How do you reduce the MB size of a photo?

Whether it's your iPhone or Android device, there is always that one photo that will just take up too much space and make your device feel slow by comparison. We've all been in this situation -- we want to share those memories with loved ones, so we upload them online. But then we don't have enough room for everything else! Fortunately, most smartphones come equipped with some sort of feature designed to help solve these problems.  Luckily, many times you'll be able to get rid of that larger file without losing any quality whatsoever. In fact, if you're looking to save storage on your smartphone, reducing the image resolution might be an option worth trying out. Here's how to shrink down pictures even more than what your default settings allow.

Before we begin, let me address a few things first. It should go without saying that taking photographs under poor lighting conditions (or using lots of flash) will result in lower-quality images. Also keep in mind that depending upon your device manufacturer, different phones may support various resolutions and compression formats differently. If you find yourself unable to achieve the results you’re after when uploading an image, try lowering its dimensions instead. To learn about which options work best across multiple platforms, read How Digital Camera File Formats Work. Finally, remember that regardless of whether you choose to use lossy or lossless methods, you could still end up compromising the final quality of your photograph. So before choosing to proceed further into this topic, consider whether the resulting downsampled version would actually serve as satisfactory proof of the subject matter itself.

Now onto the fun stuff. Let's look at several ways you can scale back the megabytes of every photo you own.

How do I reduce the MB size of a Picture on my phone?

As mentioned above, the easiest way to reduce the size of a digital picture is through adjusting the camera app's setting. This method works well because it lets you decide exactly which aspect(s) of your picture you'd like to adjust. However, not everyone has control over their mobile operating system's built-in functions. For example, Apple users who purchase new iPhones from Apple often find themselves stuck with iOS 7's native Photo Size function. Unless you happen to know someone inside Apple HQ, your only choice here would be to download third party apps. Luckily for us, there were plenty of great tools specifically created to accomplish the task. One such app is called ResizeMe [No Longer Available], which we used for testing purposes below. The app allows you to resize pictures individually via either preset values or custom measurements. You can also crop certain areas within a given frame.

With respect to cropping, once you open the app simply click "Crop" next to each desired thumbnail. Then drag the corners of your selection around until you arrive at the perfect composition. Once satisfied with your selections, tap the "Resize Me" button located in the bottom right corner of your screen. From there, enter the width and height measurements for each individual picture. When finished, hit the "+" symbol located above the menu bar.

Below, however, is another solution that doesn't require downloading software. Instead, all you need to do is visit Google Image Search and search for something similar to your preferred image. Below is an example of what happens when searching for "iPhone 6." As you can see, the search engine automatically provides results pertaining to resizing rather than re-uploading.

Once selected, simply scroll through the list until you discover the appropriate tool. Depending on what platform you prefer, you may or may not notice additional features offered by other websites.

Finally, if you're feeling adventurous, you can try tweaking your browser's user agent string. By doing so, you'll trick sites into thinking you have a higher pixel density, thus leading them to display smaller thumbnails. Simply add the following line of code to the header section of your favorite website: User Agent: Your Browser/Operating System + Device ID. Rest assured, though, that no site is going to show content based solely off a user agent alone. Even if they did, it wouldn't necessarily translate directly to high-resolution versions of your media files.

How do I reduce the MB size of a photo?

If shrinking a photo isn't quite cutting it, maybe increasing its resolution will do the job better. Increasing the number of pixels per inch will increase the overall file size while maintaining the same level of detail. For instance, say you currently shoot JPEGs at 320x240 pixels. If you wanted to enlarge that original photo to 640x480, the file would become twice as large despite containing roughly half as many pixels. On the flip side, enlarging to 1600x1200 will result in less data being transferred to your computer, since fewer pixels exist in total.

It goes without stating that you shouldn't expect any noticeable changes between low-, medium-, or high-definition pictures. All three categories contain equal amounts of information. What differs is the amount of time it takes for said information to travel from your device to your monitor. Low-def images tend to compress more efficiently during transmission due to the lack of available bandwidth. High-def images usually experience minimal reduction in quality compared to standard definition. Additionally, although popular among enthusiasts, very high-definition cameras aren't yet widely supported by manufacturers. Therefore, unless you intend to print your shots later, stick to moderate sizes.

