Image Sizing Tutorial

[Davide DB]

Over the past few weeks with the forum fully operational, we have been looking more closely at the site statistics and in particular the size of the uploaded images. Various tests have been carried out trying to find a compromise between the quality of the images and their size. A unicorn for all forum administrators.

Image size poses two types of problems:

 

• immediately: there are pages in the photo/video showcase sections that come to have several dozen photos and which become, especially on mobile devices, very slow to load.
   
• in the long term: it is important to have photos on one's own server because over time they become the assets of the community and storage is expensive. If appropriate measures in space management are not taken now, we may find ourselves with unsustainable costs in the not too distant future.

 

We have also tried using various algorithms that resize photos on the fly during upload but with poor quality results and overloading the server's processing power.

Long story short: we are forced to put strict specifications on the size of uploaded photos.

 

Maximum size: 300 KB
Long side size: 1200 pixels

 

Please note that photos used for professional desktop wallpapers usually do not exceed 200 KB.

 

But we don't leave you alone and for those members who might need it, we have listed how to meet these parameters using the most popular photo editing software on the market, Photoshop, Capture One and Lightroom.

 

P.S.

For best results, just follow the procedures below. Nevertheless, for the lazy, we have left the forum automatic sizing algorithm enabled but it may leave you unsatisfied.

If your software is not there or you would like to add something, please let us know in the comments.

 

Adobe Photoshop

 

This is how to do it in Photoshop, newer versions may differ slightly and most other IP programs are similar.

 

First open the image size dialog:

 

 

 

Note the long side dimension highlighted, change this to 1200.  Constrain proportions is ticked so you only change one dimension and the program calculates the other:

 

 

 

 

No need to change image resolution it is irrelevant for the web, it is only used for printing. It may imapct font sizes for copyright notices but that's it.  Next Save your image, select save as JPEG, from the drop down in format box and re-name if desired:

 

 

 

Click save and you will get a drop down dialog box to select quality  change quality till file size is in target range, click OK:

 

 

 

 

Or Photoshop has save for web which has a finer range of options.  Change quality till highlighted size is right.  Check save as sRGB and I always embed colour profile:

 

 

 

 

Once size is right click save and you are done.

 

 

 

Capture One

 

It's all in one  screen, first is the recipe that you can recall

Then naming if you want

Then format and quality

Then ICC profile

Then size

Open summary tab to see final file size:

 

 

 

 

Adobe Lightroom Classic

 

1. From your Library tab, select one or more photos.
2. Right click on one photo and from the drop-down menu, choose Export.
   
   
   
   
    
3. A new window with tons of options will appear.
4. For our scope, only two sections are relevant: File Settings and Image Size.
   
   
   
   
    

Press Export and that's it!

 

P.S.

You can save all your preferred export option in one user preset so next time you will find it directly in the Export menu. I would suggest to leave metadata in the exported photos: our gallery will display it showing to other members your camera settings.

 

[ProbstPortraits]

Davide - Your instructions on sizing a photograph with matching photos are helpful. I'm a visual learner.

 

[Cutbacks_Ericeira]

On 1/2/2024 at 3:06 PM, Davide DB said:

Over the past few weeks with the forum fully operational, we have been looking more closely at the site statistics and in particular the size of the uploaded images. Various tests have been carried out trying to find a compromise between the quality of the images and their size. A unicorn for all forum administrators.

Image size poses two types of problems:

 

• immediately: there are pages in the photo/video showcase sections that come to have several dozen photos and which become, especially on mobile devices, very slow to load.
   
• in the long term: it is important to have photos on one's own server because over time they become the assets of the community and storage is expensive. If appropriate measures in space management are not taken now, we may find ourselves with unsustainable costs in the not too distant future.

 

We have also tried using various algorithms that resize photos on the fly during upload but with poor quality results and overloading the server's processing power.

Long story short: we are forced to put strict specifications on the size of uploaded photos.

 

Maximum size: 300 KB
Long side size: 1200 pixels

 

Please note that photos used for professional desktop wallpapers usually do not exceed 200 KB.

 

But we don't leave you alone and for those members who might need it, we have listed how to meet these parameters using the most popular photo editing software on the market, Photoshop, Capture One and Lightroom.

 

P.S.

For best results, just follow the procedures below. Nevertheless, for the lazy, we have left the forum automatic sizing algorithm enabled but it may leave you unsatisfied.

If your software is not there or you would like to add something, please let us know in the comments.

