Saving a Small jpeg file for web use - but it's over 6Mb!!!??

[Phoenix5E1A]

Hello

I'm coming on here as depite several hours on the phone to the horrendous adobe support we are still no further forward and this is driving me mad!

So, I would describe myself as a fairly advanced user of Photoshop. I know my way around. However since the recent Mac OS change to Monterry and Adobe moving to CC 2022 I am having major issues with saving a jpeg file! More specifically I can't get the exported file size under 6Mb!

I have followed a secific way to prepare images for use on a website for years. Specifically:

1. I create a new document the size and specs I want ALL the images to become. In this example its an 800 x 1200 Pixel dimension. 72 PPI

(normall this size image would be about 500-800 Kb)

2. I take another image (which is a different ppi and much larger - for this example lets say its 4000 x 3000 pixels 300PPI) and drop it into my new document as detailed above.

Now historically this would reformat the image I dropped into the spec of the underlyiing main document i.e 800 x 1200 72 ppi) which it seems to do

3. I export this file and save it as a jpeg (expecting it to be 500-800Kb) only to see it's 6.3 Mb!!!

And it doesn't matter what I do I can't get it smaller. 

WHY!!!???

Clearly this can't be used on a website! It's too big.

So, has something changed in CC 2022? Is there a box I need to check somewhere that has become unchecked since the update that means when I drop an image onto a document that it doesn't format it to the base document paramaters?

Here are some screen shots showing the base document info

Here is the data when I drop a lrger image onto this document and then try to save this as a jpeg showing a HUGE 6.4M

And even when I slide the quality slider to 0 it still shows as a 6.0M doc!!!

Something is clearly wrong here.

I am really hoping someone out there knows what's up coz I'm litterally pulling my hair out on this.

Hope you can help

P

[PECourtejoie]

Hi, check the following discussion, in case it applies to your problem: https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/inflated-jpg-file-size-photoshop-docu...

[Phoenix5E1A]

Hi thanks for this. Yep this seems like the same issue but from what I can see I would need to run scripts every time on each file to solve this issue which isn't something I can work with.  Marek who also replied has showed an easier workaround which works but still think the option of saving a file through the 'SAVE AS' option shouldn't be doing what it currently is doing. Hopefully Adobe are now aware of this issue and will fix in an update. 

Cheers for respsonding. 

[davescm · Accepted solution]

It is not a fault. "Save As" keeps the metadata stored in the file with your image. That large amount of data will have been imported with your source image(s). In many circumstances, keeping metadata is a requirement.

A quicker way to cut it down is to use Export - Save for Web (Legacy) which is designed for preparing web images and allows you to choose which metadata to keep

Dave

[Phoenix5E1A]

Thanks Dave.

But why is photoshop adding 6MB of metadata to a file? 

And I'm still at loss as to how you can get 6MB of meta data in a small file anyway. 6Mb of data is a HUGE data file. And there isn't that amount of meta data on an 800x1200 pixel doc. This is equivelent to 6 mins of Hi-Def audio. 

If Photoshop is creating this amount of trash info on a tiny image then it is a fault. 

Saving using the EXPORT option (WITH META DATA ADDED) creates a 641Kb file size. for my 800 x 1200 72 ppi image. THis is what it should be when I 'SAVE AS' a JPEG file from Photoshop. ANd this is how it's worked for 10+ years.

[davescm]

Photoshop is not adding that much data. When you open a file it comes with metadata and there can be a lot of it, particularly on an image file that has been worked on before . If you have used more than one file in making up your final image, each will have contributed to the metadata. So this builds up. The term is 'ancestor metadata' as it is inherited from the individual images making up your image and any images making up them.

This is not new, it has always worked this way, but this maybe the first time you have encountered it and to track back you would need to look at all images that you used in creation of this image. Then work your way back through those..etc

Or just use Export which will delete the data.

Dave

[MarekMularczyk]

Have you tried exporting your image using File > Export > Export As... ?

This was designed for export for the web and will also give you a file size (hopefully smaller)

[Phoenix5E1A]

Hey Marek

Thanks for your suggestion.  

Yep, this worked, Thanks! 

But whilst this is AMAZING (!) I'm still confused as the why the 'SAVE AS' option doesn't work as it used to. Surely it's the same thing in terms of saving a document?? And it's the way I've been doing it for years! 

Do you know why it's now not doing what it used to?

Cheers for your help I can't tell how frustrating this has been!

[MarekMularczyk]

I'm glad it worked for you. Happy to help! 🙂

It is weird, yes. I think it might be with the changes they've been making to saving recently.

We now use Save a Copy... to save as jpeg:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ-Ge6ier4E

[Stephen Marsh]

More here:

https://prepression.blogspot.com/2017/06/metadata-bloat-photoshopdocumentancestors.html

[Phoenix5E1A]

Cheers Stephen. 

[Stephen Marsh]

Your welcome, the article explains why and most importantly, how to remove the data in different ways.

[Derek Cross]

Have a try of the third-party plug-in Tiny JPG/PNG

https://tinyjpg.com

[Phoenix5E1A]

Thanks but I don't want to be using 3rd party apps or amending code here. I just want to be able to save a smiple jpeg file without 6MB of 'metadata' being added to it that I didn't ask to be added to it. 

For the mean time the easiest solution is using the EXPORT function which gives me what I want but my fingers are programmed to do SHIFT, COMMAND, S or COMMAND, S when I want to save a file!!

Don't want to be going into drop down menus and opening other unneeded pop up boxes just to doa simple save file process.

[Derek Cross]

Please note Phoenix, answers aren't just for you, but also for others on the forum who might be interested in the topic under discussion.

[Phoenix5E1A]

For the mean time I'd appreciate if you could refrain from anticipating what you think other people may or may not be interested in and specifically answer my particular question. That way other people who are particularly interested in my particular question might find a specific answer to it rather than people rambling about other solutions that neither me nor they are intersted in. Thanks

[Derek Cross]

Don't be rude.

[davescm]

Ancestor metadata is not being added. It is inherited through your source images. 

For some, it is important and provides a trace backward through  the source images and beyond.

Dave