The best thing about this approach is that unlike previous solutions, you won't encounter compatibility issues with future hardware upgrades. Unfortunately, this process does mean sacrificing some of your original details. With that said, the potential savings associated with this change will surely outweigh that downside.

How do I reduce the MB of a picture on my phone?

When shooting with your smartphone, sometimes you might run into situations where your phone decides to record video footage instead of still frames. This is typically caused by bad lighting conditions. Whatever factors led to this scenario, you can fix the problem by telling your phone to convert videos to static images. First, head over to Settings & General Management & Reset & Media Auto Rotate. Next, select Still Photos Only and set it to Off. That's it! Now whenever you capture images, your phone will immediately turn them into normal sized stills instead of full-length clips.

Alternatively, you can utilize a service like Instagram to post your edited pics. While uploading a photo to social networks is easy enough, you probably wish you had access to the editing power that comes along with desktop programs like Photoshop. Luckily, numerous web services provide users with powerful image editors. A good place to start is Pixlr Editor, which offers both basic and advanced effects for free. Users can easily enhance their photography skills and edit photos without worrying about paying for expensive subscription plans. Best of all, anyone can create edits using Pixlr Editor's intuitive interface. To illustrate, below is a screenshot showing how I increased the brightness levels of two separate pictures.

To do this, first, hover over Edit #1. Then press the Plus (+) icon and input your adjustment. After making your selection, move over to Edit #2. Press the plus sign again. Input whatever value you desire and repeat as needed. Keep in mind that adjustments made to darker portions of an image will appear slightly lighter. Conversely, brighter parts will be seen as dimmer. Lastly, if you'd like to apply your alterations to multiple photos simultaneously, you can use batch processing mode. Under Batch Mode, you can pick specific folders or subfolders to manipulate.

For example, say you want to brighten every single shot in your downloads folder. Just highlight the relevant items and hit the Adjust tab. Use the sliders to alter the exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, temperature, tint, vibrancy, sharpness, and noise levels.

How do I decrease the MB of a photo?

Again, decreasing the file size of a photo is possible without having to resort to external software. And yes, it is entirely possible to achieve this goal without losing any of its visual fidelity. There are several techniques for accomplishing this feat, including altering the color tones, converting to black and white, and creating a silhouette. These methods are generally effective, but as previously stated, you mustn't rely on them exclusively. Before proceeding, ask yourself why you originally decided to downsize your image in the first place. Is it purely for aesthetic reasons or was there another purpose behind it? Remember that there are countless scenarios wherein you may want to shrink a photo. Therefore, think carefully before deciding to do away with it altogether.

Below is an example of how I converted a colored PNG into a grayscale JPG. Although I noticed a slight difference in quality, it wasn't anything majorly distracting. Furthermore, I saved myself hundreds of megabytes as a result.

Lastly, if you haven't already done so, attempt to remove any metadata attached to your photographs. Metadata refers to the extra bits of info that accompany a particular piece of content. Most people attach little significance to it since the majority of modern computers ignore these attributes anyway. Nonetheless, removing metadata can potentially improve your photo's appearance. Some common types of metadata include EXIF, XMP, ICC Color Profiles, IPTC, DPOF Header Info, Adobe PDF Information, etc.

If your smartphone's storage is low or you're running out of SD card capacity, then maybe it's time to get rid of some old photographs that have been taking up valuable space for years. Luckily there are ways to compress images so they use less space without losing quality.  Here we'll show you how to shrink down an image in various formats.

First off - what exactly does "compressing" mean? It means reducing the number of pixels within an image. This reduces its resolution -- if you zoom into an enlarged version of this same picture, you will see lots more detail than when you first viewed it. If you want to keep the exact dimensions of the original picture, don't apply any compression. Otherwise, let us guide you through the right steps to make sure you end up with just enough detail while keeping file sizes small.

Keep reading to learn about shrinking pictures from different sources in many common types of files.

How do I reduce the file size of a JPEG photo?

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is one of the most popular types of digital camera file format. When you click to view a picture, you probably saw this message appear: “Image too large” because you tried opening a very high-resolution JPEG. Now you know why! High-quality images contain millions of tiny dots called pixels. Each pixel consists of three color components: red, green and blue (RGB). The higher the resolution, the larger each individual dot becomes. So even though these images look great blown up on a screen, zooming them causes loss of clarity due to their increased pixel count. To solve this problem, people began developing techniques to create smaller versions of these full-sized images, which became known as compresses.

