. The program makes it possible to adjust the downloaded file in every possible way in terms of contrast, color, etc.
To resize the image and compress it, click on the “Image” option and select “Image Size”. After this, you will see the original size of the photo in the window. You can reduce the image size by setting Height and Width to the required values. It is not necessary to enter both values, just one is sufficient; the application will designate the second independently depending on the first. Then select the “File” field, click on “Save for Web”. The program will automatically optimize the image.
You can make sure that the file size is reduced in the JPEG High option. After that, save the picture. If the final “weight” of the file does not suit you, change the photo settings using the slider.
After completing all the manipulations, save the file, changing the name.
This program allows you to change the photo format, add captions to the picture, combine different fragments, etc.
To compress a photo, launch PicPick, load the image into it, and in the “Image” field, click on the “Resize” option. A menu will appear in which you need to select the “Image Resize/Zoom” function. You can reduce the file size by changing the percentage or by transforming the number of pixels by value. In addition, the application may contain the most common photo size template. Select or designate the required file template in the lower field. Click “OK” to save the changes.
Instructions
Resizing photos is easy. It is only important to choose your own, in which it is most convenient to work. The most accessible option for resizing images is to use the standard office application Microsoft Office Picture Manager. To do this, open the folder with the desired photo, hover over it, right-click and in the drop-down window select the “Open with...” option and select Microsoft Office Picture Manager in the pop-up panel on the right. When your picture opens in the application, find and click the “Edit Pictures” button on the top toolbar. After that, in the window that opens on the right, select “Resize”. Then give the image the desired parameters. For convenience, you can use ready-made options. Select “Standard width and height” and specify the desired photo size. Or set a custom width and height.
To resize a photo, you can use another program that is available on every computer with the Windows operating system installed - Paint. Open the image using Paint, select the “Drawing” menu on the toolbar, and then select the “Attributes” option in the drop-down window. After which a new window will appear on the program desktop, in which the image dimensions will be indicated. Here you can set your parameters. In this case, do not forget to select the appropriate unit of measurement: inches, cm, points. Or simply drag the boundary change handles. Then save the result. Please note that this will change not only the image size, but also the photo itself: after all, you will crop parts of it.
If you have Photoshop installed on your computer, open the image you need to process using this program. Then, on the toolbar, click the Image button and select Resize Image. Set the required width and height, check the box next to “Maintain proportions” and save the finished result using the “Save As” functions in the “File” menu.
Also try special online services. For example, the Resize Now website is perfect for this purpose. Working with this service is very simple: select an image, indicate the required size. For convenience, it is suggested to use ready-made options: small (640 pixels), medium (800 pixels), large (1024 pixels) or specify arbitrary data. If you're using Easy Mode, you'll simply resize the image. If you choose an advanced digital photo processing mode, you can additionally specify the image quality and use the “Improve Sharpness” and “Grayscale” options. Then click the “Resize” button, after which you can download the processed photo in the size you specify by clicking the link with the name of the picture to the right of the image. After 15 minutes, the processed photo will be automatically deleted from the site.
Another good site for resizing photos is Resizepiconline. Here you also need to first upload a photo, maybe several. Then, move the slider on the “Width” and “Height” rulers to specify the output size. Here, without losing image quality, you can change the picture format from JPG to PNG and vice versa. Then all you have to do is click the “Resize” button and save the finished result after processing the photo.
The Photofacefun online service works somewhat differently. To work with it, go to the resource website, upload a photo by clicking the appropriate button, and specify the desired image size in the special fields. After a few seconds, download the finished photo by clicking the “Download” button. You can also save the result by right-clicking on the processed image and selecting the “Save image as” option. On the same site you can apply filters to photos, apply frames, insert a face, use a photo editor and the necessary tools (crop photos, reduce them, covers, avatars, wallpapers).
Photos, pictures and screenshots on your site are needed to illustrate what is written, make it attractive and stand out from other sites. We also love to share the photo with friends via email or upload it to social media for everyone to see.
The problem arises of how to reduce the weight of a photo without compromising quality in order to quickly upload it to social networks, send it by email or post it on a blog. How to optimize images to better promote your website?
Light-weight photos do not load your hosting server and allow you to increase the speed of your blog and speed up its promotion. I will tell you about the 2 fastest ways to reduce the weight of photos.
The fastest way to reduce the weight of a photo is to use existing programs included in the Microsoft Office package, for example, the image processing manager Microsoft Office Picture Manager.
1 Way to optimize images
Compress for documents. In this case, the photos are saved in size 1024x768, this is quite good quality and the weight of the photo from 6.7 MB is reduced to 478 KB
Compress for web pages. In this case, photos of average quality are obtained in the size of 448x336 pixels and the original size is reduced from 6.7 MB to 91.5 KB
Compress for email messages. Now there is the largest reduction in size to 160x160 and weight from 6.7 MB to 11.6 KB
Don't forget Save as, this is better than Save, because the original file in the best “heavy” quality does not disappear.
In addition to photos, you can also optimize pictures.
2 Ways to optimize images
We use standard width and height. Place a dot, then press the black triangle. In the drop-down menu, select the desired option (for example, web small 448x336 pixels) OK
The image size is optimized to 448x336 pixels, and the weight can be viewed after saving. In my case, the weight of a photo from 6.7 MB decreased to 123 KB.
We use arbitrary width and height. We put a point, set the desired width and height - OK - Save as
The size will be 400x300 pixels, respectively, and the weight will be 103 KB
We use the option percentages of the original width and height. Put a checkbox, select a percentage (for example 10) - OK - Save as.
This results in a new size of 397x298 pixels and a new weight of 103 KB
