File Size not Big Enough for Upload RAW images

[TokyoM1ke]

 

 

 

Original OP says there is no variation in size for RAWS on his camera. Mine also only does one size RAW.  Always 51.3. Never changes. I never do tiffs as I do almost all processing in ACR.

 

 

Nothing to do with RAW at all. Your image size will always be 51.3 regardless of whether it's saved as RAW, TIFF, JPEG or using Uncle Bob's proprietary file format. The RAW file itself will vary in size, just as others have said.

 

Alan

 

 

I"m confused. JPEG is never 51.3MB.  When does a RAW file size vary within one camera?  As mentioned before, mine only has one image size of 5184 x 3456 and quality size of 51.3MB. Can't lower the quality of a RAW like you can a JPEG. Do other cameras have quality sizes for RAWs?

 

Jill

 

 

The native pixel size does not change - that's fixed but the size on file in MB varies with the content of the RAW - more contrast/colours etc makes the raw bigger expressed in MB...typically not a large variation but easily several MB on similar subjects. The native size TIFF is always the same, as mentioned above.

 

I think the point is that there is nothing preventing RAW files from being compressed, so long as that compression is lossless. 

 

But this really is a long way away from the original question.

[MDM]

 

 

 

 

Original OP says there is no variation in size for RAWS on his camera. Mine also only does one size RAW.  Always 51.3. Never changes. I never do tiffs as I do almost all processing in ACR.

 

 

Nothing to do with RAW at all. Your image size will always be 51.3 regardless of whether it's saved as RAW, TIFF, JPEG or using Uncle Bob's proprietary file format. The RAW file itself will vary in size, just as others have said.

 

Alan

 

 

I"m confused. JPEG is never 51.3MB.  When does a RAW file size vary within one camera?  As mentioned before, mine only has one image size of 5184 x 3456 and quality size of 51.3MB. Can't lower the quality of a RAW like you can a JPEG. Do other cameras have quality sizes for RAWs?

 

Jill

 

 

The native pixel size does not change - that's fixed but the size on file in MB varies with the content of the RAW - more contrast/colours etc makes the raw bigger expressed in MB...typically not a large variation but easily several MB on similar subjects. The native size TIFF is always the same, as mentioned above.

 

I think the point is that there is nothing preventing RAW files from being compressed, so long as that compression is lossless. 

 

But this really is a long way away from the original question.

 

 

Actually some Nikon cameras offer 3 forms of raw image, uncompressed, lossless compressed and plain old compressed which presumably is some form of lossy compression. I've never used it but it's there. And yes all of this is irrelevant to the original question as is most of this thread.

[Jill Morgan]

 

 

 

Original OP says there is no variation in size for RAWS on his camera. Mine also only does one size RAW.  Always 51.3. Never changes. I never do tiffs as I do almost all processing in ACR.

 

 

Nothing to do with RAW at all. Your image size will always be 51.3 regardless of whether it's saved as RAW, TIFF, JPEG or using Uncle Bob's proprietary file format. The RAW file itself will vary in size, just as others have said.

 

Alan

 

 

I"m confused. JPEG is never 51.3MB.  When does a RAW file size vary within one camera?  As mentioned before, mine only has one image size of 5184 x 3456 and quality size of 51.3MB. Can't lower the quality of a RAW like you can a JPEG. Do other cameras have quality sizes for RAWs?

 

Jill

 

 

The native pixel size does not change - that's fixed but the size on file in MB varies with the content of the RAW - more contrast/colours etc makes the raw bigger expressed in MB...typically not a large variation but easily several MB on similar subjects. The native size TIFF is always the same, as mentioned above.

 

 

 

Why have I never seen this in my camera? I have hunted through and every one is 51.3MB no matter the content.

 

Jill

[Guest]

Hello, 

Apologies, I've found similar threads to this, it seems to be a common problem but I can't find a solution to mine! 

 

I shoot in RAW on a Nikon D5100 - this gives me RAW files between 15 - 18mb. On the D5100, if you shoot in RAW, you cannot choose the "size" of the image - i've looked to increase resolution but I can't find any other settings on the camera (and I assumed RAW files between 15-18mb would be big enough)

 

When I try process in CS5 and save as JPEG, some of the images just aren't big enough. I've tried to blow up the image and this doesn't always increase the file size sufficiently. This is when I have quality up full to 12. I usually edit them in camera RAW then go to CS5. If I open an image in CS5 without editing or resizing, the file size in the bottom left corner shows around 10 mb. Sometimes a resize will help with these pictures, but not all of them - why am I struggling so much with file size?! I've been banging my head against a brick wall for a while now, I'd really appreciate a little help, is it just something stupid I'm doing here?! 

