Most photos taken by cameras and phones are way too big to post on the forum, so it is necessary to reduce their original size to 30% or less. At that size they are still perfectly usable and details are still clear. In fact, most photos cannot be viewed in their full resolution on most computer monitors or TV screens (unless they are really high-end), so reducing the size (and resolution) has little impact on their quality, unless you intend to print them.
I can describe a quick and easy method of reducing photos on Windows PC. I'd be grateful if someone else can do the same for Macs as I don't use them. There may be apps on phones that can do this too, but I do not use them either.
You may wish to use the following procedure on a copy of the photo so that you retain the original photo with its original size and detail. If you want to use a copy, just click on a photo, use Ctrl-C then Ctrl-V. A new file will be produced and you can use that one to practice on.
Resizing photos
On a Windows PC, right-click the photo and then click Edit. This will load the photo in Paint.
Select Resize near the top-left. A dialogue is shown. Ensure that "By Percentage" is selected and "Maintain aspect ratio" is ticked.
Now change the Horizontal value from 100 to somewhere between 20 and 30 - the Vertical value should automatically change to the same value.
Now click Ok.
If you don't like the new size of the photo, use Ctrl-Z to undo the change, then select Resize again and try a different value.
Save the image using Ctrl-S and close Paint.
This will reduce the size of the file considerably, and hopefully allow you to add it to the forum. If not, you may need to reduce the size a little more.
Cropping photos
If you have a photo with lots of unwanted space around the subject, you can crop it to reduce the file size. This is actually best done before you resize the photo - it is only necessary to resize the photo if it still too big after cropping.
Load the photo into Paint again.
Press Ctrl-A to select everything in the image and then use your mouse to drag the image upwards and to the left to reduce the margins on those sides.
Click outside the borders of the moved area to fix its position.
Now go to the lower-right of the photo where you'll see a tiny white square. You might need to use the scroll bars on the right and bottom to find the lower-right corner of the image.
When you mouse pointer moves over the tiny white square, it will change to a double-headed arrow. Hold down your mouse button and drag the corner of the photo up and to the left to eliminate any unwanted space in the image.
Save the photo.
These edits are very quick and simple once they have been practiced a few times. Resizing and cropping can often be achieved in less than a minute.
Posting photos on the forum
Above the space where you type text to add a message, there is a small icon that looks like a small landscape photo (It is the the left of the smiley face). A small message "Insert image(Ctrl-P)" will be shown when you move your mouse pointer over it. Click it and a box will be displayed that says "Insert image". Drag and drop your photo into this box, or you can click it where a dialogue will be shown that allows you to browse to the folder that contains your photo. Double-click your photo to add it.
I can describe a quick and easy method of reducing photos on Windows PC. I'd be grateful if someone else can do the same for Macs as I don't use them. There may be apps on phones that can do this too, but I do not use them either.
You may wish to use the following procedure on a copy of the photo so that you retain the original photo with its original size and detail. If you want to use a copy, just click on a photo, use Ctrl-C then Ctrl-V. A new file will be produced and you can use that one to practice on.
Resizing photos
On a Windows PC, right-click the photo and then click Edit. This will load the photo in Paint.
Select Resize near the top-left. A dialogue is shown. Ensure that "By Percentage" is selected and "Maintain aspect ratio" is ticked.
Now change the Horizontal value from 100 to somewhere between 20 and 30 - the Vertical value should automatically change to the same value.
Now click Ok.
If you don't like the new size of the photo, use Ctrl-Z to undo the change, then select Resize again and try a different value.
Save the image using Ctrl-S and close Paint.
This will reduce the size of the file considerably, and hopefully allow you to add it to the forum. If not, you may need to reduce the size a little more.
Cropping photos
If you have a photo with lots of unwanted space around the subject, you can crop it to reduce the file size. This is actually best done before you resize the photo - it is only necessary to resize the photo if it still too big after cropping.
Load the photo into Paint again.
Press Ctrl-A to select everything in the image and then use your mouse to drag the image upwards and to the left to reduce the margins on those sides.
Click outside the borders of the moved area to fix its position.
Now go to the lower-right of the photo where you'll see a tiny white square. You might need to use the scroll bars on the right and bottom to find the lower-right corner of the image.
When you mouse pointer moves over the tiny white square, it will change to a double-headed arrow. Hold down your mouse button and drag the corner of the photo up and to the left to eliminate any unwanted space in the image.
Save the photo.
These edits are very quick and simple once they have been practiced a few times. Resizing and cropping can often be achieved in less than a minute.
Posting photos on the forum
Above the space where you type text to add a message, there is a small icon that looks like a small landscape photo (It is the the left of the smiley face). A small message "Insert image(Ctrl-P)" will be shown when you move your mouse pointer over it. Click it and a box will be displayed that says "Insert image". Drag and drop your photo into this box, or you can click it where a dialogue will be shown that allows you to browse to the folder that contains your photo. Double-click your photo to add it.