I'm probably missing something obvious here but something is mystifying me about CS2 (which I've only very recently upgraded to from PS 6). I tried this morning to create a thumbnail for uploading to 'rosity and as per usual picked my dimensions and compression ratio based on the expected file size shown in the "save as JPEG" dialog. Photoshop told me the file size was going to come in under 15K so I was happy I'd have my thumbnail but when I actually saved it the file size was about double that. And various attempts at higher compression rations and smaller sizes still left me over 15K.

Now, in the case of this image, I'd no reason to suppose it should need a big thumbnail and indeed it didn't. In the end I used XP paint to give me my 8K thumbnail.

It's as if photoshop is saving other stuff with the image (image information?). I never had this problem with PS6.

Anyone know what might be causing this bloat in the file size and whether there is any way I can cure it in future?

LOL..... Oh the circularity of photoshop.... did you tell it NOT to save a.... get this thumbnail? also, are you using jpeg, or jpeg2,(jpeg 2000)? one thing you might look at is what format you're using... each one controls the ultimate size of the file. Hope this helps, Lou.

"..... and that was when things got interestiing."

Is there a Save For Web feature in CS2? (I don't have it yet) Sometimes if you use that to save a jpg, it's way smaller than if you straight Save As a jpg file.

Hmmmm... I'm getting there now I think, but I'm not quite there yet! Thanks archdruid and aprilgem. I've spotted that there is a tick box against the JPEG on my save dialog box with "thumbnail" in it, so I reckon archdruids theory about PS saving a thumbnail with the thumbnail :-) is the right one. The only problem is that I can't uncheck it! The check box is enabled but greyed out and no comnination of the other options I seem to have control over affect it. It's a standard JPEG I want to save not a JPEG 2000. There is a SaveForWeb in CS2 aprilgem, and that does seem to work as an option for producing smaller files. So that is the way I'll do it from now on, I think, but I'm still curious about why I'm being forced into saving a thumbnail in the standard dialog box.

There is also the an "Optimize to File Size" in the "Save for Web" if CS2 is similar to CS.

"...why I'm being forced into saving a thumbnail in the standard dialog box".. In Preference>File Handling>Image Previews...change to either "Ask" or "Never" (default is always). In PS the "Save As" has never been a satisfactory way of saving Jpeg's from a size and quality standpoint. The "Save for Web" dialog does a much better job,and you will get exactly the file size you want. SWAMP(Chuck)

Maybe the exif remains in the file. The best way as already told is to use "save for web".

Message edited on: 12/09/2005 09:56