Posting big pictures

[Tophe]

Yesterday evening, I have received a very sad mail from our dear Lyn, in despair because she was failing again and again to post pictures here and ready to leave us forever... Please, Lyn, don't    : we need you, we love your wonderful models   ... Don't you hear the clapping hands from the whole World towards your Australia ?    
Lyn, let me propose a 3-step easy way :
1/ before posting a picture, check its file size – more than 74Kb may be refused, more than 75Kb will be refused. If the files size does not appear on your screen (files list with Windows-Explorer from Start/Program/Accessories or directly on "Poste de travail" for Windows2000/XP – WorkBench ? Ollie please help me translating...) use Display menu and click on Details instead of List or Mosaic or Icons.
2/ if your file size is above 74Kb, send it to me and I will reduce it and send it back to you with a modified name - let me be the hardware tool helping to feature your creation work...
3/ someday, maybe try to learn reducing yourself by exploring directions I have developed (I will try explaining below)
But please, don't leave us . Please, Lyn... We love you.
 

[Tophe]

Here are the ways to reduce a file I have found, maybe Supertom should include a help file about that, with the help of PhotoShop users translating for this famous software that I do not own (I could try with the cheap PaintShopPro also if required).
a) smaller size of picture (less pixels)
B) higher compression rate (more blurry)
c) focus on the plane (less art)
d) grey instead of colours (less modern)
e) black and white instead of colours (for 3-view drawings...)

[Tophe]

a) With the Canadian software Corel PhotoPaint 6, I have made a macro-command doing in one click this : scale 50%
The detail is : Mask-Total/Object-create from a mask/Object-Change shape/Scale 50%H 50%V/then truncating tool to remove the external empty white/ Save as...

From Lyn's OV-12 120Kb, that gave the OV12b file 30Kb : perfect to post as below 75Kb (78% scale may have been enough as square root of 74Kb/120Kb=0,785=78.5%)

[Tophe]

B) With PhotoPaint 6 again, the easiest way was : "Save as" with jpg compression standard factor 10 changed into 20 (in a range from 2 = big perfect file to 255 = tiny file all blurred)

From Lyn's OV-12 120Kb, that gave the OV12c file 60 Kb : perfect to post as below 75Kb (factor 17 may have been reduced enough and a little less blurred ; on the contrary if the result had been 100Kb, I may have tried factor 30 then 50 if still not enough – I have never tried more, maybe it can be better than nothing).

[Tophe]

c) With PhotoPaint 6 again, it was possible to truncate the clouds and landscape around (beautiful but if some sacrifice is needed...), focusing on the model.

From Lyn's OV-12 120Kb, that gave the OV12f file 51 Kb : perfect to post as below 75Kb (another try with a little less truncating could have been done).

[Captain Canada]

Yeah, don't go Lyn ! We do love your stuff !

I have trouble with my file sizes too....as I'm quite Confuser Illiterate....what I do ( don't laugh ! ) Is email them to myself, to check the file size ! Stop laughing !

There must be a better way....

Toad    

[Tophe]

d) With PhotoPaint 6 again, I have clicked on the icon : transform in greys (not standard, but available on personalised toolbar)

From Lyn's OV-12 120Kb, that gave the OV12d file 85 Kb (with jpg factor 10) : still too big as above 74Kb, but with jpg factor 12, it became OV12g 73Kb perfect to post as below 75Kb.

[Tophe]

e) For 3-views or line art, PhotoPaint 6 is not the best and I prefer OCRtrace 6 (also in CorelDraw 6 suite), but this is another story...

[Tophe]

If the files size does not appear on your screen (files list with Windows-Explorer from Start/Program/Accessories or directly on "Poste de travail" for Windows2000/XP – WorkBench ? Ollie please help me translating...) use Display menu and click on Details instead of List or Mosaic or Icons.

Doesn't that answer your need Toad ?

[John Howling Mouse]

You know, with that little hint of blurring, the in-flight image actually looks even more realistic!  I'm going to have to try that.

 

[Tophe]

Is somebody interested by the procedure for ACD See software? I had the version 5 freeware and my father bought the version 6 which is far cheaper than Corel Draw big suite and to Adobe PhotShop. Alas version 5 is not available anymore it seems, and I lost it with a jam on my hard drive last year. But I think I remember what what I said to my father trying with him ACD See 6, and I could download the evaluation free version. a) and c) are possible, I am absolutely sure, for B) and d), I would have to check and test, maybe ask them. But if everybody but me owns PhotoShop, there is no need for me to try all that, just tell me.

For Supertom, our dear webmaster - what about :
- a help page explaining all picture-size handling with different tools ? (I could participate but I do not know PhotoShop)
- the possibility (?) to ask for a reduced price if there are maybe 10 what-if members willing to buy a little software to handle pictures, at a discount price like $10 ? (like ACD See 6 or Paint Shop Pro or else ?) - by the way : is the possibility to have a discount price on Tony Buttler next book confirmed if we gather for such a single order ?

[overscan]

There's a nice free image viewer called Irfanview that does very nice resizing and can save out jpg images.

I use it all the time when I can't be bothered to load Photoshop.

[Ollie]

For Supertom, our dear webmaster - what about :
- a help page explaining all picture-size handling with different tools ? (I could participate but I do not know PhotoShop)

What about you do it and submit it to Tom who'll upload it, then we get together and decide who'll be doing the Photoshop part.

B)  

[Glenn]

Thanks all you guys, for all the advice on BIG PHOTOS. I'll try reducing the shots, as I have lots more aircraft in the pipeline.  I don't know how I got away with my big photos in the past, sorry if I caused the breakdown.
Lyn

[Tophe]

There's a nice free image viewer called Irfanview that does very nice resizing and can save out jpg images.
I use it all the time when I can't be bothered to load Photoshop.

That is what we need, and free ! Thanks a lot !
Google find it : http://www.irfanview.com/
I will download and see.
Dear Overscan, will you write the Help Irfanview page for Supertom (or should I try to discover all again in this software that you are experienced with) ?
Thanks again.