Digital piccies - losing resolution
 

After downloading images from the camera using the supplied software (Canon Zoom Browser EX), I need to modify some of the images (crop, focus, contrast) . I use Ulead Photo Explorer.

When I check the new image file size, I find it has gone down quite a lot, eg 1.5Mp can become 500Mp.

Nowhere can I find an option to maintain image quality. My workaround is to convert all images to .bmp, do the modifications and then reconvert the whole lot back to jpg. What a fandangle that is!

A mate warned me that with some programs, if you display a jpg image on your puter and then save it as a new file name, the puter does another jpg-type compression operation and reduces the file size again, with loss of resolution..... and so on

Q1 can this happen?

Q2 Is it the case that most freeware image-manipulating programs do not warn you about this or explain how to avoid it? .

BTW, I am not referring here to the email image type function where you deliberately shrink images and file sizes.

windy1,

Usually you want the best jpg compression you can get in order to reduce the size of photos.

If you want full quality, I would shoot the pix in tiff format and edit them in that format. You will get the highest quality without anything lost due to compression. ;)

Take Care,

Richard