How to save a file in the right way

[chikoa48196969]

Hello, how are you? i would like to ask something regarding save of files. Its been happening to me that when i save an image that has been retouch, this is, i press Control + S (Save) JPEG OPTIONS - Quality 12 Maximum - Format options: Baseline ( Standar). When i save with this settings i can see that the photo is actually increasing the Mega Bites a lot (the original photo is around 9 MB and it is saving in 23 MB in some cases). As a result, i started to have a few photos with Grain on them (Photoshop is adding pixels to it and i don't want this to happen anymore). Please, can you advise me what is the solution for this ? Maybe i am using the wrong settings, in that case, please, can you let me know how to keep the same quality of the original photo? I would really aprecciate your help on this. Thank you in advance for your time!

[Kevin Stohlmeyer]

Hi @chikoa48196969 can you show some examples of this increase in size? Related screen shots with the save dialog, file sizes etc would be helpful.

[chikoa48196969]

Hello Kevin, Sure, here are the screenshots. Hopefully you can help me with this ? xx Thanks in advance

[Conrad_C]

Was the original a JPEG format image, and if so do you know what the Quality level was of the original? For example, the size might go up if it was originally JPEG quality 8 and it is now being saved at JPEG 12.

The visual difference betwen JPEG 10 and JPEG 12 is so small that the eye usually cannot see it, but the file size increases significantly. So you could save space by trying JPEG 10.

Because JPEG is a lossy compression method, it can never keep all of the quality of the original. If you must keep all of the quality of the original, the file must be saved using the lossless compression in formats such as TIFF or PNG.

[chikoa48196969]

Hello Conrad, how are you? the original file is a JPEG exported by lightroom. the photos haven't been in photoshop before. So i don't really know if they were quality 8. The only thing is clear is that i am increasing the size of the photos. Would you suggest as a solution to save the files in quality 8 and not in 12? I already try this and apparently is keeping the same size of the original JPEG file. My question is if in this way i will keep all the information and quality of the original? let me know.... thanks ....

[D Fosse]

As Conrad explained, you cannot "keep all the information and quality of the original" with jpeg. Jpeg will always degrade the original, at any quality setting. There is no such thing as "maximum quality" with jpeg. The degradation is non-reversible and cumulative.

You have to use PSD, TIFF or PNG. The file size is what it is. All these three formats offer compression options, but they will be considerably bigger than a jpeg.

There is no free lunch.

[Conrad_C]

The way this is often done is that when you are adjusting the JPEG quality level in the Save As or Save a Copy dialog box, use the Preview option and watch the image in the window. Disabling Preview shows the original, enabling shows how the current JPEG settings look. Disable and enable Preview, and compare the visual difference. The difference is easier to see if you zoom in. If you see a difference when disabling and enabling Preview, then you might set it higher. If you set it at 9 or 10 and you no longer see a difference when comparing with Preview, then that is good enough.

The right number can be different for each photo, that is why the Preview is provided. Also, file size can go up depending on what edits were done. Photos with more details are more difficult to compress, so for example, if an image details or noise/grain were enhanced by sharpening, the new image may require slightly more space.

As I wrote earlier, with JPEG it is impossible to keep all of the quality of an original, because it uses lossy compression. Very small sizes are achievable by throwing out image data that is not obviously visible.

Even though JPEG cannot preserve all original quality, the reason everyone uses JPEG is that it can preserve just enough quality to achieve a file size small enough for the Internet. If you see small JPEG images that look good on the web or on a phone, it is because they were saved at a quality level that is good enough that any lost image data is not noticeable to the eye. You must balance quality and file size, because the smallest file sizes don’t have enough quality, and the highest quality levels (and other lossless formats) take up too much storage or network bandwidth.

Also, if this is for online use and you want even smaller file sizes, try using File > Export Export As, or File > Export > Save for Web. Those commands exclude metadata (such as ppi), so the JPEG file sizes can be somewhat smaller than saving a JPEG image using File > Save As or File > Save a Copy.

[chikoa48196969]

Hello Conrad, how are you? i really aprecciate your help with this, i've been trying to save them after i read you and now i can understand much more better how it works. I am now checking one by one the photos to save in the right MB size.  Thank you very much and have a nice day!

[Test Screen Name]

But you really need to change you plan (workflow) so you aren't ever editing a PDF. Save as a PDF only the FINAL. if it needs an edit, have a non-JPEG for editing and make a new JPEG. You will always have the JPEG and the other file. Yes, it's a pain but JPEG is special. 

[NB, colourmanagement]

@chikoa48196969 further to the helpful replies you’ve received, I note you're saving as JPEG - I have some notes about that:

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 archiving or for any file that may need to be resized or cropped down the line. 

JPEG is pretty risky - you should always archive a copy of your original, with adjustment layers if that’s how you work. Jpeg really is "lossy" and should ONLY be used for final delivery AFTER resizing & cropping to the FINAL size and crop.

Why? Any edits to size or crop mean the next save with compress again, potentially that’s very damaging 

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