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( Important note: When I wrote this tutorial I had
forgotten that I had installed the Microsoft PowerToy, Image Resizer.
Installing the PowerToys, utilities developed by Microsoft programmers, is
always one of the first things that I do when I get a new computer or
update my operating system. They have some fantastic utilities developed
to help make the computing experience even better. You can find the
Microsoft PowerToys at the following address. I would suggest you check
out the complete list and see if there is something that would benefit
you. Be sure to read the disclaimer first, though. The page is:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
Thanks, and sorry for the mess up! Steve )
Special Note: If you have been able to resize your
pictures before but you can't resize them now in the Files and Folders
Task options because the resizing dialog box does not appear anymore, read
my tutorial on I Can't Resize My Pictures
For Email!
Resizing photos is easily
accomplished in Windows XP. There may be several reasons you need to
resize your photos, including building a web page or emailing. Emailing
photos is a very common task since everybody loves to share their special
photos with family and friends.
There are at least two methods of
resizing your pictures to send them in email. This can be done using
Windows XP, and without installing additional software. The process of
making files smaller for email use is called "Optimizing".
Method 1 - Make smaller copies and
send as attachment
In this method, you will be selecting
the pictures to resize and creating smaller copies of them. To use this
method, first go to the folder where your pictures are located and select
the ones you want to send:
Note that the total file size of the
three selected pictures is 331 KB. Now right click on the highlighted
files. You will get a pop up menu. Choose "Resize pictures".
You will now get another dialog box.
You will now get some options to choose from to resize your pictures. You
have three common sizes, and an option for handheld PC size. You can also
create a custom size.
For more options, click the
"Advanced >> button. For instance you can choose not to resize
pictures that are already the correct size. Another option is to resize
the originals and not make copies of them. I would not recommend this
option, as you may want to retain the originals in their original format
and size to use later. When you have selected your options, click
"OK" and your pictures will be resized.
And here is the result of the
resizing process. Now the total size of the three files is just 143 KB, a
difference of 188 KB.
Now that you have the optimized
files, I would suggest that you create a subfolder in that folder in which
to store the resized images. You won't have to resize the originals again
to that particular size. You will find that XP uses the same names as the
original, but it will place the size name in parenthesis. In the above
picture, you will see that (Small) is added to it. In the following
screenshot, you will see that (Medium) has been added as I have resized
the original using the medium setting.
Now you can open your email program
and attach the resized pictures as you normally would any attachment.
Method 2 - Attaching to Email
Directly from Windows Explorer
This second method allows you to send
pictures right to your email program from Windows Explorer. First, you
will need to navigate to the folder that contains the pictures. Then
highlight the ones that you want to send. As a side note here, you can
select multiple files by:
-
Dragging your cursor across a
group of files (will highlight adjacent files); or
-
By clicking the first one,
hold down the [Shift] key and then clicking on the last file (again
highlighting adjacent files); or
-
By holding down the [Ctrl] key
and clicking on each file you want to include (allows you to skip
files you do not want). In the following screenshot, I have skipped a
file to show this.
Now it is time to send them to your
email program. On the left side of your screen you should see some
options. Choose "Email the selected items" under the "File
and Folder Tasks" heading.
You will get a dialog box where you
can again select options. The screenshot below shows that "Make all
my pictures smaller" option is selected. Clicking on the "Show
more options…" link will expand the dialog box to include different
file sizes you can select. Clicking the "OK" button will start
the process of attaching your files to an email. It will open your default
email program and attach them to a new email. You will see a message that
your files have been attached and are ready to send. Fill in the rest of
the email information and send your email! (Use the "Keep the
original sizes" option if your pictures are already the correct
size.)
Article Copyright © February 2004 by
Steve Maurer, Steve Maurer Publications
3000 West Anne
Fayetteville, AR 72704
Email: steve@maurer.net
Website: http://steve.maurer.net |
