Mass file size reduction for JPGs?

[bratkinson]

One of the "minor details" not often discussed on this site is that of ever larger file sizes from ever higher megapixel cameras.

Everyone that's attempted to download their photos to this web site and others, as well, get hit by the file size limitation of downloads. For onesy-twosey occasional downloads that I do, I simply use Photo Shop Elements 10 and resize the photo using the "Save for Web" function and am quite satisfied.

However, since upgrading to a Canon 5D mark iii a year ago, the JPG file sizes output by Lightroom 4 are 'all over the place' from 5 megabytes to about 27 megabytes. As expected, shots that I've cropped fairly strongly are smaller. As I wear my glasses while shooting, I can't see the entire image in the viewfinder and therefore end up shooting about 15% 'wider' than I need. So cropping every photo is my typical mode of operation.

The size problem rears its head on me when I want to put a bunch of photos on a CD or DVD and give them to persons interested in them. Bringing each photo, one at a time, up in Lightroom, manually resizing it and writing it is a very time consuming process, especially when dealing with perhaps 150 or more photos at a time. Needless to say, the annual Festival of the Giving Trees at church a week and a half ago has resulted in perhaps 400 photos to be divided up for perhaps 5-6 different subsets for different target audiences (individual choirs, tree donors, Sunday Christmas contada, etc).

I have done a quicky search on this forum as well as Googled: mass JPG file size reducer and only found a couple of candidates for the task.

Has anyone else run into this problem of needing to shrink a significant number of pictures in a hurry? Preferably, the software used could have a 'threshold' of not shrinking anything that would result in a file size smaller than 6 meg, which would skip trying to shrink 4 meg files, or even 8 meg files by 20%, for example. Any products recommended? Any I should avoid? I'm all for paying for worthwhile products that do the job. But, like anyone else, I don't want to pay $19.95 for a worthless pile of zeros and ones.

And of course...the pictures are processed and I want to start making CDs and DVDs in the next 24 hours or so! Ahhhh...the joys of procrastination!!!

 

[The_Traveler]

I don't understand the problem as stated.
LR will batch resize and export with size and dimension limits.
Does that not work for you?

 

[The_Traveler]

Since I have to go make supper, I'll answer myself here.
In LR, select a batch of files however you like (I often use a collection), put max file size and max dimension in the export dialog and go have coffee.

 

[gsgary]

FastStone Photo Resizer - Powerful Image Converter/Resizer

 

[KmH]

Image file size varies with content.
Shoot a photo of a white wall, then bring a person into the same frame and shoot again. The photo with the person in it will be a bigger file.

As far as pixel resolution (image size), as mentioned, LR's Export function, Bridge's batch function, or FastStone Photo Resizer.

 

[bratkinson]

Lew -

This getting old and forgetful is killing me! I must admit I completely forgot about the ability for LR to limit file sizes at export. I've never used that feature...I feel like the HAL 9000 computer in 2001 A Space Odyssey..."I feel my mind is going..."

MANY THANKS for the 'refresher'!!!

 

[The_Traveler]

No problem.
I told my wife that whenever she finds me failing like wearing a white belt or going out without pants she should shoot me.
Yesterday I misplaced my keys and my wife headed out the door.
"Where are you going?', I said.
'Gun store', she replied.

 

[bratkinson]

Fortunately, I don't have a wife to shoot me, and buying a gun in Massachusetts is probably more strict than going to work for the FBI. So, when I lock myself out of the house and can't remember where I hid the key, I call a friend on my cell who lives nearby to bring the key I gave him.

And so it goes...

 

[bratkinson]

Lew -

Many thanks for reminding me of what I first saw a couple years ago and then forgot about! The Lightroom size limit worked perfectly!

Many thanks again!

 

[WanderingSol]

I use Irfanview (free) to crop and resize images. I use the batch (bulk) feature to resize many at once before posting on my web page.