When you open a compressed JPEG, you won’t notice much difference between the two unless you enlarge them. You might think that the compressed version has lost quality, but actually both images were taken using the same camera settings, lens and flash. In fact, the only thing that differs between those two images is whether or not the compressor was applied. That's all. However, once you save it as a regular JPEG, you will be able to send it via email or upload it anywhere online where it will still look good.

To shrink a full-size JPEG yourself, follow these simple instructions:

Open File Explorer. Click Tools & Folder Options...

Select View tab. Under Advanced Settings select Adjust Image Size....

In the dialog box that appears, set Width to Height ratio. For example, 800/600. Then enter width and height values in pixels.

Click OK. Your new image should now be reduced in size.

You can also choose to reduce the colors by choosing Grayscale under Color mode instead. The choice here depends upon your needs.

How do I reduce the MB and KB size of a photo?

Now that you understand what a JPEG is, let’s talk about another type of photo commonly used on computers---BMP (bitmap). A bitmap is simply a graphic made up of single colored squares representing pixels. BMPs are often used for computer icons or logos. They tend to occupy more disk space since each square represents a distinct color rather than pixels like JPEGs. Also, unlike JPEGs, BMPs cannot support transparency effects. But today’s modern operating systems have built-in utilities for converting other graphics to Bitmaps, such as TIFF (tagged information interchange), GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), PNG (Portable Network Graphics) and others. Converting from one image format to another isn’t difficult—just head over to Microsoft Office Photo Manager. There you’ll find tools to convert among hundreds of available options, including BMPs and JPEGs.

So, if you need to compress an existing bitmap, you needn’t worry about changing anything else except making it smaller. Here’s how:

Load the image onto your desktop. Right-click the image and select Properties. Select the Compression tab. Set Optimize for Compact Disk (CDROM) and check Save as Type dropdown menu. Finally, uncheck Embed Document Content and tick Don't embed document content.

Save the properties changes. Go back to Windows' default setting and repeat step 3 until desired results arrive.

The final result would be a compact representation of your original bitmap. Once done, export it as either.bmp or.gif depending on your requirements.

How do I reduce the MB and KB of a Picture?

A Picture is similar to a JPEG in terms of structure. Yet it contains additional data such as layers for rasterized objects and animation frames. Both Pictures and JPGs store information in blocks referred to as codestreams. These include metadata, color tables, quantization tables, etc., which together form the complete codestream. All of these elements must remain intact during compression. Unfortunately, certain codecs may produce problems during decompression if the wrong codestream gets selected. Therefore, it is best to avoid saving your images as pictures in order to prevent incompatibility issues later. Instead, convert it to a vector format whenever possible.

Once converted, however, you can easily perform operations like resizing images. Open the folder containing your pictures, right-click the ones you wish to resize, select Properties, switch to the General tab, double-click Resolution, change the value accordingly, and hit Apply. Repeat this process for every other dimension. Do note that you can only decrease the resolution of a picture. Increasing the resolution requires increasing the physical size of the image itself. As long as the resulting output is acceptable, go ahead and skip this part.

For instance, if you wanted to reduce the size of a photograph, you could try resizing it to fit within a mobile app's maximum download limit. First, copy the entire contents of the original folder to your hard drive. Next, navigate to that specific folder in Finder, press Cmd + Shift + H, go to Photos " Import Images and Videos, drag and drop your photo(s), and wait for the import operation to finish. After which, delete the source folders. Lastly, launch Preview application, double-click your photo, and hit Resize button. Choose Reduce icon. Drag the slider next to Resolution to reduce the size. Hit Done after selecting your preferred option.

Note that you cannot increase the resolution of a photo. Doing so would require enlarging the actual size of the photo, thus wasting precious megabytes. Keep in mind that you can always crop your photo afterwards to remove unwanted parts.

What happens if you want to reduce the size of a video instead? Well, doing so is pretty straightforward as well. Just ensure that the audio track matches the video frame rate before proceeding.

How do I reduce the MB of a Picture on my phone?

