Reduce resolution or increase JPEG compression

[Ian]

You're running low on memory card space and you don't want to delete anything you've taken. This is a situation that you can't rule out happening to you! - one day!

You have two options:

1. Change the quality setting for your recorded images. Lower quality means smaller image files, so you can fit more images into the remaining space.

2. Change the pixel resolution of the recorded images to reduce the image file sizes.

Personally, I'd recommend No.1 First generation JPEG image quality, even at a medium or low in-camera quality setting, is surprisingly good. It's when you save a JPEG file into a second generation version or lower, that JPEG artefacts creep in to spoil the image. To a degree, JPEG artefacts can be filtered out, too.

If you choose option 2, you are sacrificing a lot of image detail right from the start. If you are only interested on posting low res images to the Web, for example, then this option is OK, but don't complain if one of your pictures turns out great and you would have really liked a full-resolution version!

Do you have any camera technique tips to share? Post them here!

Ian

[coupekid]

Re: Reduce resolution or increase JPEG compression

You're running low on memory card space and you don't want to delete anything you've taken. This is a situation that you can't rule out happening to you! - one day!

You have two options:

1. Change the quality setting for your recorded images. Lower quality means smaller image files, so you can fit more images into the remaining space.

2. Change the pixel resolution of the recorded images to reduce the image file sizes.

Personally, I'd recommend No.1 First generation JPEG image quality, even at a medium or low in-camera quality setting, is surprisingly good. It's when you save a JPEG file into a second generation version or lower, that JPEG artefacts creep in to spoil the image. To a degree, JPEG artefacts can be filtered out, too.

If you choose option 2, you are sacrificing a lot of image detail right from the start. If you are only interested on posting low res images to the Web, for example, then this option is OK, but don't complain if one of your pictures turns out great and you would have really liked a full-resolution version!

Do you have any camera technique tips to share? Post them here!

Ian

Oh dear Ian, thats a toughy!
I think I would opt for option one as well.

Heres something which I am doing though, now I have a desktop PC, I am going to completely re-install rebuild the laptop to take around so as I have something to download my images on whilst on a shoot. I know its big and bulky, but as I am carting around a large rucksack anyway, it'll do before I can afford a dedicated memory bank.

[DTD]

[Stephen]

Re: Reduce resolution or increase JPEG compression

Indeed, I used one whilst away in Alaska. Have to say I was not too impressed with the concept. It took a good half hour to download a 1gb card. It won't work with my 1D, so had to put my SD card in a Panasonic FX01 which did work. There seems to be a limited range of cameras that will work with the iPod adaptor. It also meant I could not download from a CF card. Finally the image quality on the iPod is poor, and as it won't show Raw files I had to shoot Raw + small jpeg.

[devilgas]

Re: Reduce resolution or increase JPEG compression

ordinarily, i'd just swap cards and copy the 'full' one to a portable drive / the zen vision w media player. however, if i were diving, and the above clearly isn't an option underwater, then i'd always swap from RAW to jpeg, then increase the jpeg compression rather than reduce resolution. to reduce resolution would be the very last thing i'd resort to.

[Danny Chau]

Re: Reduce resolution or increase JPEG compression

I normally add 1 percent of film grain (Photoshop) to small jpeg files before blowing the photo up in photoshop, then either use 50% median (separate layer) or noise reduction software like of the Noise Ninja to reduce that grain once the file is enlarged.

I find by adding grain it will reduce the jpeg artifact by a huge amount.

In my early days of digital photography, I was able to blow a Olympus 1400L 1.4 megapixel file to a more than acceptable 14"x11" print, so small files from digital camera from the last couple of years easily give better quality than the earlier models, or at least better than some of the plastic lens Russian camras in the film days.

Danny