Compressing JPEG files

scottishminnie

Looking for some advice as I'm hopelessly non technical.

I have some JPEG files with photos on them. I need to upload to a website however they have a max 5MB size per file. My photos range from just over 5 to 8 MB. How can I make them smaller? I don't have any photo software - just windows viewer (as far as I know). I just transfer from my Canon direct to the laptop without anything other than a cable.

Do I need to download something before I can compress them and, if so, what's best and won't be complicated?!

Thanks

santer_2

One option is to download and install irfanview and the plug ins

http://www.irfanview.com/

Open an image, click image at the top, then resize resample. Check the DPI and lower it until it shows an image size to suit in the bottom left

Click file then save as to a different file name so you keep the original intact

kiran13xtreme

Great to hear from you, No one is hopeless but we learn everyday of our lives...

You don't need to really download anything if that is all you want to do is just compress few pictures. If you have a Windows PC, you can create a 'new folder' by right clicking on your desktop than select new > compress (zipped) folder and than drag all the pictures into it.... simples

If that is not possible then just download 7-zip (It's free and open source) http://www.7-zip.org/ than follow the prompt within the software.

Go and be awesome!

If you need any further help than let me know.

espresso

kiran13xtreme wrote: »

Great to hear from you, No one is hopeless but we learn everyday of our lives...

You don't need to really download anything if that is all you want to do is just compress few pictures. If you have a Windows PC, you can create a 'new folder' by right clicking on your desktop than select new > compress (zipped) folder and than drag all the pictures into it.... simples

If that is not possible then just download 7-zip (It's free and open source) http://www.7-zip.org/ than follow the prompt within the software.

Go and be awesome!

If you need any further help than let me know.

What you have suggested will not help the OP achieve what they require.

OP download Irfanview here.

Open your image and then do File, Save As, Choose JPG and reduce the quality slider to say 50% and give it a new filename. Check the file size in Explorer.

Figment

Alternately download and install Pixresizer

debitcardmayhem

There is no really good way to compress jpegs, however if you just need to send smaller files eg like my avatar or indeed espresso's to Irfanview will do it so will, the gimp and other software. However if tou use the windows explorer send to --> email recipient will give you the option to resize , and then save the email image as and then upload that it will save loads. Of course if you expect someone to print a good copy of the uploaded image then you have to bite the speed/time bullet.

debitcardmayhem

kiran13xtreme wrote: »

Great to hear from you, No one is hopeless but we learn everyday of our lives...

You don't need to really download anything if that is all you want to do is just compress few pictures. If you have a Windows PC, you can create a 'new folder' by right clicking on your desktop than select new > compress (zipped) folder and than drag all the pictures into it.... simples

If that is not possible then just download 7-zip (It's free and open source) http://www.7-zip.org/ than follow the prompt within the software.

Go and be awesome!

If you need any further help than let me know.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:might save 1-5%

paddyrg

Agreed with Irfanview, this is one of the things it does well.

You may even find when you save back with a jpeg quality of 100 that the filesize drops dramatically, for some reason straight off the camera files tend to be somewhat huge. If a jpeg quality of 100 is still too big, you will get dramatic filesize reductions even going down to 85 or 90, when the changes will be practically imperceptible anyway.

flashg67

If you're using Windows, then 'Paint', a program included in Windows can resize the pictures easily - it's a bit crude and simplistic but is easy to do and free

SnowTiger

I like FastStone's Resizer.

It's free, portable and will batch resize images, reduce their quality to make files smaller and does other stuff too.

Whatever program you use, make sure you save changes to differnt file. You probably don't want to make permanent changes the original files.

scottishminnie

Thanks all -I'll look into the various options now and at least I have several ways of doing this I should be able to complete it without any mishaps (famous last words!)