File size preset

[vAfotoriporter]

I often have troubble with PM's file size settings. In the save dialog one can set the intended output file size but it is not in a close relation to the effective output sizes. Neither on Win nor on Mac. I usually upload images for web uses where a given max size is allowed and even setting PM one or wo stops below this size it often results larger files what causes me extra troubble.

My last try just now on my Mac was to set 130 kb as needed for a web thumbnail. NONE of the resulting images were below 150 kb which is the maximum allowed for upload. Actually the closest one is 163 but the most of them is 180-200 meaning this setting this way is useless for what it is meant for.

Is this a bug or an intended way of workin. I hope not the later since this makes this option entirely useless for me since this way I have to open some other editor to resize all the images.

[Kirk Baker]

I often have troubble with PM's file size settings. In the save dialog one can set the intended output file size but it is not in a close relation to the effective output sizes. Neither on Win nor on Mac. I usually upload images for web uses where a given max size is allowed and even setting PM one or wo stops below this size it often results larger files what causes me extra troubble.

My last try just now on my Mac was to set 130 kb as needed for a web thumbnail. NONE of the resulting images were below 150 kb which is the maximum allowed for upload. Actually the closest one is 163 but the most of them is 180-200 meaning this setting this way is useless for what it is meant for.

Is this a bug or an intended way of workin. I hope not the later since this makes this option entirely useless for me since this way I have to open some other editor to resize all the images.

Are you keeping IPTC/XMP data and/or ICC profiles in your images?  This will cause the size to grow.

The estimate for the file size does not include the size of ICC profiles or metadata.  The estimate is also only run on the first image, not on every image selected which as you could imagine would likely take far too long to be of any use.

-Kirk

[vAfotoriporter]

I store IPTC/XMP data in my images but not ICC.

Even if I accept PM only gives estimages. I don't really understand how can setting two stops below a size give almost 25-33% oversized files. It doesn't seem me an estimate. If I set 150 kb I would find acceptable to have some files say around 170 but most under 150. But all above 150, and most of them around 200?

I think this option should work limiting all file sizes to be maximum the set value. Or at least to have an option for working such a way. It is often that I have to start the same task sending my images again and again because I have file size limits and PM fails to produce the sizes it promisses.

[Kirk Baker]

I store IPTC/XMP data in my images but not ICC.

Even if I accept PM only gives estimages. I don't really understand how can setting two stops below a size give almost 25-33% oversized files. It doesn't seem me an estimate. If I set 150 kb I would find acceptable to have some files say around 170 but most under 150. But all above 150, and most of them around 200?

I think this option should work limiting all file sizes to be maximum the set value. Or at least to have an option for working such a way. It is often that I have to start the same task sending my images again and again because I have file size limits and PM fails to produce the sizes it promisses.

The only way to specifically limit the size would be to start each image with a ballpark image quality, compress it and then compare the size.  If the size were still too large, then the quality would be decreased and the image would be compressed again.  This process would be repeated over and over until the image met the size requirement or the quality could be lowered no further.  Unfortunately this sort of scheme would decrease the speed quite significantly.

I would rather see a sample source image from you and a screenshot of your settings so I could try and reproduce the estimate problem and see if it could be improved.

-Kirk

[vAfotoriporter]

Thanks for the prompt answer. Would you need an imput or output image sample? And which settings screenshot. The save as dialog or one of the preferences?

[Kirk Baker]

Thanks for the prompt answer. Would you need an imput or output image sample? And which settings screenshot. The save as dialog or one of the preferences?

An input image.  The screenshot would need to be from the dialog giving you incorrect estimates.

-Kirk

[vAfotoriporter]

Thanks for the prompt answer. Would you need an imput or output image sample? And which settings screenshot. The save as dialog or one of the preferences?

An input image.  The screenshot would need to be from the dialog giving you incorrect estimates.

-Kirk

I managed to get images sized 111-141 kb using a setting of 67 kb all the larger settings resulted in over 150 kb images.

These are the settings resulting the initial 200 kb images:


And this is one of the input images I used: