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Jonathan316
Known Participant
June 26, 2017
Question

Automate Save for Web

  • June 26, 2017
  • 2 replies
  • 3404 views

I am redoing my website and I have many new images to post to the new site. I have been using save for web to make each final jpg about 400kb.

A few questions:

1) Is Save for Web the best way to specify a final file size and color space for the following situation: From a tiff file in Adobe 1998 I would like to output a jpg in sRGB at a final file size of approximately 400KB?

2) If this is the best method, how can I automate the process of setting the size of the final file output at 400kb?

3) If there is a better way to do this than using Save for Web, what is that?

Thanks!

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    2 replies

    Per Berntsen
    Per Berntsen
    Community Expert
    June 26, 2017

    Lightroom will do exactly what you want, but I have to agree with headTrix that exporting to a fixed file size is a bad idea.

    File size for jpgs is largely dependent on image content, and you may end up with some files being unneccesarily large, while other files may look bad because the quality setting is too low because the limit on file size.

    For batch processing, try the Image processor, located under File > Scripts, and set quality to for instance 8.

    I have never used this utility, but I believe the quality scale goes from 1 to 12.

    There is even an Image processor Pro with more options, do a search for it.

    M
    mark@headTrix
    Community Expert
    June 26, 2017

    Yes the scale is 1-12 which is a little confusing since its 1-100 in Save for Web Panel.

    so an "8" is not 80% as it would be in Save for Web Panel. so an 8 will be about 66-67% JPEG compression.

    although I think with the 1-12 it is incrementally divided into 12 sections. so a setting of 10 would be "77-84%" compression.

    This is probably a good standard setting, although some images could probably look fine with a lower setting, definitely will depend a bit on what the photo is.... a close up versus a picture of clouds for example.

    headTrix, Inc. | Adobe Certified Training & Consulting
    J
    Jonathan316Author
    Known Participant
    June 27, 2017

    Thanks for your responses to my questions. I wasn't aware of that Export As feature which is apparently replacing Save for Web. I now realize that I should have said that I am going for a MAXIMUM file size of 400 KB as a jpg. The company who's web template I use, aphotofolio.com, just told me that I can actually go up to 650kb now. He also mentioned that I can do the image and file sizing in Lightroom. I never noticed that little box before he mentioned it, under "File Settings" in the export dialog box "Limit file size To". Then of course I can adjust the output size at the same time under "Image Sizing". And then sharpening at the same time too.

    Now I just need to figure out how to automate pasting the image onto a white canvas the size that fits the website design. For example, if the image is 1140 x 1140 I need to paste it, centered left and right onto a canvas that is 1140 x 1850. I think this can be done in Lightroom under Print but can't figure out how. Do you happen to know?

    Thanks again for your responses. 

    M
    mark@headTrix
    Community Expert
    June 26, 2017

    Hi,

    I don't think you want to place a set file size on your images. The point of optimizing your images is to reduce the download time of a Large Bitmap file. You want to reduce the image as small as you can make it while keeping the look and feel of the image.

    Some images are best saved as JPEG, and some GIF, and some PNG .. it depends on the image.

    For Photographs I think JPEG is the best, its 24 bit, and compresses much smaller that it comparative PNG24.

    For flat art, solid lines of color a GIF would optimize the file better and smaller than a JPEG.

    If you want or need transparency... then a JPEG will not work. GIF, PNG8 and PNG24 can be transparent.

    GIF and PNG8 are just ONE color of transparency, so if you have a drop shadow or Alpha transparency you can save it out as a PNG24.

    I personally think Save for Web is great, however there is a NEW Export window (File>Export>Export As) that was created to export images for the web. Most websites these days are Scaleable, so they change as the browser gets scaled or if people view it on a smaller device (phone, tablet) therefore the images also change, and the File Export as panel allows you to export multiple sizes of the same image at the same time for your Scaleable website.

    Try using Save for Web for now, choose the 4 UP tab then you can try changing the settings on your image (try GIF, JPEG, PNG) so you can play with the sliders to optimize and you can see how it affects the LOOK and FILE size of your images and will help you choose the best looking and smallest sized image!

    To automate the process you can set up an ACTION in the Action panel to either save or batch save your files----there are also other ways to save time by exporting all your layers to files, or Generating Image assets by naming your layers so everytime you save it exports.... these might have to be another post... or two!

    Hope this helps!

    mark

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