Hey you know anything about digital photo editing? I got a new Olympus D560 Zoom. I still have the D460 Zoom, but not using it anymore. With the new one I'm using SHQ and taking shots around 1.5 MB. I'm doing what Dad showed me to do. I'm using Microsoft Photo Editor 3.01 to bring up the shot. Then I use MSPE and click image, autobalance. Then save the jpeg to a folder. The result is a photo that is about 1/4 the file. You can't tell the difference in the photos. I'm archiving the original shots on CD's for printing or more editing. Dad has two archives and uses the ones that he's autobalanced for emailing and burning CD's to send to relatives, etc. Some older computers may have trouble bringing up the 1.8 MB per photo CD. I'm wondering how MSPE does this? Dad said that it is supposed to reduce the unimportant pixels. Hmm. T

The smaller image size could be that MSPE is reducing the image resolution, the number of pixels per inch (ppi) or pixels per centimeter in images, from whatever resolution your Olympus uses. MSPE probably saves the adjusted image to 72 ppi which is the maximum number of viewable pixels a monitor can usually render and thus makes the image smaller in KBs.

MSPE does this, as do all photo/bitmap editors, by removing pixels that are not essential to the overall image quality. MSPE does this automatically with a single algothythm to make things simple for people who don't want to take the time to learn a program such as Ulead Smartsaver Pro, for example. Advanced programs allow you to decrease file sizes a little at a time and view the result each time; this is especially important if preparing GIFs or JPEGs for uploading to a website. File sizes must be small in order to have fast loading times, including sending thru the email. Ever had to download a 4 meg graphic a buddy sent you using a 28K modem dial-up?? Be aware that, while these may look fine on your monitor, you will be bitterly disappointed when you print them out. They will lose color and definition because of the small file size and lack of color depth. So once they are downsized, they are not good for printing. So you are wise in keeping your originals.

ranchhand is correct in stating the smaller file size (72 ppi) is unsuitable for printing. For printing, image resolution should be between 200-300 ppi, and PPI is not to be confused with a printer's DPI.