Pygmy's Lunch

Ashley, I really like your crop here, and you have wonderful detail and light.

Here's one way you can resize. After saving your file the way you want it, duplicate the file, flattening the new file. Then you'll have two open. Flatten the first one also (remember that you've already saved it). Then do Image, Resize, and make the longest side of one of them 720 and repeat for the other one and make the longest side 1200. Then do Save As for each of them, save as JPG, and slide the slider to the left to get under 300 for the 720 and under 500 for the 1200. There are other ways, but that's the way one NPN member showed me, so that's what I do.

Ashley,

Firstly the image I think that it is a little too tight, but you have cracked the colour balance on this one.

Just to prove that there is more than one way to skin a cat.

I find the following to work best and I think easiest way to convert for web but this is from CS4

1) Open mode select 8 bit

2) File, Automate, fit image, select 700x700 for small size or 1200x1200 for large

3) Save for web and devices (you lose the Exif this way) but that is not needed here

4) In CS4 there is a "button" in top right hand corner, select this and select Optimize to file size then choose 300 small or 500 large

5) Save files I always put mine in a separate folder for NPN.

6) Finally reopen file and apply slight sharpening, I use smart sharpening 100% at 0.1

Very tight framing, but the specs and pp look good.
For resizing, here goes:
For 300 kb image:
1. Menu> Image > Image size
2. Uncheck Resample Image
3. Move up to Document Size and adjust the height or width (depending on which is the longest side of the image) and adjust to 720 points.
4. Now, check Resample Image and type 72.
5. Click OK
6. Menu > File > Save for Web & Devices. A dialog box opens up. Look at the upper right of the box.
7. Leave Preset on [Unnamed], in the area below that, click JPEG; Click Maximum below that.
8. In the extreme top upper right, you will notice a downward pointing small arrowhead and four horizontal stripes. Click on the stripes.
9. In the drop down menu that appears, click on Optimize to File Size. Another box opens up!
10. Fill in 300 next to the Desired File Size. Click OK. This drop down menu now disappears.
11. Click Save. Name the file and save it on your desktop, or wherever you want.
YOU ARE DONE!

For 500 Kb size:
1. Menu > Image > Image Size
2. Uncheck Resample Image.
3. Move up to Document Size and type out 1200 either in the width or height column, depending on which is the longest side.
4. Check Resample Image and type out 72.
Next, follow all the steps as above for 300 Kb. When you come to point 10, type out 500 in the Desired File Size.

YOU ARE DONE AGAIN!

CHEERS!

Thanks for sharing another one of your pygmy elephant with us Ashley. I like the detail, the pose and particularly the clear wide open eye! What I do find a nit here is the fact that the tusks are clipped off... Since this is cropped vertical from a horizontal, I assume you do have the tusks? If so I would try alternative crops for this one.
RE: Resizing, I do this more or less the same way as Ken describes.

Ashley, really like this one. I thought your first post of these elephants needed more space, but this one with the tight crop seems just right to me. I like the intimate feeling, specially with the elephants eye looking at you! Thanks for posting.

Ashley, I love tight shots of birds and animals, but I have to agree that I wish the rest of the tusk was visible. If you have that in your uncropped image, would you please post another photo with the tusk for us to see??? There may be a very good reason you are not showing the entire tusk. The eye is absolutely fantastic!!!

BTW, thanks for asking questions re sizing and posting. I'm sure the answers will help a lot of us.

Love the close crop! Great detail in the skin and nice eye contact.

Nice capture Ashley! Love the details and that eye looking at you from the side... ;-)

OK, first and foremost, many thanks for your thoughts, comments, suggestions and advice Barbara, Ken, Ajit, Vincent, John, Carol, Dan, and John, genuinely appreciated :^)

As to the crop, as you can see from the repost, there was an unfortunately placed vertically-running vine that I wanted to omit from the frame without the need of excessive cloning, hence the original crop I chose. I'm also not a fan of frames coming close to looking "boxy" and much prefer to keep the default proportions, which in this case means me losing the placement of the eye where I wanted it, as seen in the original crop.

With this new crop I did my best to darken that vine, which helps make it less of a distraction, but because I've sold myself so much on believing it is a distraction I can't help but notice it every time I look at the image, though it wouldn't surprise me to know that I'm the only one thinking this; thoughts and opinions on this once again much appreciated.

As to the resizing: In reverse order I began with Ajit's directions and, though I believe I followed them to the letter, for some reason I ended up with one file being 41kb and the other 94kb! Ajit, no doubt this is more due to something I did wrong rather than a result of you not explaining yourself properly; I actually found you directions real easy to follow and am baffled as to why I didn't end up with 300 and a 500KB files.

Ken: Unfortunately I was already lost on you first direction "Open mode select 8 bit" - while I'm sure your method also works with CS5, I couldn't seem to find anything in reference to "8 bit".

Barbara: Following your instructions has indeed given me close to the sizes I need; on a quality setting of 10 I scored 270kb, and I needed to drop down to 9 to get the larger file under the 500-mark, settling on 463kb. Seems I can't get exactly 300 or 500kb unless I spend an even greater amount of time going above and below pixel settings of, respectively, 720 and 1200, though I reckon these that I've now come up with are close enough.

The one thing nobody addressed was the two other elements I wish to add in Photoshop and, in turn, to my postings here: a border (with inner stroke) as well as my signature/copyright.

I tried to do this by sending the newly sized images back to Lightroom 3 (which is where I've always added my borders and signatures before), but once they're added this then makes the file size larger, so I'd have to start again, make further calculations and wasting even more time. Surely there's a better way of applying borders and signature while I'm still in PS?!?!

Still interested in help on this if anyone still has the patience, though once again very much appreciate all input thus far.

Ashley repost is much better, I do not find the vine in BG distracting in anyway.

Ashley, I am really torn between the two. The tree in the background really doesn't bother me as it just shows a part of the elephant's environment. The eye placement, as you mentioned, is certainly better in the original post and the colors as well. Neither image shows the end of the tusk, so I don't think that should be a determining factor. Now that I have talked myself through it - I vote for the original!

I like the second version Ashley Great eye contact, love the curled trunk.

Ken Archer

Thanks for taking a look at the repost Ken (W) and Carol, and thanks for taking the time to view and share comments (and for your suggestions Bill!) Bill and Ken (A) :^)

My preference is still for the original crop by I can appreciate why some will prefer the second version. Thanks again one and all :^)

Hi Ashley! Welcome back! (And safe travels and all the right kind of excitement on your upcoming trip to Africa!)

This image caught my eye right after you posted it but I didn't have time to respond until now. I REALLY like this shot, and prefer the original image as posted. I can see how some would be a little bothered by the closeness of the elephant's trunk to the left edge of the frame and the clipping of his tusk, but it just comes across as a very strong composition to me. The detail and texture in his eye, skin and whiskers are magnificent.

Great shot!

Thanks John, real pleased you like this one too!

Thanks also for your well wishes for my trip ahead, all the very best to you and your family :^)

Great profile portrait Ashley, nice & sharp.
Techs look very good, perhaps a bit tight is all.
Well done