Best, FREE way to make jpeg size smaller?

[Rapidskies]

Wondering what the best shareware/free program is to make the size of jpeg smaller. Not sure if I can compress it more, or if I need to reduce the size of the images. Just looking to email pictures to family and not have each jpeg > 500k in size. Thanks!

 

[thenerdguy]

gimp for linux. ginp for windows. take your pic.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

MS Paint?

- M4H

 

[Anubis]

if you use XP you can use teh XP image resizer thingie to do it

 

[RossMAN]

If you are using Windows XP, download Microsoft's FREE Image Resizer it works great and doesn't require a separate application, just right click on the file and resize it instantly.

 

[vi edit]

lview

 

[Rapidskies]

Great thanks for the tips, didn't know about xp's image resizer! Will check it out!

 

[HokieESM]

IrfanView picture viewer can easily resize or resample the photos (as well as change the compression on JPEGs)--and save it in any format you like.

IrfanView

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: Whade
Great thanks for the tips, didn't know about xp's image resizer! Will check it out!

It works great and after you install it becomes a part of Windows.

I just like it because you can resize instantly on the fly and it doesn't require finding and launching another app.

Saving you precious seconds.

 

[dman]

the XP one, does it change the original or make a copy that is smaller or is that an option?

I read that the rotate function in XP actually decompresses and recompresses the file so each time you rotate you loose some quality due to the lossful compression of JPG. Don't know if that's true, but, it sounds logical.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: dman
the XP one, does it change the original or make a copy that is smaller or is that an option?

I read that the rotate function in XP actually decompresses and recompresses the file so each time you rotate you loose some quality due to the lossful compression of JPG. Don't know if that's true, but, it sounds logical.

Confirmed. The XP rotation feature stupidly decompresses and recompresses the image, lowering overall quality. It's not much, but if you're a real imagemonkey, you'll see it.

Mind you, real imagemonkeys don't use Paint.

- M4H

 

[yellowperil]

I second Irfanview. It also has some free plugins for lossless rotation.

 

[geckojohn]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
If you are using Windows XP, download Microsoft's FREE Image Resizer it works great and doesn't require a separate application, just right click on the file and resize it instantly.

Rossman, that's a sweet power toy! THX

 

[Encryptic]

Originally posted by: yellowperil
I second Irfanview. It also has some free plugins for lossless rotation.

I third this. IrfanView rocks.

 

[prontospyder]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
If you are using Windows XP, download Microsoft's FREE Image Resizer it works great and doesn't require a separate application, just right click on the file and resize it instantly.

Thanks!

 

[CraigRT]

irfanview rules

http://www.irfanview.com

 

[Staples]

I second Irfanview. If you click on the advanced button in the save dialog box, you can change the compression level.

 

[Sophia]

I "lost" my XP resizer. That is, I installed it and it was working fine. The next time I had occasion to use it again, the option no longer appeared in the right-click menu. I have tried uninstalling it and reinstalling it, but I can't get the resize option back. What else should I try?

 

[Staples]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Originally posted by: dman
the XP one, does it change the original or make a copy that is smaller or is that an option?

I read that the rotate function in XP actually decompresses and recompresses the file so each time you rotate you loose some quality due to the lossful compression of JPG. Don't know if that's true, but, it sounds logical.

Confirmed. The XP rotation feature stupidly decompresses and recompresses the image, lowering overall quality. It's not much, but if you're a real imagemonkey, you'll see it.

Mind you, real imagemonkeys don't use Paint.

- M4H

There are a few programs that can do a loseless rotation. Irfanview is what I use for my digital pictures (I don't even think Adobe has loseless rotation). The Canon software is dumb. Besides being a pain because it is terrible software (except for the merge program), it recompresses it for the rotation. Irfanview is free, small and an overall great viewer (it has some annoying options set by default though). As far as a resize, every program on the face of the earth decompresses it then recompresses it.

 

[dquan97]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
If you are using Windows XP, download Microsoft's FREE Image Resizer it works great and doesn't require a separate application, just right click on the file and resize it instantly.