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Preview Export Selected Images only compresses first selected photo

Hi all. I've been a Mac user for years and have used this technique many times. We have four kids, so we have a lot of photos. I normally use preview to open a large batch of photos and then export them in a smaller size, about 1/3 of the original size, using the Export Selected Images function of Preview. This happens sporadically as I'm usually waiting for my wife to send the photos from her iPhone.


When I open multiple photos in preview, select them all, and then export selected images, Preview appears to work its magic as usual. The photos are all exported into the chosen folder. But when I check the files, only the first photo is smaller and the rest of them are the original size. They all export, but only the first photo compresses.


This happens on both my MacBook Pro and her MacBook running up-to-date macOS Monterey. Has anyone else encountered this issue? I prefer using the Preview method to compress images because it gives me more control with the quality slider, but the method is unusable if it will only compress one photo at a time.

MacBook Pro

Posted on Nov 5, 2022 1:34 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 6, 2022 6:05 PM

Hey there, and welcome to Apple Support Communities Ericwalker87,


We can certainly understand your concern and are here to help.


We recommend checking out these steps on how to compress, resize and flip images with Preview and see if it matches up with your procedures.


" Resize, rotate, or flip an image in Preview on Mac

You can resize or rotate an image opened in Preview to fit into a particular spot. You can also reduce the file size to save disk space or to download an image more quickly.

Change an image’s dimensions

  1. In the Preview app  on your Mac, click the Show Markup Toolbar button  (if the Markup toolbar isn’t showing), then click the Adjust Size button .
  2. Enter new values for width and height, or click the “Fit into” pop-up menu and choose a size.
    • Resize the image by a percentage: Choose “percent” from the pop-up menu next to the Width and Height fields, then enter the percentage in those fields.
    • Force the image to keep its original proportions: Select “Scale proportionally.” If you change either the width or height, the other value changes to maintain the proportions. If you choose a size from the “Fit into” pop-up menu, the image’s width or height may be smaller than the chosen size to maintain the proportions.
    • Make the image’s dimensions smaller without losing any detail: Deselect “Resample image” before changing the width or height.

Tip: To resize multiple images at the same time, display the images in the same window, select them in that window’s sidebar, then choose Tools > Adjust Size.

Rotate or flip an image

  1. In the Preview app  on your Mac, open the file you want to change.
  2. Do any of the following:
  • Rotate an image: Select the image, then click Rotate Left tool (or use the Touch Bar) to rotate the image to the left. Continue clicking to keep rotating.
    • To rotate the image to the right, press and hold the Option key and click Rotate Right tool until you’re done rotating the image.
    • Flip an image: Choose Tools > Flip Horizontal or Flip Vertical.

Tip: To rotate or flip multiple images at the same time, display the images in the same window, choose View > Thumbnails, select them in that window’s sidebar, then choose Tools > [Rotate or Flip].



Reduce an image’s file size

  1. In the Preview app  on your Mac, open the file you want to change.
  2. Choose Tools > Adjust Size, then select “Resample image.”
  3. Enter a smaller value in the Resolution field.
  4. The new size is shown at the bottom.

Tip: To reduce the file size of multiple images at the same time, display the images in the same window, select them in that window’s sidebar, then choose Tools > Adjust Size. "


For additional information, check out this link: Resize, rotate, or flip an image in Preview on Mac - Apple Support


Kindest regards!



Similar questions

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 6, 2022 6:05 PM in response to Ericwalker87

Hey there, and welcome to Apple Support Communities Ericwalker87,


We can certainly understand your concern and are here to help.


We recommend checking out these steps on how to compress, resize and flip images with Preview and see if it matches up with your procedures.


" Resize, rotate, or flip an image in Preview on Mac

You can resize or rotate an image opened in Preview to fit into a particular spot. You can also reduce the file size to save disk space or to download an image more quickly.

Change an image’s dimensions

  1. In the Preview app  on your Mac, click the Show Markup Toolbar button  (if the Markup toolbar isn’t showing), then click the Adjust Size button .
  2. Enter new values for width and height, or click the “Fit into” pop-up menu and choose a size.
    • Resize the image by a percentage: Choose “percent” from the pop-up menu next to the Width and Height fields, then enter the percentage in those fields.
    • Force the image to keep its original proportions: Select “Scale proportionally.” If you change either the width or height, the other value changes to maintain the proportions. If you choose a size from the “Fit into” pop-up menu, the image’s width or height may be smaller than the chosen size to maintain the proportions.
    • Make the image’s dimensions smaller without losing any detail: Deselect “Resample image” before changing the width or height.

Tip: To resize multiple images at the same time, display the images in the same window, select them in that window’s sidebar, then choose Tools > Adjust Size.

Rotate or flip an image

  1. In the Preview app  on your Mac, open the file you want to change.
  2. Do any of the following:
  • Rotate an image: Select the image, then click Rotate Left tool (or use the Touch Bar) to rotate the image to the left. Continue clicking to keep rotating.
    • To rotate the image to the right, press and hold the Option key and click Rotate Right tool until you’re done rotating the image.
    • Flip an image: Choose Tools > Flip Horizontal or Flip Vertical.

Tip: To rotate or flip multiple images at the same time, display the images in the same window, choose View > Thumbnails, select them in that window’s sidebar, then choose Tools > [Rotate or Flip].



Reduce an image’s file size

  1. In the Preview app  on your Mac, open the file you want to change.
  2. Choose Tools > Adjust Size, then select “Resample image.”
  3. Enter a smaller value in the Resolution field.
  4. The new size is shown at the bottom.

Tip: To reduce the file size of multiple images at the same time, display the images in the same window, select them in that window’s sidebar, then choose Tools > Adjust Size. "


For additional information, check out this link: Resize, rotate, or flip an image in Preview on Mac - Apple Support


Kindest regards!



Preview Export Selected Images only compresses first selected photo

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