Most phones come equipped with cameras that record videos in HD resolutions. While watching movies recorded on your device, you might wonder how you can minimize the size of your downloaded movie files. Fortunately, Apple provides a unique solution that allows users to turn their iPhone into a mini movie studio and edit their own home videos. With iMovie app, anyone can add music tracks, voiceovers, captions, filters, transitions, stickers, text overlays, panning shots and special effects to personalize their clips and share it directly to social media sites. Of course, editing doesn't stop there. Other apps like VivaVideo provide advanced features such as multi-camera recording, live streaming capabilities and tons of professional transition styles.

However, if you prefer manual methods, you can compress your 1080p video footage by decreasing its framerate. Simply tap the Edit button, scroll to Video Editing section, expand Playback Speed, and adjust the clip speed according to your preference.

As mentioned earlier, if you want to further improve the quality of your videos, consider shooting in 4K. Since 4K TVs offer better visual experience compared to 720P, it makes sense to shoot your video recordings in 4k resolution. By doing so, you can instantly enjoy sharper details and smoother playback. Moreover, switching to 4K saves you money on future purchases of UltraHD BluRay discs and TV sets.

Hopefully, you've learned something new about how to reduce the size of a photo. And remember, if you ever run short on storage space again, you can always opt to save your favorite photos to Google Drive.

You’re about to hit “send” when you realize your email is overflowing with pictures from last night’s party and that means it will be another hour before anyone sees them. You need something simple and quick for this situation - what could possibly be faster than using one of those handy online tools to shrink down images so you don't have to wait forever for them to load?

If you're like most people, there's probably not much time between now and then to download or create such a tool. But if you use Dropbox, Google Drive, or any other cloud storage service, you may already have just what you need right inside your account – all without ever leaving home! These services allow you to upload files directly from your desktop computer (or even mobile device) into their servers where they'll reside as high-resolution copies. Once uploaded, these files can easily be shared among family members as well as friends and colleagues who also happen to own similar accounts.  This makes sharing large batches of digital photos easy and convenient. It doesn't get easier than that!

Of course, uploading multiple files simultaneously might quickly fill someone else’s account, which is why many users choose to keep their original versions only temporarily on their computers instead of keeping them indefinitely. This strategy ensures that they never exceed the amount of available disk space, yet still allows them access to larger versions should they want to print out a copy or share them via social media sites. The best part is, once you've reduced the quality of your image, you won't notice the difference unless you enlarge it back to its full resolution. So here's how to do it yourself...

How do I reduce the MB size of a JPEG?

As mentioned above, reducing the file size of a JPEG by reducing the number of colors used is usually sufficient enough to make a noticeable impact. Because each color has several shades associated with it, the fewer colors used in your final output, the smaller the resulting file size will become. For example, let us assume we have two identical photos, A and B, both saved as.JPG format. Photo A uses 256 different colors while photo B uses 128. If you were asked to describe the differences between these two photos, it would seem almost impossible to distinguish the details of photo B over photo A because they look nearly indistinguishable when viewed side by side.

In addition to minimizing the total number of colors used, you may also consider removing certain background elements that are unnecessary to view. These could include objects that appear behind others within the same frame, as well as backgrounds that aren't relevant to the subject matter itself. In some cases, simply deleting small portions of pixels surrounding the main object(s) being photographed may suffice. However, in order to maintain sharpness, these deleted areas must remain black in color.

The easiest way to achieve this effect is through Photoshop’s Smart Portrait mode, found under Image " Adjustments " Despeckle dropdown menu. When activated, this feature removes unwanted noise from portrait shots taken against dark colored backgrounds. To activate this option, follow these steps:

Click on the button located near the bottom left corner of your screen labeled Automatically adjust brightness/contrast. Alternatively, you can manually select this option by clicking on Edit" Preferences " Camera Calibration tab. From there, click on Color Noise Reduction checkbox.

After enabling this setting, drag the slider toward the center until you reach 100% grayed out area. Then slide the slider away from the center slightly to reveal more muted tones. Repeat this process again until you obtain the desired results.

Once satisfied with the outcome, go ahead and save the changes. Note that this method does require additional work since you first need to remove stray pixel data before smoothing out the remaining parts of your shot. On the bright side however, this approach works especially well when dealing with portraits against semi-opaque backgrounds, which often cause problems for other methods.

Also note that this technique tends to introduce artifacts around edges due to the removal of information that was previously present. As long as you're okay with sacrificing some picture clarity along with compression ratios, you may wish to try this method.

