Productivity

How to Reduce Image File Size

Large photos slow down uploads, fill up inboxes, and make PDFs heavier than they need to be. You do not need special software to bring the size down.

Resize before you convert

A photo straight from a modern phone camera can be 12 megapixels or more u2014 far larger than any screen or printed page needs. Resizing to the dimensions you will actually use is the single biggest reduction you can make, and quality loss is barely noticeable at normal viewing sizes.

Choose a sensible quality setting

When converting images to PDF, the Image Quality setting controls this trade-off directly: Standard produces the smallest file, High is a good balance for most uses, and Maximum keeps the most detail at the cost of a larger file. For documents you are sending by email, Standard or High is usually plenty.

Crop out what you do not need

Cropping a photo down to just the relevant part u2014 a receipt on a desk, a page of a book u2014 reduces both the file size and the clutter in the final document.