The JPG digital image file format is one of the most common and widely used. Quite often, computer users are faced with the fact that the image they have does not meet certain criteria, in particular the size, and there is a need to reduce it. Such problems can be encountered when uploading photos to pages on social networks, posting images in forum posts, etc.
You can solve this problem using any suitable graphic editor. Let's consider the whole process in examples based on the simple program for working with images Paint, built into the operating systems of the Windows family, and also perform a similar operation in the powerful graphics editor of raster images Adobe Photoshop.
What is JPG file size and how to reduce it
Before proceeding to practical examples, it should be noted that the concept of image size can include two components:
- directly the physical dimensions of the image, such as height and width, which are measured in pixels, centimeters, inches;
- The size of a JPG file is also considered by some to be the amount of space that it occupies on the storage medium on which it is located, which in turn is measured in bytes, kilobytes or megabytes.
How to reduce JPG file size in Paint
If you have never worked with images before, then most likely the built-in Paint will be the only program available to you at the moment. He will also cope with the task of reducing the size of files, although not as meticulously as specially designed graphic editors will do. To use it to reduce the size of a JPG file, do the following: 
How to reduce the size of a JPG file in Photoshop
Photoshop is a program that has significantly more options for reducing images and does it with better results than Paint. With its help, you can both reduce the image in height and width, and without changing the specified dimensions, reduce the size of the file on disk only due to a slight deterioration in its quality. Let's consider the whole process step by step. 
Photoshop uses more advanced JPG image compression algorithms than Paint. This leads to noticeably less loss in image quality during compression and the fact that the files processed in it take up less disk space.
Each photo or picture has its own size, which depends on the quality of the image. The larger the image, the better its quality. However, when uploading a photo to a website or sending it via e-mail, users often encounter restrictions regarding the file size. Some crop the photo, others edit it in Photoshop. However, there is an easier way to solve this problem - to compress the photo.
Compressing photos programmatically
You can compress a picture or photo without quality loss using various programs. Let's consider some of them.
The simplest program that is preinstalled on any PC and is suitable for compressing a picture is Paint. You can compress an image using it as follows:
- Select a photo and right-click on it. Select "Open With..." and select "Paint".
- The photo will open in the editor. Click on "Resize" here.
- A small window will open. In it, you can change the size in pixels and percentages. If you do not want the quality of the photo to suffer, then you should check the “Percentage” box and reduce the photo size by about 50%. Also here you need to put a mark "Keep proportions".
- Now we need to save the photo. Click "File", "Save as ..." and select the photo format.
- The photo is compressed.
Another program for compressing photos without quality loss is FastStone Image Viewer. To compress photos using this software, follow these steps:
- Open the program and select the folder with photos in the left menu. Select the desired photo. Next, click "Edit", "Resize".
- We put a mark next to the "Percentage" item so that the image does not lose quality. Specify the width and height. It is worth choosing equal proportions so that the picture does not shrink in the corners.
- After we save the photo.
Also, using FastStone Image Viewer, you can compress photos in another way.
- Select the file and click "Send by e-mail".
- Next, set the size of the photo. Uncheck "Add frame" and "Save EXIF/IRTC data". Check the "Rename" box. The Template section will appear. In it, the name can be left unchanged. Check the "Pack image in archive" box. Having set all the parameters, click "Copy to ...".
- Specify the folder where you want to copy the file.
- Go to the specified folder and look at the compressed photo.
To compress an image without losing quality, you can use the GIMP program.
- We open the program. Select File, Open.
- Specify the path to the file and click "Open".
- The photo will open. Go to the "Image" tab and select "Image Size".
- In order to compress a photo without quality loss, you need to set a width and height that would be divisible by 8. Then click "Edit".
- Save the edited image.
How to compress an image online without losing quality?
Often users wonder how to compress an image so that it does not lose quality. There are many services on the Internet that are suitable for this purpose. Let's consider some of them.
- Site http://optimizilla.com/ru/. To compress the photo, click "Upload".
- The photo will then load. 2 pictures will be presented: the original and a compressed copy. Using the slider on the side, set the quality and click "Save".
- The site http://resizepiconline.com/ also provides its users with the ability to resize the picture. To do this, you need to upload a photo to the site.
- Next, set the width and quality. You can change the format. Click "Resize".
- Click "Download" and save the compressed photo.
- Site http://www.imageoptimizer.net/Pages/Home.aspx . We select a file. Set the photo size and click "Optimize Now".
- Then click "Download to Computer".
With the help of not only these sites, you can compress a picture or photo without losing quality and absolutely free. The choice of method is up to you.
