Photoshop Wierdness - URGENT help required - PLEASE!

[Clivey]

Hi everyone,

I've got a bit of a problem that I desperately need resolving within the next couple of hours:

I have a 420x420 pixel JPEG that currently has a 128kb file size. The problem is that it MUST be under 100kb (it must also be a JPEG and 420x420 pixels - no more, no less). - These are the restricions I have to adhere to - the photo is to be used for an ID card for a family member.

I'm using Photoshop 8 CS for Mac OSX. Upon saving, it asks you to choose image quality on sliding scale from 0 to 12, saying that the lower the number, the lower the quality of the image and the file size.

- On "12", the image is 240kb in size,
- On "7", the image is 128kb in size...

...but here's the bit I can't understand...

- Below "7", the image doesn't get any smaller than 128kb.

Can somebody please help me to break the 100kb barrier?

Many thanks in advance,

Clive

[LeonOfTheDead]

save it at 6, no matter how large it is.
then open it again and lower the quality/size.
or use gimp.

[Clivey]

Originally Posted by LeonOfTheDead

save it at 6, no matter how large it is.
then open it again and lower the quality/size.

I've just tried this:

• Saving the photo as "6"
• Quitting Photoshop
• Reopening Photoshop
• Reopening the photo
• Saving it as "5"
• Quitting Photoshop
• Selecting the photo using Finder
• Clicking on "Get Info" on the drop down menu

And it still says the file size is 128kb!

Surely it should have lowered the file size...?

Originally Posted by LeonOfTheDead

or use gimp.

I must admit that I'd only heard of Gimp - I have no knowledge of it whatsoever, so I feel that I don't have enough time to install it + the other necessary stuff needed to run it, and learn how to use it in time.

Thank-you for the advice, though.

[drakkie]

Tried irfanview yet ? Very simple, very small!

[LeonOfTheDead]

Guess it's too late, but Gimp is so easier than PS you wouldn't have faced any problem at all.
Just open the image with Gimp, save with name, drop the quality, done.
The installer is about 280 mb large, but it's free.

[switters78]

Do you have a save for web option in 8? If you do, you can still save as a jpeg, but you have more incremental control over the image quality/file size. I would try that if it's not too late, or mess around with it for next time. Set the dimensions first in PS, then go to "save for web" and play with the image quality.

[Dary]

like what switters78 said, save for web will help.

one more thing, there is something weird in OS X. when u upload a pic it loss some KB (about 15% from the original size)

[Matra et Alpine]

Couple of possibilities ?

Does the save for web possibly use the JPEG2000 format ? It's about 20% smaller usually.

Other things I wonder about EXIF info etc. Does seem a bit much tho, so unlikely.
Finally what about colour depth ? I the save to web dropping it ?

[pimento]

It could be a filesystem thing.. not knowing overmuch about Mac filesystems and what the defaults are, is it possible that the smallest file size on your disk is 128k? Try creating a tiny text file and seeing what size it ends up.

[Roentgen]

Just use Preview. Save as, and there will be a slider for quality adjustments. If it isn't there, make sure jpeg is selected in the drop down menu. Works for me all the time.