 

Thanks, 

M.

 

Check the preferences of ACR for the size of file - there's a click link in the middle, just below the image window (I hope I remember this correctly - long time since I used CS5) - you want to be setting that to open the files from ACR at native file size. • 4928 x 3264 seems to be the native size. It should open to a 16bit TIFF which is about 90MB (I'll let someone else do the maths).

[Guest]

 

 

 

 

Original OP says there is no variation in size for RAWS on his camera. Mine also only does one size RAW.  Always 51.3. Never changes. I never do tiffs as I do almost all processing in ACR.

 

 

Nothing to do with RAW at all. Your image size will always be 51.3 regardless of whether it's saved as RAW, TIFF, JPEG or using Uncle Bob's proprietary file format. The RAW file itself will vary in size, just as others have said.

 

Alan

 

 

I"m confused. JPEG is never 51.3MB.  When does a RAW file size vary within one camera?  As mentioned before, mine only has one image size of 5184 x 3456 and quality size of 51.3MB. Can't lower the quality of a RAW like you can a JPEG. Do other cameras have quality sizes for RAWs?

 

Jill

 

 

The native pixel size does not change - that's fixed but the size on file in MB varies with the content of the RAW - more contrast/colours etc makes the raw bigger expressed in MB...typically not a large variation but easily several MB on similar subjects. The native size TIFF is always the same, as mentioned above.

 

 

 

Why have I never seen this in my camera? I have hunted through and every one is 51.3MB no matter the content.

 

Jill

 

Just right click on some raws in a folder and look at the properties...they will vary. You are talking about the size when open in Photoshop..... that's not the raw size on file.

[Jill Morgan]

 

 

 

 

 

Original OP says there is no variation in size for RAWS on his camera. Mine also only does one size RAW.  Always 51.3. Never changes. I never do tiffs as I do almost all processing in ACR.

 

 

Nothing to do with RAW at all. Your image size will always be 51.3 regardless of whether it's saved as RAW, TIFF, JPEG or using Uncle Bob's proprietary file format. The RAW file itself will vary in size, just as others have said.

 

Alan

 

 

I"m confused. JPEG is never 51.3MB.  When does a RAW file size vary within one camera?  As mentioned before, mine only has one image size of 5184 x 3456 and quality size of 51.3MB. Can't lower the quality of a RAW like you can a JPEG. Do other cameras have quality sizes for RAWs?

 

Jill

 

 

The native pixel size does not change - that's fixed but the size on file in MB varies with the content of the RAW - more contrast/colours etc makes the raw bigger expressed in MB...typically not a large variation but easily several MB on similar subjects. The native size TIFF is always the same, as mentioned above.

 

 

 

Why have I never seen this in my camera? I have hunted through and every one is 51.3MB no matter the content.

 

Jill

 

Just right click on some raws in a folder and look at the properties...they will vary. You are talking about the size when open in Photoshop..... that's not the raw size on file.

 

 

So I was talking about actual file size, and you guys are talking about compressed size in file. Okay, so I was off in the wrong direction. Thanks for the clarification. 

 

Jill

[MDM]

 

Hello, 

Apologies, I've found similar threads to this, it seems to be a common problem but I can't find a solution to mine! 

 

I shoot in RAW on a Nikon D5100 - this gives me RAW files between 15 - 18mb. On the D5100, if you shoot in RAW, you cannot choose the "size" of the image - i've looked to increase resolution but I can't find any other settings on the camera (and I assumed RAW files between 15-18mb would be big enough)

 

When I try process in CS5 and save as JPEG, some of the images just aren't big enough. I've tried to blow up the image and this doesn't always increase the file size sufficiently. This is when I have quality up full to 12. I usually edit them in camera RAW then go to CS5. If I open an image in CS5 without editing or resizing, the file size in the bottom left corner shows around 10 mb. Sometimes a resize will help with these pictures, but not all of them - why am I struggling so much with file size?! I've been banging my head against a brick wall for a while now, I'd really appreciate a little help, is it just something stupid I'm doing here?! 

 

Thanks, 

M.

 

Check the preferences of ACR for the size of file - there's a click link in the middle, just below the image window (I hope I remember this correctly - long time since I used CS5) - you want to be setting that to open the files from ACR at native file size. • 4928 x 3264 seems to be the native size. It should open to a 16bit TIFF which is about 90MB (I'll let someone else do the maths).

 

 

That is basically what I said in my first reply on this topic yesterday morning. The OP must be inadvertently downsizing in the raw conversion. All the other posts here are probably irrelevant to the question.

