Image Sizes and PM

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Mike_K
Posts: 669
Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 06:35
Location: Hertfordshire

Image Sizes and PM

Post by Mike_K »

Hi All

While doing the web maintenance I have noticed that our online site storage is filling at a higher rate than I had anticipated and on investigation, the chief culprits are the large file sizes being uploaded, especially photos and PM (private messaging).

To keep us within our web-hosting limits for a bit longer, can we try to limit image sizes to below 1MB please? I've noticed that many of us (and I'm more guilty than most on the forum) are now posting pictures "straight from the camera" and file sizes are often in excess of 10MB. You can get quite large-resolution photos to have a file size smaller than 1MB, but it may involve the extra step of using something like Photoshop to decrease the resolution to something like 2000 pixels wide (keeping the aspect ratio or proportions the same) and if using Photoshop or similar set the quality to medium (say around "7"). Even the free "Windows Paint" that still comes with every version of Windows is quite capable of doing this as well. I know this involves a few seconds extra work, but is there really any point in having photo's of a higher resolution than our screen resolutions?

If you don't know how to reduce the image size, don't worry, just post as normal and me or Phil will come along afterwards and decrease the image size. But if you do know how to reduce the size, could you do it when posting please to save me or Phil the time of doing it!

And thanks to those who already post smaller file sizes or have the images hosted on other sites and display the image by placing the image location between tags, something like:

Code: Select all

[img]{www.myimages/myimage123.jpg}[/img]
Web-sites like Flickr and other similar sites work well using this method.

The other thing that was taking a disproportionate amount of storage was PM (private messaging). The site admin doesn't have much control over PM, they are private after all! PMs on many sites don't allow attachments and are automatically deleted after 30 days as they are intended to send short messages while you're on the site and not as a method to send large files to each other. Ideally, once initial contact is made, swap email addresses and proceed from there using email. I hope nobody minds, but I've limited the number of attachments and their size for PM and the forum will now keep the 100 newest PM and automatically delete the oldest, once 100 PM are in your inbox. If that is going to be inconvenient for any user, please PM me so I can revise what I'm planning.

Sorry to have to ask all of your help here, but it will help keep us on the cheapest hosting plan and at a cost I am happy funding without asking for donations. Thanks, Mike
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RobertC
Posts: 114
Joined: 04 Sep 2020, 15:13
Location: Grimsby UK

Re: Image Sizes and PM

Post by RobertC »

Phil_G wrote: 28 Nov 2020, 14:30 For the event reports where there might be loads of pics I use 'Fotosizer' https://www.fotosizer.com/ which is a free batch-resizing widget that works very well. For resizing and rotating individual photos I use Paint Shop Pro which is readily available as a download.
If I'm going flying I'll just set the phone camera to a lower res for the day! :D
Whoops! sorry I just realised me too is guilty of large size pictures being uploaded, Ill go to my other method of emailing my pictures from phone to Laptop and letting the email prog resize for sending them ..
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Mike_K
Posts: 669
Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 06:35
Location: Hertfordshire

Re: Image Sizes and PM

Post by Mike_K »

Hi Robert

I'd rather you posted large images rather than nothing at all! My post was really aimed at those who know how to resize easily, not to stop people posting. A few minutes and all your images were resized (and rotated).

Keep up the posts

Mike
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