Exported jpg is larger than original. What am I doing wrong?

[Urkel]

Very Newbie Question so please be gentle:

I want to put my library of edited lightroom photos on my wifes computer so I'm exporting them all. But the problem is that my exported jpgs are much larger in file size than the original and I don't understand why. (My folder of originals will take 1.2GB of space but my exported folder is 2.9GB)

I have played with various export settings in order to keep the file sizes similar but the settings I end up with is 8'% quality and 18'' length of longest size. And that's really not what I'm after.

So what am I doing wrong? I know HDD space is cheap nowadays but if there's a trick or formula I should be following to get similar size/quality as the original then I figure I should learn it now because all those extra gigs will add up quick.

 

[parintele]

I suppose Original files are also Jpeg's, right?
First, why do you want to export files? You should do that only if you want to "use"those photos. (send to some friends, have a simple duplicate form which you view, post on internet, etc...)
Otherways you do not need to export them but rather copy your catalog and library onto a different computer...this way you can use the other computer the same as your own for viewing and export only when u need those final jpegs for whatever purpose.

Anyway, that does not matter too much, let's say you need those final Jpegs.
The reason exported jpegs are bigger could be explained by the fact that Jpeg is a compressed image file...the compression vary by the algorhitm used and parameters used ("quality").
WOrking with already compressed files, that meaning a form in which some data is compressed and some partial data is lost (some of the colors for example), when re-compressing using different algorhitm or different "quality" setup the filesize can increase..

Usually camera compression is more "efficient" so to speak, even if u have the same copression method available, you can not appreciate what is that optimum for a certain file..


imagine by compression, 1' tones of red are aproximated to just 2 and then u will have something like 4xa+6xb, it takes less space inside the file compared to writing 1' different tones of red.
when re-compressing using a more "accurate" algorhitm, using 2 tones instead of 2, your file will look like this: 4xa+6xb+'xc
obviously this file will contain more data resulting increased filesize.

this is a very simple example, compression of an image is much more complicated but still the principle can be applied.


Basically, your settings rearding quality and/or the algorithm used by the application demand more filesize because either quality parameter is more than neededm that mean extra information is not there but still that "'xc" take some space or the compression algorhitm itself is not as "good" as the one camera uses....

Try using 6'%, probably the loss of quality will not be significant and the filesize will drop to meet your expectations. If those files are just for viewing and web sharing everything will be fine.
WARNING: Keep your originals and your library.
If is possible just use also LR and copy your library and catalog on the second computer.

This is a big issue with jpegs, they are compreseed files and every time u modify and save you tke the chance of increased filesize or loss of quality "thanks" to this jpeg compression related issues.
LR is a great tool because it does not work directly on to the file, you do not need to save every time you modify, it creates a sidecar file containing the parameters you modified and keep the original intact, so eliminate this risk of loosing quality every time you modify something.

 

[Kiwigeoff]

Under "File Settings" in the export menu select original and away you go, the size should be the same.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

I want to put my library of edited lightroom photos on my wifes computer so I'm exporting them all.

Hi Urkel, welcome to the forum!

I think we're probably talking at cross-purposes here. Geoff's suggestion of using 'original' would give you the unedited images, which I'm guessing is not the point of the exercise, is that right?

Do I assume this is something along the lines of family/holiday pictures and your wife wants to be able to look at them on her own computer, or use them as a screensaver, something like that?

Certain things affect jpeg file size - particularly sharpening and noise. What size were the originals roughly - individually, I mean? Very compressed originals won't compress as well second time round, so that *may* explain the size jump you're seeing.

Either way, you can look at a few things - increase the noise reduction settings in Develop module, don't apply additional sharpening (although, that's probably not a trade-off you'll want to make), leave the file longest edge as it is, but perhaps drop the quality further - have a play in the region of 65 and see if you notice a visible difference. As long as you're not deleting your originals, you can always reexport a less compressed version for a particular purpose (i.e. printing).

 

[Urkel]

Thanks for the responses. As a beginning photographer then i rely on Lightroom for everything from minor straightening to major whitebalance corrections. I'm keeping all originals because I realize the importance of that, but for my wife I want her to have a nice set of "presentable" photos that are similar in dimension and filesize to the original.

The reason I want to get these exports right is because my wife is tossing them all into iPhoto for face/place tagging. And if you've ever tried that then it's a tedious process that I don't want her to repeat because I did the file size wrong. And with iPhoto, the more you load it with big files the more it runs like molasses.

Anyway, thanks for the tips. I'll mess with the quality a bit more and try to find a sweet spot.