Very often there is a need to reduce the size of a JPG file - photos, scanned documents, other images.
Why you need to reduce file size
This allows you to significantly save disk space when storing archives, speed up the process of transferring image files by e-mail. Often you need to bring the photo to the minimum size required by some programs, above which photos and drawings are simply not accepted. The first way to reduce the amount of memory an image takes up is to convert it to a JPG format, which is itself a compressed image. But this is not enough. Let's figure out how to reduce the size of a JPG file.
Reducing file size in Paint.NET
The Paint.NET software product (do not confuse it with the regular graphic editor Paint of Windows operating systems) is freely distributed on the Internet. It “weighs” a hundred times less than the widely used Photoshop, downloads quickly and takes up almost no disk space. The presence of a clear interface in Russian, the ability to quickly change the size, format and resolution of graphic files gives it the right to take its rightful place among your constantly used tools.
How to reduce JPG file size with this program? It's very simple - run the program, drag the edited file with the mouse to its working field. In the main menu of the application, select "Image" - "Resize". In the drop-down window, adjust the resolution according to your preferences. Make sure "Keep aspect ratio" is checked. Click "OK".
To change the format and quality level of the picture in the main menu, select "File" - "Save as", set a new name, select click "OK". Enter the image quality level. When the level changes in the range of 95 - 100%, the visual perception of the image almost does not change. This can be seen in the preview window to the right of the menu, which also shows the final file size. After selecting the desired image quality (and volume) value, click "Save". Job is done.
How to reduce the size of a JPG file in Photoshop
The Adobe Photoshop application of different versions allows you to reduce the size of images without losing their quality. This is especially important when saving photos for publication on the web. After loading the photo file into the program, correct its color reproduction, contrast and saturation, if you consider it necessary. Then move on to resizing: select the menu item Image -> Image Size. The current dimensions of the image will appear in the window. To change them, enter new values in the Width and Height fields, you can only in one of them - the second value will change proportionally. Then select the "Save for Web" option from the "File" menu.
At the same time, the application will automatically optimize the photo for publication on the network, reducing its disk space at the sizes you specified.
When saving a photo, select JPEG High. If you are satisfied with the resulting volume, save it, if not, change the image quality settings with the slider to your liking. After all the manipulations, save the photo under a different name - it is ready for publication.
Working with the PicPick Editor
Change or reduce JPG file size allows with PicPick Image Capture. It is also freely available on the Internet. The possibilities of this application are wide. It allows you to capture the entire screen or part of it, add captions and drawings to the image, combine different fragments of images, convert the image format and many other functions.
Image resizing is achieved as follows: load the image, for example, by selecting the Open menu item. From the Image menu, select Resize and from the drop-down menu select Image Resize/Zoom. There are two options here: change the size as a percentage (both increase and decrease) or change the number of pixels in the width or length of the image.
In the latter case, if the “Keep aspect ratio” item is checked, it is enough to change only one of the sizes, the other will change automatically. It is also possible to resize the image to one of the commonly encountered sizes by selecting the required one in the lower form window. Click OK. Save the result in the right place, in the required format and under the name you need.
We hope that after reading this article, the question will be solved forever - how to reduce the size of a JPG file - and you will be confident that you can perform this simple task with respect to your graphic files at any time.
Having received today from a person whose abilities I have no doubts, and who is not alien to computers and the Internet, a letter with an attachment of three scanned documents with a total weight of 38 megabytes,
I decided to tell him step by step how to reduce the files resulting from the scan.
And then I thought that, for sure, it would be interesting and useful to someone else.
And a link to this page can continue to be given to people - without additional explanations - receiving from them multi-megabyte letters.
Like this:
“Yes, by the way, I came across a page on the net here, I think you will be interested:
"
So. Let's get started...
A warning: I think that most of my readers will not be interested in this entry and will not give any new information.
Don't say I didn't warn you ;-)
0. You should start with that many scanner management programs allow you to adjust the quality and size of the output file, as well as its format.
In 99.99% of cases, JPG format will be enough for you, size 1200 * 1600, DPI = 300, in other cases: 2400 * 3200, corresponding to the size of A4 sheet
But, if it was not possible to configure it in the scanner, then it is the guide below that will help us solve everything.
1. So, we have a file scanned from an A4 page.
We set the TIFF format (either our not-so-new scanner refuses to save files in other formats, or it resets our settings every time, or it works quickly, only saving in TIFF) - I have come across all of these cases and all of them are victorious.
The resulting file has a terrible weight of 26 megabytes.
2. Open it in IrfanView.
I recommend this program because I have been using it to view images for over 12 years. It is free for non-commercial use and supports many handy plugins. It is best to download it from the official site.
