PI 10 - save for web image compression

Flora · Post by **Flora** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 2:29 pm

First let me start with background:

I had PI 6 - downloaded - purchased in 2001 and run on Win 98/Gateway. I just loved it, it ran perfect, and since I use it mostly for editing pictures to post on my website I was happy with it.

Loved it so much by Sept 2004 I bought PI 10, download with disk backup, ran it on laptop HP Pavillion with Win XP home edition. However I never could get the compression feature for editing my pictures to the web to work properly as it did in PI 6. Since I still had my old version on my desktop, I just used that when I needed to edit web photos.

However, I just purchased a Dell dimension e510, and the old desktop is headed to retirment. I have Win XP media edition on the new Dell desktop. Still can't get the compression feature to work correctly in PI 10.

The method I use to edit the photos is this:

open file, adjust size to around 400 X 300 pixels or less, resolution to 72, then
web > image optimizer and the settings I have are:
Preset JPEG Q50 Progressive
YUV411 subsampling
Quality 50
Soft None
File type True Color

This works perfect in PI 6, and as example a photo originally cropped and at 213,087 byptes is saved to be 17,313 bytes (1:12.)

However, in PI 10, I cannot get the same compression. I have tried "save for web" and also using the web>image optimizer just like PI 6, and I have the same settings. But something just won't let it work.

I need my photos to be less than 100.0 KBs at all times when I compress. Most desireable would be something less than 20, which isn't a problem for the PI 6.

I sent an email to tech support when I first purchased PI 10 in 2004 and they were not helpful and had no answers for me. I didn't pursue the issue because as I said, my desktop PI 6 was still working perfectly. I'd appreciate any help to get PI 10 working properly so I can use it as easily as I used PI 6.

Also, I have done all the updates and patches etc.... but nothing seems to make it work. I would purchase PI 11 or upgrade to that if necessary but want a guarantee it will work like my older version. Hell I'd even purchase the PI 6 and download it onto the new Dell if it were available. I've already tried moving the downloaded PI 6 version from the old Gateway to the new Dell, but I can't find the file to get it unlocked.

Apologies in advance for being such a rank amateur here

as compared to most of those I see posting. Thanks so much for any help and your patience with the technically challenged like myself. If you could simply explain how to compress if I'm doing it wrong that might help too.

gordonwd · Post by **gordonwd** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 6:34 pm

Are you saying it's a matter of how much PI10 is compressing your pictures, or is PI10 not compressing it at all? If it's the former, you just might have to go to less of a quality setting. your 12:1 compression from PI6 is pretty high -- what do the pictures look like when they're displayed?

For what it's worth, those sliding-scale quality settings for JPEG compression are not always consistent from product to product or even version to version. One program's 90% setting might give you a lot less quality than another program's 90%, and likewise for the compressed file size.[/i]

Flora · Post by **Flora** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 9:29 pm

Yes, that's what I'm saying, it's not compressing enough.
The pictures look fine from PI 6, but crap in the PI 10 when I compress them down small enough size to post.

Thanks for the response anyway.

I guess it'll just be continue trial and error approach. I don't think I'd ever buy another PI product though because of this problem and the lack of support working out this problem.

My website is listed in my profile, you can check out some of the pictures there.

heinz-oz · Post by **heinz-oz** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 9:40 pm

In PI 10, don't know if previous versions had this feature or not, you can compress to a particular size. In the Image Optimizer window chose "Compress by size". You can set any file size you want and look at the resultant image right away.

Flora · Post by **Flora** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 4:46 pm

Thank you for your responses again.

I have played with this now for an hour trying to figure it out.

It appears that it does not want to SAVE the image it previews after it does compress in jpeg format. I adjust it using the compress to size option, it still does not appear to compress to desired size, however when I preview it in the browser window the information says it is at the size desired. Then when I want to save, it does NOT save the previewed image w/specs.

If I change it to GIF using the compress to size option, it saves fine.

So, why does it not want to save jpeg format?

If I upgrade to PI11 will that work?

heinz-oz · Post by **heinz-oz** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 9:59 pm

Honestly don't know. Never used that feature myself. What are the source image properties? Source format? Image size (aaa x bbb, Mb) before and after optimisation?

I just ran a small test image in PI 10.

No problem saving the compressed image to jpeg.

The attributes before

the compression settings

the attributes after

To check the attributes of your images, menu bar >File >Image properties

Hope this helps