For further reading and tips on improving your photographs, please see my article How Can I Improve My Photos Without Using Adobe Photoshop?

How do I reduce the MB size of a JPEG file?

As alluded to earlier, sometimes the biggest factor affecting overall image sizes is actually the initial source material. While you may not always possess the highest-quality camera capable of capturing perfect subjects, the chances that your images contain excessive amounts of grainy pixels are slim. That said, if possible, avoid shooting anything requiring a lot of depth of field effects or low contrast settings. Also, remember that higher resolutions produce bigger files, regardless of whether or not they’re stored in uncompressed formats. By default, your phone shoots lower resolutions compared to cameras built specifically for professional photography.

To minimize the overall dimensions of your images, consider downsampling your existing images rather than creating new ones entirely. There are hundreds of ways to accomplish this task, ranging from manual cropping to automated resizing processes performed through software. One popular solution involves making slight adjustments to your images after importing them into programs like iPhoto, Lightroom, and Apple Preview. Another alternative is to utilize web apps designed to compress your photos based upon preset parameters. Although the results may vary depending on the complexity of your input, doing things this way saves you from having to perform extra editing tasks later.

One common trick employed by photographers is to crop their images horizontally after taking them. Crops made in this manner tend to preserve important aspects of an otherwise imperfect photograph. Of course, if you plan to sell prints made from your edited images, avoid cropping vertically. Otherwise, you risk introducing unsightly borders that ruin your photos' aesthetics.

Another good rule of thumb is to stick with rectangular crops whenever possible, particularly when you intend to resize your photos. Rectangular crops give content priority over everything else, including whitespace. They also help prevent stretching, warping, or distorting photos' proportions.

Lastly, if you find yourself struggling to decide between saving your originals or converting them to TIFF format, opt to convert them to PNG for better control during editing.

How do you reduce the MB size of a photo in photos?

When working with batch conversions, be sure to set conversion options carefully. Typically, you wouldn't want to alter the width of individual frames too drastically, lest the height change proportionally. Keep an eye on the ratio of width to height throughout the entire series to ensure proper scaling occurs across the board. Generally speaking, maintaining aspect ratios provides greater flexibility regarding cropping and resizing.

On top of that, you should also pay attention to the following factors:

Color Space & Channel Type: Most modern cameras shoot in RAW format, which contains far more information than standard JPGs. Unfortunately, this comes with increased processing times and file sizes. Fortunately, if you're willing to sacrifice quality, you can capture images in LAB or sRGB modes, which provide enhanced levels of saturation and accuracy.

Image Quality: Set your preferences according to your personal preference. Higher bit rates mean clearer detail, whereas lower bit rates result in smoother transitions and less distortion.

Compression Levels: Choose values between 90%-100%. Anything below 80% produces poor results and requires extensive post-processing to improve.

Bitrate Mode: Use Uncompressed mode if possible, although High Efficiency is recommended. Low Bitrates lead to slower loading speeds and worse quality.

Resolution: Depending on your intended usage, you should either scale your photos down to match your target dimensions or leave them unchanged. Unless you have a specific reason to increase the resolution, keep them at their native scales.

Batch Conversion Speed: Some web applications offer automatic conversion with minimal user intervention. Others require you to specify each frame individually. Generally speaking, allowing the application to auto-scale images reduces delay and increases efficiency.

Keep in mind that changing one or two of these variables can significantly affect the end product. Sometimes minor alterations can completely transform the appearance of your original images. Therefore, experiment with various configurations to determine which combination yields the best balance between speed, quality, and file size.

How do I reduce an image file size?

Although the aforementioned techniques can certainly shave off megabytes worth of bytes, shrinking your photos isn't always necessary. Many users prefer to retain their originals in favor of smaller compressed copies. Before sending or printing your photos, you can test them and compare them with the originals to confirm that the edits produced satisfactory results. Should you discover that your edits didn't yield desirable outcomes, you can always undo them.

However, if your goal is to send photos via e-mail or upload them to websites, it pays to compress them first. Several tools exist that enable you to automatically compress your images without altering their actual dimensions. Additionally, these utilities typically come equipped with features that enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of your photos. After applying these enhancements, you can then export your modified version as a separate file for future reference.

Here are three examples of useful online compressing tools:

Optimizilla

Picsart

Picresize