Image Upload Size Issue ?

[CourthsVeil]

“…please keep images below 1MB for now.”

Question: does this limit refer to the file size in compressed form or to its content in total bytes?

For instance, this image by Marc Smith uses in the RAM 2.64 MB, whereas saved as .JPG (at 95% quality) it takes just 403KB on the drive.

 

Would this cause problems when I tried to upload such an image file ?

 

I ask because I believe (!) to have observed that the system reprocesses (and even resizes) large image files, and I suspect that the ominous image upload size issue might be related to such reprocessing.

 

Regards

  Armin

 

 

[Andy Y]

The file needs to be less than 1MB to upload. Marc's image is from before the reduced file size.

[CourthsVeil]

... Marc's image is from before the reduced file size.

 

Yes, I knew that - I used it just as an example.

But thanks for the quick clarification.

  Armin

[mike morley]

Any guesstimates on how long the 1mb limit is likely to last?

 

I found re-sizing pictures a doddle on XP but am going round in circles trying to do the same on Windows 7 - reduce a 1.34mb picture to 95% and end up with a 1.6mb picture!

 

[Guest]

This 1mb limit is starting to annoy me now......

[Andy Y]

This 1mb limit is starting to annoy me now......

 

Why?

 

Here's a 1920px wide image which is less than 1MB.

 

 

You just need to be prepared to use computer tools to do it; we even provide an image editor.

[Guest]

You just need to be prepared to use computer tools to do it; we even provide an image editor.

I know how to resize images, it's just I've got to resize about 400 images! Also, on a laptop, I don't have this software, and find it impossible to resize images!

How about 1.5mb?

[mike morley]

Sorry, Andy, but without instructions I find the image editor baffling.

 

I've spent most of the half hour since your posting playing with it but have made little progress. 

 

I have, after many shots in the dark, managed to re-size a single image, but then what?  If there is a "save" facility it isn't obvious and if I did manage to save it, how and from where would I retrieve it when I came to add it to my posting?

 

Edited to add that I subsequently discovered I had re-sized my image in the wrong direction.  My originally 1.34mb, later 1.6mb image had not been reduced to .95mb but increased to 95mb!

[DaveF]

Sorry, Andy, but without instructions I find the image editor baffling.

 

I've spent most of the half hour since your posting playing with it but have made little progress. 

 

I have, after many shots in the dark, managed to re-size a single image, but then what?  If there is a "save" facility it isn't obvious and if I did manage to save it, how and from where would I retrieve it when I came to add it to my posting?

 

Edited to add that I subsequently discovered I had re-sized my image in the wrong direction.  My originally 1.34mb, later 1.6mb image had not been reduced to .95mb but increased to 95mb!

 

To resize an image in the image editor simply open the required image, then go to Image, image size and select the required dimension - 1000 - 1500 pixels across is ample.

 

To save click on File, Save, it will then ask you where you want to save it.  If you save it to your desktop or wherever you can then upload it to RMWeb when you wish.

 

It is basically the same process as in all versions of Photoshop and other image editing software.

 

A few points in favour of uploading smaller images:

 

 

First, the upload is much quicker.

 

Second it takes up less bandwidth when someone looks at it, and they are not waiting for a large file to arrive over the web - not all people have as fast a connection as I have.

 

Third, the largest image a monitor can display without resizing going on within the PC is the resolution the monitor works at - rarely above 1900 pixels across.  Any larger image is resized to fit the screen (just as it is when you look at large images stored on your own PC).

 

Just think how long uploads and viewing would take if people using a camera with 24 million pixels would take if they didn't resize images.

 

David

[Andy Y]

I know how to resize images, it's just I've got to resize about 400 images! Also, on a laptop, I don't have this software, and find it impossible to resize images!

How about 1.5mb?

 

Try Irfanview; you can do batch re-sizing.

[martin_wynne]

Sorry, Andy, but without instructions I find the image editor baffling.

 

I've spent most of the half hour since your posting playing with it but have made little progress.

 

I've posted this about 5 times on RMweb in different topics. Here we go again:

 

----------------------------------------------------------

 

For those who don't have a program such as Photoshop, RMweb has its very own Image Editor to prepare photos for posting.

 

Click this button at the top of every page:

 

 

 

Here's how to use it:

 

1. click this:

 

2.Find the picture on your computer and click on it:

 

It will open in the editor.

 

3. If you wish you can add a copyright notice, or any other text or mark-up. Click the A button on the left and add your text in the box which appears:

 

4. Click Image size in the Image menu:

 

5. Set the required size in the box which appears. 800 x 600 is good for general pics:

 

6. Click Save... in the File menu:

 

7. Choose My Computer as the destination. If it is a photo from a camera, choose JPEG as the format. Slide the Quality compression control until the image size shows as less than about 250KB. Click OK:

 

8. You can then choose where you want to save it on your computer. And finally upload it to RMweb:

 

 

Martin.

[robmcg]

Any guesstimates on how long the 1mb limit is likely to last?

 

I found re-sizing pictures a doddle on XP but am going round in circles trying to do the same on Windows 7 - reduce a 1.34mb picture to 95% and end up with a 1.6mb picture!

 

 

 

Your 95% refers not to the number of pixels in a photo but to the degree of compression used in the JPEG format, and you must understand that reducing the size of a pic requires you to reduce the number of pixels, most easily done by reducing from say 3,000 x 2,000 to , say, 1,500 x 1,000, which would be 50% less linear size and 75% less area.  Even with a 95% 'reduction' (I know it sounds like a contradiction, some would call it 5% compression)  it will go down only when the dimensions and/or compression are altered.  Typically the visual quality of a photo will be reduced, as will its 'size' with a 10% or 15% compression, even if the number of pixels is kept the same. 

