File size?

[Tracey.A]

Hi,

I have recently got a canon EOS 450D and need lots of advice! The first problem I've encountered is that when I try to upload photos into the image forum it takes forever and then tells me that the file size is to big. I've tried uploading one pic at a time, but the answer is the same, so how do I reduce the file size?

I have two lenses, one is a canon EFS 18 - 55, which is fine for close up pics, the other is a tamron 70 - 300. What I want to know is what lens should I think about getting for taking photos of birds at a distance?

As you can tell I know very little about photography, so I'd welcome any advice that you can give me.

Tracey

[galanthus]

you need to reduce the size of the photos to 800x600 pixels by using photo editing software. I use photoshop but there's loads around and you should have some with your camera

[Kayleigh]

Hi Tracey
you have to resize the pice on you computer before you upload them. They need to be at least 800 pixels wide and 600 pixels high.
Have a play around with your pics on the computer and try to crop and resize them..

[ellen h]

I use "pixresizer" to reduce size of my photos.Its a free download,just enter pixresizer in your search engine,click on link and download.
Works very well
ellen

[Tracey.A]

Thank you for your advice, I'll try some of the above and see if I can reduce the file size

Tracey

[eeyore]

note that its the 800 wide bit thats important - ie if they are portrait format they need to be 800 wide by however tall not 600 wide by 800 high (i think this is more of a consideration for the gallery rather than the image archive or file or whatever its called now)

[Bruce Williams]

Hi Tracy,

Bit technical this however......

Your camera (Canon EOS 450D) creates an image with a (length to height) image ratio of 3:2. This means that you can't simply reduce the image size to 800x600 without first cropping the original image. This is because 800x600 is equivalent to a size ratio of 4:3.

So your options are:

(a) Crop the original image to a size ratio of 4:3 before resizing. You will of course need software that can do this.

(b) Resize to a image ratio of 3:2 - where the width is at least 800 pixels. For example 1200x800 or possibly better (for landscape orientated images only) 876x584.

Why is 876x584 (possibly) better than 1200x800? Well if you upload an image that is greater than 880 pixels wide, the uploading software will automatically downsize your image (to a width of 880 pixels) and in doing so will slightly degrade the quality of your image. However an image size of 876x584 has a width that is less than 880 pixels - so the uploading software will load your image unchanged and therefore with no loss of quality.

I should add that when the uploading software creates a smaller copy of your image it also stores your original image in the gallery. This original image can be accessed by clicking the downsized image when it is displayed.

If you are not that confident playing with images, I would suggest you forget about cropping for the moment and use a free program to resize your images to 1200x800 as this works with your camera and will also upload to the gallery irrespective of the orientation of your image (landscape or portrait).

Good luck,
Bruce

[zan]

As for your lenses go, I would be inclined to stick with what you've got for the time being. The tamron 70-300 should be good enough for a lot of wildlife and bird photos while you get the hang of it. 300mm really is generally considered the minimum length you need to get good bird shots, but that shouldn't put you off initially, especially since the really good long lenses are very pricey. The alternative to a really long lens is to take yourself closer to the animals, and that will probably mean spending a lot of time in local parks, or your garden, or at the nearest seaside town to shoot the relatively tame inhabitants there. Seagulls are excellent for practicing panning for example, while garden birds will teach you patience

After you've had a bit of time to practice, you'll have a better idea yourself of exactly what you want to shoot, and the kit you need to best achieve that.

[Tracey.A]

Thank you everyone for all your advice Ellen I down loaded the pixresizer and I can now upload my images on to the image forum.

Zan, sound advice - thank you! I will follow your advice and stick with what I have until I understand my camera better. I know some good feeding stations at my local reserve, so will practice some bird shots there I don't know why I didn't think of seagulls, we have them in our local park and yes if they are thrown food you can't shake them off with a brush.

Oh, just thought I'd better add the photos that I did upload are not great and no that isn't false modesty However the fun will be in practicing

Thanks again everyone for taking the time to respond to this thread

Tracey