Why are my digital pics so HUGE?

[rpjkw11]

We have a Nikon Coolpix. After moving pics from the camera's card to my laptop, when I view a single pic using Irfanview, the pic is huge (4608 x 3456) and I have to resize and save. No big deal, but I'd like to know if there is some way to make the camera take smaller pics that would require little or no resizing when viewed. Failing hat, perhaps Irfanview will resize prior to viewing? I've tried that will no luck.

Thank you in advance.

 

[BrightCandle]

That resolution corresponds to 16mega pixel. My guess is that this is the cameras default setting. Trying reducing to something like 4 megapixels, which is about the size of most home monitors.

 

[radhak]

Which particular Coolpix is this - what's the model number?

All cameras allow you to change the JPEG quality settings. You should see a choice of at least Fine, Normal and Basic. Toggle between these to see what suits you best.

Of course, all this is in the manual, so please RTFM.

 

[imported_Irse]

Can't Irfanview show it in a smaller size. I like to keep the max setting in the camera and just view it at 25-50% in whatever program I use. That way, if in the future you would want to print it, you have a decent size file.

 

[corkyg]

Can't Irfanview show it in a smaller size.

This the best solution. In Irfanview, go to VIEW menu and select DISPLAY OPTIONS, then check FIT ONLY BIG IMAGES TO WINDOW. That way you see a full screen view of all photos regardless of pixel size and lose nothing.

In general, I would leave the camera settings at max resolution. When emailing photos, always reduce them to 800x600 or below lest you wish to be "unfriended."

 

[xj0hnx]

Which particular Coolpix is this - what's the model number?

All cameras allow you to change the JPEG quality settings. You should see a choice of at least Fine, Normal and Basic. Toggle between these to see what suits you best.

Of course, all this is in the manual, so please RTFM.

The quality settings have nothing to do with the image size, they are image quality settings, and basic is horrible.

Go into your settings menu and change the image size, small, medium, or large.

 

[Berliner]

You will most likely not see any differences between the quality settings, so using "Basic" will be enough for most uses.

 

[Railgun]

The quality settings have nothing to do with the image size, they are image quality settings, and basic is horrible.

Image size, no. File size, yes.

 

[artemicion]

I think OP needs to clarify what he's trying to solve. Does he want to shrink the file size of his pictures so it takes less storage space? Or does he want to shrink the resolution of his pictures? If it's the latter, does he want to permanently shrink the resolution of his pictures, or does he just want it to display smaller on his monitor?

If all you're doing is viewing camera pictures, try using Windows Photo Viewer instead of Irfanview. The default Windows Photo Viewer resizes the picture so that the whole picture fits in the window. You can then resize the window to adjust the size of the picture.

Adjusting the settings so that the camera takes smaller resolution pictures is not an ideal solution, since you're permanently losing details in the pictures that you might want later (like if you transfer the pictures to a new computer or device some years down the line that has a higher resolution display).

 

[Red Squirrel]

Bigger the better, as it means more info is captured (well sorta, there are other factors too such as sensor, lens quality, etc...). You are better off shooting in the highest MP possible, then shrinking down after as required. If you crop, do it before you shrink. you also want to shoot at the highest possible quality. In the case of DSLRs raw is preferred but if you're going to shoot jpeg ensure it does not compress. You can compress later if you need to.

 

[xj0hnx]

Image size, no. File size, yes.

True, but this is about image size.

I think OP needs to clarify what he's trying to solve. Does he want to shrink the file size of his pictures so it takes less storage space? Or does he want to shrink the resolution of his pictures?

He said right in his post ...

We have a Nikon Coolpix. After moving pics from the camera's card to my laptop, when I view a single pic using Irfanview, the pic is huge (4608 x 3456) and I have to resize and save. No big deal, but I'd like to know if there is some way to make the camera take smaller pics that would require little or no resizing when viewed. Failing hat, perhaps Irfanview will resize prior to viewing? I've tried that will no luck.

Thank you in advance.