[Guest]

 

 

Hello, 

Apologies, I've found similar threads to this, it seems to be a common problem but I can't find a solution to mine! 

 

I shoot in RAW on a Nikon D5100 - this gives me RAW files between 15 - 18mb. On the D5100, if you shoot in RAW, you cannot choose the "size" of the image - i've looked to increase resolution but I can't find any other settings on the camera (and I assumed RAW files between 15-18mb would be big enough)

 

When I try process in CS5 and save as JPEG, some of the images just aren't big enough. I've tried to blow up the image and this doesn't always increase the file size sufficiently. This is when I have quality up full to 12. I usually edit them in camera RAW then go to CS5. If I open an image in CS5 without editing or resizing, the file size in the bottom left corner shows around 10 mb. Sometimes a resize will help with these pictures, but not all of them - why am I struggling so much with file size?! I've been banging my head against a brick wall for a while now, I'd really appreciate a little help, is it just something stupid I'm doing here?! 

 

Thanks, 

M.

 

Check the preferences of ACR for the size of file - there's a click link in the middle, just below the image window (I hope I remember this correctly - long time since I used CS5) - you want to be setting that to open the files from ACR at native file size. • 4928 x 3264 seems to be the native size. It should open to a 16bit TIFF which is about 90MB (I'll let someone else do the maths).

 

 

That is basically what I said in my first reply on this topic yesterday morning. The OP must be inadvertently downsizing in the raw conversion. All the other posts here are probably irrelevant to the question.

 

 

And a great reply it was as well....pity I hadn't read it.... my bad

 

In my defense I did search out the native file size for a Nikon camera which fundamentally goes against the grain...and yes, most replies to topics when they hit page two have long left the OP in the rear view mirror.

[MDM]

 

 

 

Hello, 

Apologies, I've found similar threads to this, it seems to be a common problem but I can't find a solution to mine! 

 

I shoot in RAW on a Nikon D5100 - this gives me RAW files between 15 - 18mb. On the D5100, if you shoot in RAW, you cannot choose the "size" of the image - i've looked to increase resolution but I can't find any other settings on the camera (and I assumed RAW files between 15-18mb would be big enough)

 

When I try process in CS5 and save as JPEG, some of the images just aren't big enough. I've tried to blow up the image and this doesn't always increase the file size sufficiently. This is when I have quality up full to 12. I usually edit them in camera RAW then go to CS5. If I open an image in CS5 without editing or resizing, the file size in the bottom left corner shows around 10 mb. Sometimes a resize will help with these pictures, but not all of them - why am I struggling so much with file size?! I've been banging my head against a brick wall for a while now, I'd really appreciate a little help, is it just something stupid I'm doing here?! 

 

Thanks, 

M.

 

Check the preferences of ACR for the size of file - there's a click link in the middle, just below the image window (I hope I remember this correctly - long time since I used CS5) - you want to be setting that to open the files from ACR at native file size. • 4928 x 3264 seems to be the native size. It should open to a 16bit TIFF which is about 90MB (I'll let someone else do the maths).

 

 

That is basically what I said in my first reply on this topic yesterday morning. The OP must be inadvertently downsizing in the raw conversion. All the other posts here are probably irrelevant to the question.

 

 

And a great reply it was as well....pity I hadn't read it.... my bad

 

In my defense I did search out the native file size for a Nikon camera which fundamentally goes against the grain...and yes, most replies to topics when they hit page two have long left the OP in the rear view mirror.

 

 

Thanks Geoff . Check out the manual for the D810 in your spare time for an array of raw options 14 or 12-bit, large (36MP) or small raw (9MP for news shooters I think), three compression modes and 4 image area choices. Not sure what qualifies as native but that is a lot of potential combinations.

[Inchiquin]

So I was talking about actual file size, and you guys are talking about compressed size in file. Okay, so I was off in the wrong direction. Thanks for the clarification. 

 

 

No, "actual file size" has no real meaning. There is an image size which is the number of pixels in the image, and there is a file size which is the number of bytes in the file. These are two completely different things and only ever have a mathematical relationship in an uncompressed file.

 

Think of a book. There is a fixed number of words in the book (equivalent to the image size), and there is a variable number of pages (equivalent to the file size) which will depend on the page size, the font size etc. So referring to an "actual book size" would be totally ambiguous. The same is true of an image.

 

Alan

[slevutt88]

This seems to be a different problem to the usual confusion over file size if, as you say, the document size at the bottom left in Photoshop is showing as 10Mb. That file is too small. My guess is that you are inadvertently decreasing the file size during the raw conversion. What raw converter are you using? If Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), then you need to check what conversion options you have set for size changes in the conversion by clicking at the bottom of the ACR dialog where it should say something like Adobe RGB (1998)..16 Bit....