It takes a little bit of messing around and you will find what suits you best.

 

I am no expert, someone else might describe it better.

[CourthsVeil]

For those who don’t use Photoshop or GIMP and still have difficulties with RMWeb’s own Image Editor:

 

Another way to resize photos for posting would be to download the free software “IrfanView”, install it, and go on as follows:

 

1 Go to the directory containing your (too large) image, mark the file and let the arrow hover over it. You see this (applies to WinXP and Win7 – probably also to earlier and later versions):

 

 

 

1a  The file marked by a light blue is the selcted one; it comprises 4000x3000 pixels and uses 4.99 MB on the disk drive.

So we want to downsize it:
 

2 Right click (still for Win users), in the appearing context menue choose “Open with”, then “IrfanView”:

 

 

3 Now within this program you choose “Image”, then select “Resize/Resample…”:

 

(Remark: the status line (arrow!) tells us the REAL i.e. uncompressed amount of this image file – it is no less than 34.33 MB.)

 

 

4 In the following dialog you choose the new dimensions – here 1920x1080 px (green):

 

 

Alternatively you select a non standard size (pink) and enter your numbers.
 

 

5 After clicking OK, you see in the field at lower left the new dimensions and besides (orange arrow) that it is now reduced to 7.91 MB (still uncompressed).
Select the menue “File”, then “Save as…”:

 

 

6 This produces the following dialog window, where you choose the directory (green), enter the filename (pink) and decide on the QUALITY of the compression (blue):
 

 

 

Remark: as already quite rightly stated by robmcg, the number 95 doesn’t state that the image will be reduced BY 95%, but that the quality will be maintained AT 95% (i.e. less compression).

 

 

If you are curious about the result, you can repeat step 1a with the newly saved image file (in my example: “Resize4.jpg”). Or you open it again with IrfanView and see…

…that it now uses 946KB (arrow) – just the right compromise between quality (1920 px wide – not so bad) and the limit imposed by the system.

 

No need for an increased limit, me thinks (Andy Y is right of course).

 

Hope this helps

  Armin

[CourthsVeil]

And for those gentlemen with 400+ images stored – Andy suggested to BATCH PROCESS the files. IrfanView does it for you.

 

Here’s how:

 

1 Select any file within the directory containing the resp. images:

 

2 Select “File”, then “Thumbnails” (or just press “t”). This opens a browser showing you – well – thumbnails of all images in the directory selected in step 1 (in my example in “D:\Camera-G2”):

 

 

3 Mark the files you want to process (connect them with Shift or Ctrl ):

 

 

4 In the "Files" menue you “Start batch dialog with selected files…”:

 

(pressing just the letter "b" doesn't always work on my system - dont' know why…)
 

5 We tick “Batch conversion” (pink):

 

 

Recommended – urgently: as long as you are not really acquainted to IrfanView you should store the processed files NOT in their former directory – this would irrevocably overwrite your original files (and if you made inadvertently a simple mistake… ? ). Instead choose another directory by clicking on “Browse” (green arrow) etc.

 

After selecting “Use advanced options…” and ticking “Advanced” (red) we find ourselves in another dialog window:

 

 

Don’t let you become confused by the myriad of options (you see, IrfanView can do much more than just viewing images…).

 

6 Just go to “Resize” and “Set new size” (green). I prefer to choose “Set long side to” (blue) instead of “Set one or…”. Enter the dimension – in my example 1024 pixels. This makes portrait images 1024 px HIGH instead of 1024 wide.

Check the buttons marked by me in red, tick OK.
 

7 In the former dialog you start the batch processing (pink in the image above). You see the progress in the following window. When you see this:

… you are done. Exit the batch processing routine!

You might want to return to the thumbnails browser. There select the directory you stored the resized pictures in, hover the mouse over one of these:

 

All hundreds of pictures you marked in step 3 are now resized.

 

Doing this is quicker than to read this text. Simples, isn’t it?

 

Good luck with NOT overwriting your precious originals

  Armin

 

 

[beast66606]

For those who don’t use Photoshop or GIMP and still have difficulties with RMWeb’s own Image Editor:

 

Another way to resize photos for posting would be to download the free software “IrfanView”, install it, and go on as follows:

 

 

Or just search for the topic I posted some time ago....

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/60610-using-irfanview-to-resize-images-for-rmweb/

[CourthsVeil]

Well done, beast, those three posts will complement each other quite well, I think

  Armin

 

PS: not to overlook this post in your thread!

[warren lodge]

Like many others ,I have found uploading photos so difficult and time consuming,I am a railway modeller not a computor wiz kid!

As you can see from my gallery,I only seem to end up with blank images,Compared to uploading pictures on other model websites RM Webb is a nightmare.

I have really been inspired from the layouts I have viewed,but can no longer handle the frustration

[N15class]

It makes no difference for me what the picture upload size is, I have always had to reduce the size when using my SLR. Down sizing takes the same time whether it is 1, 2, or 3 MB.

[CourthsVeil]

…Compared to uploading pictures on other model websites RM Webb is a nightmare.

I have really been inspired from the layouts I have viewed,but can no longer handle the frustration

 

Warren, I've no experience with uploading pics to the RMWeb-gallery. But in my opinion uploading images to posts I enter (to threads) is not at all more difficult than at other websites.

Armin

 

(who cannot see why it should be different to upload to the Gallery…)