 

Adobe Photoshop

 

This is how to do it in Photoshop, newer versions may differ slightly and most other IP programs are similar.

 

First open the image size dialog:

 

 

 

Note the long side dimension highlighted, change this to 1200.  Constrain proportions is ticked so you only change one dimension and the program calculates the other:

 

 

 

 

No need to change image resolution it is irrelevant for the web, it is only used for printing. It may imapct font sizes for copyright notices but that's it.  Next Save your image, select save as JPEG, from the drop down in format box and re-name if desired:

 

 

 

Click save and you will get a drop down dialog box to select quality  change quality till file size is in target range, click OK:

 

 

 

 

Or Photoshop has save for web which has a finer range of options.  Change quality till highlighted size is right.  Check save as sRGB and I always embed colour profile:

 

 

 

 

Once size is right click save and you are done.

 

 

 

Capture One

 

It's all in one  screen, first is the recipe that you can recall

Then naming if you want

Then format and quality

Then ICC profile

Then size

Open summary tab to see final file size:

 

 

 

 

Adobe Lightroom Classic

 

1. From your Library tab, select one or more photos.
2. Right click on one photo and from the drop-down menu, choose Export.
   
   
   
   
    
3. A new window with tons of options will appear.
4. For our scope, only two sections are relevant: File Settings and Image Size.
   
   
   
   
    

Press Export and that's it!

 

P.S.

You can save all your preferred export option in one user preset so next time you will find it directly in the Export menu. I would suggest to leave metadata in the exported photos: our gallery will display it showing to other members your camera settings.

 

@Davide DB Thank you very much for all the explanation and how to do it, although I already knew how to do it, I had no idea that the wallpaper had a very light file size and maintained the quality!

So, yesterday, I posted a album, before I read this post, yet they are biiigg!!! How I can erase this album?!

Best regards,
Miguel 'Cutbacks' Jeronimo

[TimG]

Miguel, I’ve deleted the images. 

[Cutbacks_Ericeira]

Thanks a lot!! @TimG

[Cutbacks_Ericeira]

14 minutes ago, TimG said:

Miguel, I’ve deleted the images. 

Sorry, @TimG yet you erase the wrong one!

The album to erase it's this one - 
https://waterpixels.net/gallery/album/47-porto-santo-island-madeira-portugal/

 

 

And this three photos on Showcase
https://waterpixels.net/gallery/image/940-dusky-grouper-and-diver-at-corvo-island-with-gopro-hero-6/

https://waterpixels.net/gallery/image/939-dusky-grouper-and-diver-at-corvo-island-with-gopro-hero-6/

https://waterpixels.net/gallery/image/938-dusky-grouper-and-diver-at-corvo-island-with-gopro-hero-6/
 

 

Thanks in advance! When you come to Portugal, call me and I will pay a beer!!
Big hug,
Miguel 'Cutbacks' Jerónimo

[TimG]

Doh!

 

Ok, those are now removed. No worries. 
 

I look forward to that beer!

 

Best wishes, Miguel. 

[Craine]

On 1/2/2024 at 10:06 AM, Davide DB said:

in the long term: it is important to have photos on one's own server because over time they become the assets of the community and storage is expensive.

@Davide DB & @TimG A question for you on this ⬆️ section from the first post.

 

Is it the preference of WaterPixels admins that we resize and upload to the forum directly, rather than, for instance, us hosting our images elsewhere and then linking them in? I take the phrasing "they become the assets of the community" to mean that you'd prefer they live on WP servers, so that you can avoid issues with dead links down the line. But as you mention, this can be a costly proposition over time, especially for a forum that isn't "paid-membership" based. 

 

My thinking here is that I prefer to upload my images into a place where I have control over them (e.g. on durable object storage), and serve them via a CDN. I can then point the multiple places I post them to to the same source file. But then they aren't under WP control (for the purposes of a consistent forum archive). This is how you've recommended video be handled, which makes sense given it's size, so I'm wondering what your thoughts are for photos as well. 

 

I'd also note that if we do link them in, we should still take the steps to resize appropriately so that we don't adversely affect page load times. 

 

[Davide DB]

Hi Craine,

 

Do what you think is best. It makes sense that people who use photos more professionally would link them from a service that allows sharing. 

When we said "community assets," we meant that some forums and communities don't allow you to upload images, but only link to them. We encourage uploading, even if it means compromising on quality and space.

At first, we received some negative feedback about the quality of photos after they were automatically resized by the board algorithm. So, we've suggested ways to adjust the photos before uploading.

 

Ciao