 

Thank you so much! It was something so silly - as you said, the settings at the bottom, for some reason were set really low (like 3.2 MP) for some reason. I bumped them up and all sorted. Thank you very much and to everyone else for their help and suggestions. 

 

M.

[MDM]

 

This seems to be a different problem to the usual confusion over file size if, as you say, the document size at the bottom left in Photoshop is showing as 10Mb. That file is too small. My guess is that you are inadvertently decreasing the file size during the raw conversion. What raw converter are you using? If Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), then you need to check what conversion options you have set for size changes in the conversion by clicking at the bottom of the ACR dialog where it should say something like Adobe RGB (1998)..16 Bit....

 

Thank you so much! It was something so silly - as you said, the settings at the bottom, for some reason were set really low (like 3.2 MP) for some reason. I bumped them up and all sorted. Thank you very much and to everyone else for their help and suggestions. 

 

M.

 

No problem. I'm glad you came back to let us know. The key diagnostic feature was the 10Mb document size in Photoshop. You had to be downsizing somehow.

[Jill Morgan]

 

So I was talking about actual file size, and you guys are talking about compressed size in file. Okay, so I was off in the wrong direction. Thanks for the clarification. 

 

 

No, "actual file size" has no real meaning. There is an image size which is the number of pixels in the image, and there is a file size which is the number of bytes in the file. These are two completely different things and only ever have a mathematical relationship in an uncompressed file.

 

Think of a book. There is a fixed number of words in the book (equivalent to the image size), and there is a variable number of pages (equivalent to the file size) which will depend on the page size, the font size etc. So referring to an "actual book size" would be totally ambiguous. The same is true of an image.

 

Alan

 

 

 

That is what I was talking about and seem to be going around in circles. If my RAW image size is 51.3MB when open - always - never varies, when or where would I find different size in a RAW file? This is the point that has me confused. My RAW files are never any different, yet people are saying they can vary. Between cameras yes, and maybe even on the same camera if offered, but unless I change my ratio, the files are 51.3MB and I have no choice to change the quality, just the ratio, whcih, yes, would change to image size to the image size for that ratio.

 

Gonna get off the treadmill now.  

 

Jill

[spacecadet]

RAW doesn't necessarily mean uncompressed. The compression factor will depend on the detail in the file but it varies much less than for a jpeg.

My RAWs vary by only 0.1MB or so.

[Inchiquin]

That is what I was talking about and seem to be going around in circles. If my RAW image size is 51.3MB when open - always - never varies, when or where would I find different size in a RAW file?

 

 

You don't have a RAW image size. You have a RAW file size and an image size which are different. The latter is x pixels by y pixels, and can be contained in any type of file which is z bytes in size. RAW is just one of those file types which, as Mark says, may or may not be compressed, though I'm fairly certain that in all the cameras I've owned it has been compressed. The size of the file is determined by how many bytes are required to store the image. In an uncompressed file each pixel is stored in an identical way and so there is a direct relationship between the image size and the file size. For a compressed image there is no such relationship because the compression is entirely dependent on the content of the image.

 

A RAW file has a file size when stored on the disc and to see that size you need to examine the file in the folder that contains it. In Windows that means either right-clicking on the file and looking at its properties, or setting the folder view to include the file details. Don't ask me how to do it on a Mac. To find the image size, you remove the image from its container (i.e. the file), for example by loading it into Photoshop.

 

To summarise in six words: the file is not the image.

 

Alan

[MDM]

It would be much simpler to use the term pixel count (as in the typically quoted megapixel size referring to camera sensors) rather than image size. This also gets rid of any confusion about the pixel dimensions  (what Alamy call the "uncompressed file size" and seen in the Image SIze dialog box in Photoshop as well as the status bar mentioned by the OP), as this also depends on the bit depth - a 16-bit image will have twice the pixel dimensions of the same 8-bit image but the same pixel count. In most cases, it is pixel count that is important, including Alamy's minimum and maximum sizes for submission. However, I fear it is too late for any coherent and consistent terminology to be applied across the board.

[Inchiquin]

Over the eight years I've been reading this forum, this confusion has come up time and time and time again. I shudder to think how many hours have been spent writing and reading posts on this topic. Many times in the past I've suggested that the confusion would go away if Alamy stopped using the phrase "uncompressed file size". I gave up bothering long ago. I suspect that Alamy is staffed exclusively by people who have a good understanding of, and possibly background in, computer technology. However, the vast majority of computer users these days don't have (and don't need to have) either. They see a file as a document (maybe this is how it's described in manuals and literature). But it isn't. A file is a container for a document, nothing more, nothing less. It is completely analogous to a file in a filing cabinet, which contains documents but is not a document itself.