4. and choose the format - JPG
5. Set the file quality 85% - in most cases this is more than enough, and this figure has a very strong effect on the final file size 
7. We can stop here, but if the file we send will only be viewed on the monitor without printing, or printed without the need to maintain high quality, we can further reduce the file. It will take a minute.
We press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + R or select "resize image" from the menu:
and reduce the image size: 
After that, the "weight" of the file became quite small, compared to the initial one, less than 1 megabyte
You can finally stop at this.
I will add that depending on the goals, the size and weight of the file can be changed in a very significant range.
Experiment!
Good day!
Many JPG files take up quite a lot of space, often several tens of megabytes. (for example, high-quality photographs or scans). And in some cases, one has to face one very interesting task - reducing the file size (for example, to upload it to various Internet services where there are size restrictions, or to record a collection of photos to various drives).
In general, (when viewed globally) to reduce the weight of JPG , you can resort to several methods:
- reduce the size in width and height(for each picture, it is measured in pixels, for example, 800x600). Of course, with this operation, the quality of the picture is reduced;
- cutting edges. If you have jagged edges in the photo (say), or part of the picture can be cropped as not informative, then this can also significantly reduce the file weight (this operation is often called framing) ;
- declining quality. When saving a JPG file, you can specify the desired quality: if you move the slider to the minimum, then the file size can become significantly smaller! I note that in some cases it is possible to reduce the weight of the file by 10-30%, despite the fact that no deterioration in the picture will be visible to the "eye"!
- combined method. When a photo / scan is processed immediately by all of the above methods.
Actually, in this article I will consider the tools (programs and services) that will help you accomplish this task. You will get a kind of mini-instruction.
And so, to the point...
Paint
To start Paint: press the combination Win + R, in the "Run" window, enter the command mspaint, click OK.
One of the most famous programs for working with graphic files (because it is built into almost all versions of Windows). If you rarely process photos, pictures and graphs. files - in principle, Paint's capabilities should be enough for you (although, of course, in functionality it is far from other tools).
For example, I took a regular nature photo and opened it in Paint (about 2.2 MB in size, see screenshot below).
Reducing photo width/height
And so, this is the first thing that can be done, and that significantly affects the weight of the file. Please note that the original photo is in a resolution of 2048 by 1333 pixels, see the screenshot above (this is higher than the HD format).
In Paint to reduce the size of the graph. file - click on the tool "Image/Resize" . See example.
Please note that after changing the width and height of the image, in order to see how the size has changed, you need to save it (I will do this in the next step).
Trimming (selecting an area to save)
Often there are unnecessary elements in the photo (especially along the edges, which it would be very desirable to remove: this will improve the quality of the photo, and reduce its weight).
Paint has a tool for that. "Highlight"(see example below).
An important point: you need to select the area that will remain! See the box in the example below: anything outside of it will be deleted!
After highlighting, click on "Image/Crop" . Everything "extra" will be removed from the picture.
Results
Please note that the size of the original photo was 2.2 MB, but now it is only 34 KB! Those. even with the help of such simple actions, you can significantly save space - by 100 percent! (where required and justified).
About paint:
- Pros: already built into Windows; very simple and reliable tool.
- Cons : low functionality, nothing but cropping, cropping and changing the width / height, in essence, can not be done.
PhotoMASTER [photo resizing + enhancements]
The photo is opened in the PhotoMASTER program (as an example)
A specialized and very powerful program for processing photos, pictures. Allows you to easily and quickly not only resize JPG, but also apply various interesting effects: change brightness, remove "red" eyes, add sharpness, etc.
Moreover, this program is focused on working with novice users: i.e. all actions are performed as simply as possible (unlike other graphic editors).
Changing Width and Height
To resize an open photo in "PhotoMASTER" just click on the "File/Resize and save" tool (see screenshot below).
Then you can immediately specify a new size in pixels (by the way, the program has presets for social networks, various types of monitors, etc.), and click "Save" (interpolation also affects the quality and size of the photo). In general, it's so easy and fast!
As for the resulting file weight, it was reduced about 8-9 times (which, you see, is pretty good, considering that we did not cut the edges at all).
This operation is also quite simple in "PhotoMASTER". To get started, click on the "Tools" tab, and then select "Cropping" from the menu on the right.
effects
PhotoMASTER is also very good because in addition to cropping and changing the width / height of the image, you can significantly improve its color reproduction, add interesting effects to make the photo sparkle with new colors.
