Reducing image size in Numbers

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Level 1

4 points

Reducing image size in Numbers

I use Numbers for all sorts of things it wasn't intended for and I love it! The not-so-obvious drawing tools are great and I designed our entire renovations using a combinations of photos (prepared in Preview) and overlaid drawings. My problem is how to deal with the blow out in image size when copied into Numbers. I'm helping my granddaughter make a photo collage at the moment and experimented more carefully to see what actually goes on. I reduced a photo to 802K on Preview, copied it on to a new blank Numbers doc, closed it and the doc size is 4.1MB. Copied it from Numbers back into Preview and Tools shows it to be 4.2Mb, but doesn't say what format it is till I save it, when its default save is JPEG, suggested setting 799k to max 1.6Mb. If I select PNG in this dialog box, then it would be 4.2MB, so it would seem that is how Numbers is saving it. TIFF shows 11MB, so it's not that. Is there anyway to stop this conversion?

iMac 27″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Mar 9, 2024 1:23 PM

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Answer 1

janiemt Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 9, 2024 4:44 PM in response to Badunit

Thanks so much for trying all that. I've noticed when I edit photos in Preview, it sometimes asks for permission to convert it to PNG. I hadn't taken the time to work out the conditions when this happens so after getting your reply, I did a few more tests. It seems to be when using 'Copy subject' (rather than Copy image) or deleting a background using the Instant alpha tool. Looked up PNG and it seems to make sense with the description of this format. Also noticed the PNG size matches the inflated size in Numbers. I've been doing quite a bit of this, so I reckon that's what's been causing the problem. I was a bit haphazard with grabbing cut-outs before saving them so it was all a bit hit and miss, but I think I now have the answer! Funny how whenever I try to take shortcuts (often!) it backfires on me!! I'll be more methodical now.

Once again, thank you for the effort you went to to try to sort this out. Much appreciated!

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Answer 2

Badunit

Level 7

31,142 points

Mar 9, 2024 3:43 PM in response to janiemt

You can use File->Reduce File Size to reduce image resolution to better match the size they are in Numbers but this kills the resolution permanently.

I'm not able to duplicate your problem, so far at least. I dragged a 1.1MB jpg to Numbers, saved, and the file size grew by about 1.1MB. I dragged a 600KB jpg onto the sheet, saved, and the file grew by about 600KB. When I started messing with saturation and exposure the file increased in size by another 1MB but nowhere near 4MB. I copied the larger of the two images and created a new Preview document from it. As a PNG it said it would save at 4.1MB, so that part is the same as what you said.

I started another Numbers document with the same 1st photo but first I opened the image in Preview and reduced the size by 50%. It became 300KB image after going through Preview. The Numbers file grew by about 400KB when I dragged it in.

Am I doing something different from you?

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Reducing image size in Numbers

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