File size of output jpg

I'm confused about the reported file size of JPGs created with Capture One. I wanted a 500 x 500 px version of a mugshot of myself to put on a website. I processed my RAW file in C1 with a square crop and an output size of 500 x 500. Finder reports the size of the resulting JPG as 646 KB (which seemed a lot to me for a JPG only 500 x 500). I also use Parallels on my Mac so I am able look at the same file in Windows, and Windows reports the size of the same file as only 70 KB, that is about one tenth of the size.

So first, I wonder why that is, and which is the "true" size of the file. (For instance what would it be seen as if I did add it to a website or attach it to an email).

Secondly, if I process the same raw file using other software (what I have available to me at the moment is Pixelmator and iPhoto) and again output as a 500 x 500 JPG, the file sizes reported in Finder are much smaller (74 KB and 49 KB respectively - the quality factors probably weren't the same) and Windows reports pretty much the same file sizes as Finder does (69 KB and 46 KB).

Can anyone explain, please? Is it that C1 adds a lot of metadata to the file that Finder counts in the file size and Windows doesn't? (And that the other applications don't add when they produce JPGs.)

Ian

Drew Altdo

31. Juli 2012 07:50

Ian,
Capture One has the ability to create a Thumbnail when you process the image. This makes it possible for the icon in Finder to be a small thumbnail and speeds up the preview process in other softwares. However, at the size you're processing, the thumbnail is much, much larger than the processed file. So, the actual file is something like 70kb but the thumbnail is 600kb.

Simply un-check the option on the Process Recipe to "Create thumbnails on save" to get the file alone at the smaller size.

Ian Wilson

Moderator

31. Juli 2012 16:56

Thanks, Drew. I'll try that.

Ian

1. August 2012 20:58

OK - that did it. 71 KB as opposed to 646 KB. Mystery solved.

Thanks. 😄

Ian

Kommentare