 

Alan

[wiskerke]

Megapixel is a very useful term. Most if not all people speak about cameras in megapixel terms: how much megapixel does yours have; how much megapixel does the new model have?

It is how printers instruct people about the quality needed for a good print: for this size you need at least that amount of pixels. Either as megapixels or as a list of minimum sizes of the sides.

It's easy to compute it: multiply the pixel count of the sides.

And it's very easy to explain: multiply the pixels of the sides.

 

wim

[Kelv]

Firstly please excuse my lack of knowledge, I don't have Photoshop or Lightbox but I'm having issues with a couple of images, when I try to upload them it states file size too small but when I check the data in iPhoto it says they are RAW 12.1 mb 2736 x 1824, I think they might have been cropped in a trial Photoshop " I didn't even understand the Dummies book "  as it states CS2 next to it...  any help or advice would be fab, I know I should get to grips with Lightroom and the like but I'm not tech savvy.

[MDM]

You are presumably cropping your images inadvertently but it's impossible to say from the info you give.

 

Looking at your images you are clearly a very good photographer and you are really doing yourself down by saying you are not tech savvy. If you can control a camera (you obviously can) you can learn the fundamentals of digital post-processing. It's not very difficult to acquire the basic knowledge required.

 

I would suggest you get to grips with Lightroom either by buying the standalone version or by subscribing to the photography Creative Cloud which also has Photoshop for less than £9 a month. The Scott Kelby Lightroom book or the Lightroom Queen book (google these) should get you up to speed in no time.

[DJ Myford]

2736 x 1824 x 3 Bytes ( r,g,b ) = 15 MB (ish) so yes, too small. This calculation must produce 17 MB minimum. I assume you weren't trying to send the raw file: it has to be jpeg.

[Kelv]

You are presumably cropping your images inadvertently but it's impossible to say from the info you give.

 

Looking at your images you are clearly a very good photographer and you are really doing yourself down by saying you are not tech savvy. If you can control a camera (you obviously can) you can learn the fundamentals of digital post-processing. It's not very difficult to acquire the basic knowledge required.

 

I would suggest you get to grips with Lightroom either by buying the standalone version or by subscribing to the photography Creative Cloud which also has Photoshop for less than £9 a month. The Scott Kelby Lightroom book or the Lightroom Queen book (google these) should get you up to speed in no time.

 

Thank you for the lovely compliment and being so quick replying, I know I have to get to grips with Lightroom it just seems so daunting. 

2736 x 1824 x 3 Bytes ( r,g,b ) = 15 MB (ish) so yes, too small. This calculation must produce 17 MB minimum. I assume you weren't trying to send the raw file: it has to be jpeg.

Thank you for the reply, I think I was sending the RAW, how do I change it to jpeg ? 

[spacecadet]

If you are sending Alamy a raw it will be rejected. You need to export a jpeg copy. We can't tell you how to do it because we don't know what software you are using.

[MDM]

 

You are presumably cropping your images inadvertently but it's impossible to say from the info you give.

 

Looking at your images you are clearly a very good photographer and you are really doing yourself down by saying you are not tech savvy. If you can control a camera (you obviously can) you can learn the fundamentals of digital post-processing. It's not very difficult to acquire the basic knowledge required.

 

I would suggest you get to grips with Lightroom either by buying the standalone version or by subscribing to the photography Creative Cloud which also has Photoshop for less than £9 a month. The Scott Kelby Lightroom book or the Lightroom Queen book (google these) should get you up to speed in no time.

 

Thank you for the lovely compliment and being so quick replying, I know I have to get to grips with Lightroom it just seems so daunting. 

 

 

You will be totally handicapped unless you learn the basics of digital imaging.

[Kelv]

 

 

You are presumably cropping your images inadvertently but it's impossible to say from the info you give.

 

Looking at your images you are clearly a very good photographer and you are really doing yourself down by saying you are not tech savvy. If you can control a camera (you obviously can) you can learn the fundamentals of digital post-processing. It's not very difficult to acquire the basic knowledge required.

 

I would suggest you get to grips with Lightroom either by buying the standalone version or by subscribing to the photography Creative Cloud which also has Photoshop for less than £9 a month. The Scott Kelby Lightroom book or the Lightroom Queen book (google these) should get you up to speed in no time.

 

Thank you for the lovely compliment and being so quick replying, I know I have to get to grips with Lightroom it just seems so daunting. 

 

 

You will be totally handicapped unless you learn the basics of digital imaging.

 

 

I know... thanks for advice.