All effects are collected in the "Effects" section: just select one of the options in the menu on the right, as it will be immediately applied to the photo. In the preview, you will see how the photo will change: it is convenient in the sense that you can immediately check out whether such an effect is suitable, even before saving.
For example, after 20-30 sec. experiments with the photo, it was possible to significantly improve its brightness and color reproduction. Pay attention to the screen below: what was "before" and what happened to the photo "after" applying the effects. The difference, in my opinion, on the face!
Results:
- PhotoMASTER is a very simple and effective tool (even those people who have just started to get acquainted with the PC will quickly figure it out);
- file size can be reduced tenfold!
- the program has tools for improving photos: you can add brightness, improve the background, add inscriptions, and in general - revitalize the photo so that it sparkles with new colors!
photoshop
Professional and one of the most powerful graphic editors. Allows you to perform almost "any" editing and manipulation of photos / pictures.
True, it is worth noting that working with this program is quite "difficult" (especially for beginners). Even performing some simple functions requires some skill. Below I will look at several tools in Photoshop to solve our current task. (i.e. JPG weight reduction).
Changing the width, height of the picture
And so, to change the resolution of the picture in Photoshop, select the tool "Image / Image Size"(you can just press the keyboard shortcut Alt + Ctrl + I).
Pay attention to the tools presented on the left sidebar. Select the crop icon . Then you can move the frame from any edge of the picture (after pressing the Enter key, the picture will be cropped). An example is shown below.
About saving
Photoshop has several options for saving an image. I recommend paying attention to the "Save for Web" option (save for the network).
Further, using the side menu, you can adjust the parameters that directly affect the degree of image compression (you can select the quality in percentage, the number of colors, etc.). By the way, in the preview you can immediately evaluate the compression ratio and the size of the resulting file (see screenshot below).
Previews with file sizes depending on the degree of compression
In general, everything is quite convenient - you can adjust the photo to a specific size.
Conclusions:
- Photoshop is the most versatile tool for working with graphs. files (at the same time, quite complicated - not every beginner decides to deal with it for the sake of some simple actions);
- There are many options for compressing* a file (at the expense of quality reduction).
ACDSee
One of the most popular viewers! Allows you to view any media files (videos, photos, scans, etc.), edit them, create various collections, etc. In general, a very multifunctional program, including in relation to our question...
And so, after you have opened a photo, to change it, click "Editor"(see screenshot below).
Resize (clickable)
For example, if you click on "Resize" a submenu will appear on the left, prompting you to enter a new file width/height.
As for cropping (trimming the edges), it is performed similarly to the previous operation.
After all changes to the image have been made, go to the menu "File/Save As..." .
In general, after that you can save the picture. After simple manipulations (described above), my 2.2 MB photo began to weigh only 148 KB.
ACDSee - "before" processing, and "after"
Conclusions:
- it is convenient to work with the program: immediately while viewing a photo, you can select any of them and compress to the desired size;
- ACDSee also has all the most necessary tools for editing and processing JPG files;
- the program is quite friendly to novice users;
- minus: the program is paid (for some versions there is no crack).
Online Services
Pros: no need to install anything; you can work with them from any device; ease of operation; allow you to achieve max. compression without compromising image quality.
Cons: you need constant access to the Internet; you can’t upload private personal photos to the services (if you don’t want them to suddenly appear somewhere ...).
A simple and convenient service for photo compression. It is enough to upload the desired file, and in just a few seconds it will be compressed. In the menu on the left, you can manually adjust the quality of the output file, and immediately see how it will look on the preview. An example is below.
Similar service. According to my observations, it works a little faster. You can upload dozens of photos at once (multi-upload)
A very convenient and simple service for changing the width/height of JPG images/photos. After uploading the file, you just need to select a new size and click "Change". Next, a link to download the modified files will appear. Quick and easy!
Another similar service: after uploading a photo, you can manually specify the size in pixels you need and download the finished image. The service is very simple and convenient to use even from a smartphone (note: buttons and menus are large).
A very popular foreign service for compressing pictures and photos (it also supports PNG format, by the way). You can upload 20 files at the same time! After downloading - the service will automatically compress the files and present you with links to download them immediately. Please note that this service provides one of the best JPG compression rates!
(Update 17.10.18: compressing files in online mode was banned, offering to use their own special utility)
The JPEGmini service is distinguished primarily by the fact that even very large photos can be uploaded here (tens of MB, many other services generally give an error when uploading them). The compression ratio is quite high (although it loses to the same TinyJPG). By the way, before uploading, you can see a preview of the original / compressed photo in order to immediately assess how much compression affected the image quality.
Additions on the topic are always welcome...
Successful work!
