Problems with avatar file size.

[AgentofGaming]

For some reason I can't get images down below 20kb without compromising the quality too much.
I guess I'll just use a portrait from a computer game, Three Kingdoms seems good.

[Jezebel]

For some reason I can't get images down below 20kb without compromising the quality too much.
What program are you using?

[AgentofGaming]

What program are you using?

photoshop (I'm not experienced with it at all)

[Jezebel]

To get smaller jpg file sizes at better quality in Photoshop, use the 'save for web' feature. You can find this in the File menu as 'Save for Web & Devices' or by using the keyboard shortcut: alt+shift+ctrl+s.

[Antares]

To get smaller jpg file sizes at better quality in Photoshop, use the 'save for web' feature. You can find this in the File menu as 'Save for Web & Devices' or by using the keyboard shortcut: alt+shift+ctrl+s.

I save them as .GIFs. The quality's quite good too.

[Santana28]

i'm having the same issue... and i'm pretty experienced with photoshop.

nothing i am doing is working... i have decreased the resolution, and the colors, and the size, and its driving me freaking nuts. they all come out around 25kb, no less.

i, for one, will vote for more liberal avatar rules. we seem to be the most devoted to them, and the quality of avatars has suffered since the inception of this new set of rules. mark me down as "disgruntled."

[Jezebel]

i'm having the same issue... and i'm pretty experienced with photoshop.

nothing i am doing is working... i have decreased the resolution, and the colors, and the size, and its driving me freaking nuts. they all come out around 25kb, no less.
This point is invalid. This subforum is here for the members that can't figure out how to make avatars that fit the criteria. Post the image you want to be be resized and someone else will be able to do it.

i, for one, will vote for more liberal avatar rules.
Not going to happen.

the quality of avatars has suffered since the inception of this new set of rules.
I disagree. I think the new avatars look significantly better.

[Santana28]

well, how do you post them?

what point is "invalid?" this is a subforum for those who can't figure out how to make avatars that fit the criteria. i am having problems figuring out how to make my avatar fit the criteria.

as for the quality of the avatars... i'm referring to the many wonderful ones that were lost and never replaced due to said issues.

[Jezebel]

well, how do you post them?
The same way you would post any other image. Upload it to a server that allows linking to picture files.

what point is "invalid?" this is a subforum for those who can't figure out how to make avatars that fit the criteria. i am having problems figuring out how to make my avatar fit the criteria.
Not being able to make avatars that fit the criteria is invalid. You haven't linked the image you would like to use as an avatar or told us anything about what you wanted. If you make the image available, someone can get it under 20kb for you.

as for the quality of the avatars... i'm referring to the many wonderful ones that were lost and never replaced due to said issues.
Yeah, I didn't care for them that much.

[Santana28]

The same way you would post any other image. Upload it to a server that allows linking to picture files.


Not being able to make avatars that fit the criteria is invalid. You haven't linked the image you would like to use as an avatar or told us anything about what you wanted. If you make the image available, someone can get it under 20kb for you.


Yeah, I didn't care for them that much.

its an image on my hard drive that i have resized to 115x145 pixels at 72 resolution, black and white. and it still comes out oversized. i have several that i have been working on, but i wanted to see which one worked best.

i dont need people to resize it for me - i would like to know what the hell i am doing wrong.
http://a447.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/110/l_12898824800e602415255fc903db4bd6.jpg

http://a151.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/66/l_30fbc163d923e834be3b9816aa970fd6.jpg

http://a349.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/97/l_a5eedd3f86d54a8ef02228242c391454.jpg

http://a502.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/107/l_5bd48d8d36e87027cae05e4978e6771d.jpg

http://a747.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/6/l_993fac028c21ae6ead0c513d90e722e2.jpg

[Jezebel]

its an image on my hard drive that i have resized to 115x145 pixels at 72 resolution, black and white. and it still comes out oversized. i have several that i have been working on, but i wanted to see which one worked best.

i dont need people to resize it for me - i would like to know what the hell i am doing wrong.
http://a447.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/110/l_12898824800e602415255fc903db4bd6.jpg

http://a151.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/66/l_30fbc163d923e834be3b9816aa970fd6.jpg

http://a349.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/97/l_a5eedd3f86d54a8ef02228242c391454.jpg

http://a502.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/107/l_5bd48d8d36e87027cae05e4978e6771d.jpg

http://a747.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/6/l_993fac028c21ae6ead0c513d90e722e2.jpg


1. Open the image in Photoshop.
2. Go to this menu: File > Save for Web & Devices
3. Select "JPEG" and "Maximum Quality" from the dropdown menus.

That gives you the images at:

5.67kb:
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o223/orlathe/avatars/santana1.jpg

8.12kb:
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o223/orlathe/avatars/santana2.jpg

8.36kb:
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o223/orlathe/avatars/santana3.jpg

8.09kb:
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o223/orlathe/avatars/santana4.jpg

8.74kb:
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o223/orlathe/avatars/santana5.jpg

That is quite a bit under 25k, eh?

[Santana28]

Are you using CS3?

thank you much. i was saving it as a GIF before because someone said that would compress better.

gracias.

[Jezebel]

Are you using CS3?
I am. I'm not sure what version this feature was implemented in, but I remember it being in CS2 as well.

It looked like those already went through a lot of compression before I got them, but for future reference they could be saved at a much higher quality. If it is over 19.5k (you can see this in the lower left corner under the image), you can nudge the percent down in the quality dropdown until they are the right size. This saves at a much higher quality than the regular jpeg compression save.

For example, meanlittlechimp's avatar is at a higher quality and it is still only 14.3kb.
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o223/orlathe/avatars/meanlittlechimp.jpg