Picture Size on Lampwork Thumbnails

periwinkle · #1 2009-08-18, 9:03am

Okay, so I wanted to upload my picture which is only 768kbps according to Photoshop and 160 x 200 pixels. I'm not sure if kbps is the same as KB, but when I try to upload it, I get an error saying it can't upload. Yet, it seems the picture is stored on Lampwork Etc. website.

Do I need to make my picture smaller? I adjusted the pixels in Photoshop, but I still see something that shows 768kbps at the bottom left corner, but the K amount keeps changing as I change the pixel size. I made the picture so small it's about 3/4" x 3/4". How can I make sure my picture is the right size?

Paul Ewing · #2 2009-08-18, 9:19am

There are several settings that are involved with "size". The first is the pixel dimensions of the image. This is the 160x200 figure. This is how big the image will appear on the screen. This is manipulated through the image re-size function.

Another is the file size which is the KB that the file is. This is manipulated by a combination of the image size and the quality setting that you use to save the file. This is usually represented as a percentage with a reduction to 70-85% being not really noticeable.

There is also DPI or Dots Per Inch. Computer screens are generally 72 dpi so that is what most web graphics are saved at. You may want to change this to 300 dpi if you will be using the image in print.

periwinkle · #3 2009-08-19, 9:20pm

So that's it, no more help? I really don't know how I can apply the knowledge you supplied, Paul. I just want to upload my picture and no matter how small I make it in Photoshop, it still fails to load. I keep adjusting the pixels and went down to 50 x something smaller, and still no upload. My picture was less than the 400 or so kb limit, but nothing doing. Maybe my picture just isn't ready for prime time - ha!

*Naos* · #4 2009-08-20, 11:46am

I use Picture Trail to host my photos and then I just use the URL link to post photos here. The uploader is a pain.

Mike Jordan · #5 2009-08-20, 10:52pm

You didn't say which version of Photoshop, but under Image go to Image Size. One of the boxes is for resolution. I usually use 100 pixels/inch myself, but 72 as Paul said will work also. You will probably find it set at 300. Change it to 72 or 100. Put in a number in either the width or the height box and if the Contrain Propotion is checked, the other side will change as well so the image stays proportional from width to height.

After you get the size you want, you can either do a Save For Web or do a Save As and under File type select Jpg or Jpeg. When you click Save another box should come up that has a quality slider. Slide the bar to about a 7 or 8. You will see the file size change when you do this. You want the smallest size yet keep the quality of your image good. Then click Ok and it should save it under the file name you gave it.

Mike