How to Prepare Wiki Photos

Here are a few quick step-by-step tutorials for preparing Wiki photos with some widely available common photo-processing programs.  (If your preferred program isn't listed, please leave a request for it on the bottom of the page.)

• Photoshop
• Photoshop Elements
• iPhoto
• Picasa
• Lightroom
• Aperture

Photoshop

1. Image > Image Size > Resolution: 72ppi > click OK (if the resulting pixel dimensions are smaller than 500px, you can push-up the result w/o loss of detail, as long as those dimensions aren't larger than the original was)
2. File > Save for Web & Devices > 2-up or 4-up view > Preset: JPEG Medium > Click the Optimized box > Quality: 30-60 or thereabouts > click Save
3. NOTE: The 2-up or 4-up view will display the original at left, w/filesize value & estimated download time shown in the lower left corner beneath each version. As you move the Quality slider, you can compare how the changes affect filesize & image clarity. You can also set-up your preferred quality setting & save it (select the Optimize Menu arrow alongside the Preset field).
4. For more info, click the Photoshop Help button & select Web Graphics > Optimizing Images > Save For Web & Devices overview.
5. NOTE: Don't pay any attention to the inch measurements; they're strictly for printed photos and irrelevant to Web images.

Photoshop Elements

This program is very similar to full Photoshop. Here's a video demo that should work for either the Windows or Mac versions of the program: Photoshop Elements 3 Video Tutorial - Save for Web.

1. File > Save As > Resolution: 72ppi
2. File > Save for Web
3. In the Compression section, select JPEG > Medium (Quality: 30 is fine)
4. Click Save button & you're done!
5. NOTE: Don't pay any attention to the inch measurements; they're strictly for printed photos and irrelevant to Web images.

iPhoto

1. File > Export
2. File Export tab > Kind: JPEG > Quality: Medium or High
3. Size: Custom > Max dimension: 500 (gives automatic maximum width &/or height)
4. Select Export button
5. NOTE: This process automatically sets resolution at 72ppi. (For a 3456×2160 5.2mb photo, the final dimensions were 500x313px, the Medium quality resulted in a filesize of 36kb, while the High quality version was 60kb.)

Picasa

Here's a step-by-step tutorial (with screenshots) for reference: Resize Picture Files with Picasa

1. Select the folder where your files are stored > The photos you've selected will be shown in the photo tray at the bottom of the screen.
2. Select File menu > Export Picture to Folder... > The Export to Folder dialog box will appear.
3. Click the Browse button and choose an existing folder, then in the "Name of exported folder" field, type the name of the new folder where Picasa should put the resized pictures. Be sure you don't use the same name as a folder that already exists, or your newly sized photos will be mixed in with other photos and it might be confusing.
4. Under "Image Size Options" enter 500 pixels (width or height) for the resized pictures.
5. Under "Image Quality" it is best to use the Automatic setting, but if you find the exported pictures are not small enough for your purposes, you may need to redo the export choosing the Normal or Minimum setting.
6. Click OK to proceed with the export. Picasa will show you a status bar in the bottom right corner of the screen, and then will open your computer's file browser to the location where the new folder was created in order for you to work with the files.

Lightroom

Here's a 6+min. video tutorial that details the most important particulars of the process: Exporting Images from Lightroom. (This particular video is done using a Mac, but the Windows version is nearly identical.)

1. File > Export
2. Export To > Choose (or create) specific folder
3. File Naming > Change name (or not), your choice
4. File Settings > Format: JPEG > Quality: 50-60 > Color Space: sRGB
5. Image Sizing > Resize to Fit: Width & Height 500 pixels > Resolution: 72 ppi
6. Output Sharpening > none
7. Metadata > Check Minimize Embedded Metadata
8. Post-Processing > After Export: Show in Explorer or Finder
9. Click Export button

Aperture

Here's a video tutorial for How to export using Aperture.

1. File > Export: Versions
2. Choose folder
3. Export Preset: JPEG > Check Include Metadata
4. Select Edit to set-up your own preset with the following settings: Image Quality: 8-10 > Size To: 500 pixels > DPI: 72
5. Click Export Versions button
6. Gamma Adjust: none > ColorSync Profile: sRGB
7. Show Watermark > your choice
8. Click OK