Converting psd to jpg under 5 Mb

[Clifford30745997939y]

I want to submit a few photos to a calendar contest that has a deadline of June 30.  Photos must be in jpeg format and under 5 Mb each.  What is the simplest way to convert a psd file to jpeg and resize so that it is under 5 Mb?

Many thanks in advance!

[Chuck Uebele]

I like to use the file export in Bridge. I think you would be hard pressed to get a jpg file a above 5mb. So I wouldn't worry about that.

[Clifford30745997939y]

Thanks, Chuck.  I'm afraid I don't even know what Bridge is.  Perhaps it's too ambitious to think I can get five photos ready for submission by Friday.  I was fairly conversant with Photoshop years ago but it's changed significantly from those days.

[gener7]

Did you want to keep the original size or reduce it to something acceptable? A 6000px x 4000px image might be too large and if the contest doesn't mind 3000 x 2000, that would help knock down the file size.  So using Image Size, resize before saving. Keep backups of your master psd files before doing any of this.

I use "Save As Jpeg" because i can see the file size vary as I move the slider. I think 10-12 is acceptable quality.

If you have less than 10 to convert, this should not take too much time.

[D Fosse]

I think quality 8 or 9 is optimal for jpeg. The file size is dramatically reduced, while the immediate appearance of the image will be just as good.

The reason jpeg has been so successful is that the degradation is usually not visible on the first save. It only becomes apparent with repeated saving, and after a few saves it starts to disintegrate. But as a one-off final delivery, 8 or 12 makes no discernible visual difference.

So you may as well get substantial payoff in reduced file size while you're at it.

Just don't make the mistake of resaving and reusing it. A jpeg is a one-time-only throwaway file copied out from your PSD or TIFF master files.

[gener7]

Ok, that's 8 then. In fact on continuous tone images like photos, artifacts are not much of a problem as I understand it.

[D Fosse]

I know, Gene, opinions differ on this 😉 But personally, for my own part, I can't see any purpose in quality 11 or 12. It's a permanently damaged file in any case, you only do it to squeeze the file size. So the question is, how low can you go before you see it? It turns out, surprisingly low. Just don't try to resave it.

[gener7]

Ok got it. I just want to decide on a method and stay with it. You have monitors optimized for photography and color management so your guidelines are a good standard.

[Todd_Morgan]

Use "Export as..." and there you can set the percentage and play with it until you get the output file size to where you need it.

[Clifford30745997939y]

Many thanks to all of you for your very helpful suggestions.  I believe that my main problem was that I was looking for a "save as jpeg" rather than using the "export as!"  This should make it fairly easy for me to come up with five entries,  Mch appreciatedm=, everyone!

[NB, colourmanagement]

@Clifford30745997939y you probably already found this but but Export is for Web images- so low resolution.

A few words about Jpeg in case you consider ditching your originals - read this first.: 

JPEG files have compression applied, changing resolution or cropping and re-saving enhances the compression artefacts - this means that Jpeg is only really suitable for final file delivery/transfer - once size and resolution (and any sharpening) have been completed. 

Jpeg is not OK for editing or archiving or for any file that may need to be resaved, resized or cropped down the line.

Jpeg is the worst possible format if you want to keep high quality - you should always archive a copy of your original, with adjustment layers intact - if that’s how you work.

Jpeg compression (at any setting*) really is "lossy”, irreversible and cumulative, so should ONLY be used only for final delivery AFTER resizing & cropping to the FINAL size and crop.

Why? Any edits to size or crop, or even just re-saving a Jpeg file means further compression, potentially that’s very damaging.

The jpeg damage is not always immediately apparent, which is perhaps why it's still widely used - however, the compression will soon cause issues if you do further work and save again. That’s when you’ll see a jpeg with some real issues.

*don’t imagine that selecting maximum quality for your Jpeg is preserving the original data, it’s still compressing a lot which discards information.

As D Fosse wrote: 

don’t reuse Jpegs if any resizing or resaving is needed. Always go back to the PSD/ Tiff originals, Jpegs are a use one and trash file type.

I hope this helps
neil barstow, colourmanagement net - adobe forum volunteer - co-author: 'getting colour right'
google me "neil barstow colourmanagement" for lots of free articles on colour management

[Clifford30745997939y]

Very helpful information, thanks!

[Test Screen Name]

There isn't any magic, but you can try adjusting the JPEG quality slider. 

Save For Web (legacy) may give more levers.

If it's still too big, reduce the pixel count, checking it still meets the rules.

[Clifford30745997939y]

Many thanks.  Size isn't a problem using the information previously furnished.

[Clifford30745997939y]

Again, my sincere thanks to all of you.  I submitted my maximum of three photos before tonight's deadline and could have easily chosen many more.  As with many (most?) things in life, converting the file format/resizing, etc. was quite easy once I knew how to do it!