Kind of a dumb question.....

[MARINERMAGNUM]

I need to send some images for folks to look over and see which they would like to purchase for prints. The problem I run into is that when I size down an 8MP image to say,500x300,the image looks too compressed and the edges are jagged. What is the easiest way to downsize the image but not lose all the detail due to compression? I've done it before in PS,and I think it was easy,but not being very PP literate,I think I forgot.

Help

[Steve Foss]

MM, you can simply go to drag-down menu and select "image" and then "image size" in ps and select 800 pixels on the longest side. Don't bother adjusting the resolution, because for posting online or transmitting to another computer resolution doesn't matter, pixel dimensions do.

In ps, make sure the "resample image" and "constrain size" boxes are checked before actually typing in the long-side pixel dimension.

Then use the "save for Web" feature in ps, selecting jpeg and 100 percent in the quality box. This strips exif and other unneeded data but preserves as much quality as possible.

As a side note, if you're sending digital images for review and ordering, unless you are very good friends with the recipient, you should put the copyright symbol, the year and your name across the digital image in large semi-transparent characters. They'll still be able to see the impact of the image but no one will want to steal them. By sizing to 800 pixels you get a good impact, but the watermark is protection from casual theft and online misuse.

[finnbay]

Steve is absolutely correct, with the "Save for Web" being the key feature.

[MARINERMAGNUM]

Thanks guys.

These are some farm folk I know well,later on I will copywright to the strangers.

If I'm going to crop,should I do that before selecting the 800 pixels?

[Steve Foss]

Yes, crop first for the comp you want. Then resize for the Web. That way your final image will be 800 pixels on the long side. If you size to that first and then crop further, it will get smaller.

[Dbl]

Another method that I use is an external program for resizing. I prefer IrfanView, free download. You have a ton of control over the resizing options and I run a lot of batches such as 100 shots at a time for quick resize.

Worth taking a look at for free. Pretty much fool-proof to use as well. Perfect for a guy like me.

[Steve Foss]

Hmmmm, Mac version?

I'll have to check it out. I do a lot of e-mailing of small proofs to portrait clients.

[MARINERMAGNUM]

Thanks again guys. Must have worked,all the sales went thru!