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Getting an image under 300 KB
Many portals ask for a photo of a document, like an ID card, a utility bill or a receipt, under 300 KB. At this size a photographed page usually keeps 1600 pixels or more on its longest side, which keeps printed text readable.
We first try an optimised re-encode that leaves the pixels untouched. If that is not enough, we lower dimensions and JPEG quality together and stop at the first step that fits.
Tips
- Photograph documents flat, from straight above, in daylight. Shadows and a tilted page cost bytes and readability.
- Crop out the background around the document before uploading.
- Turn off night mode and HDR when photographing a page. Grain and tone shifts add bytes without making the text clearer.
Questions
My scanner saved the document as a TIFF or BMP. Will it fit under 300 KB?
It keeps its format. A TIFF is first re-saved with lossless compression, every pixel kept, since scanners often store it uncompressed. If that is not enough, it is reduced to 256 colours and then made smaller in pixels. A BMP has no compression, so only fewer colours and pixels shrink it. If nothing fits, you get the smallest file with a note.
Will a stamped or signed document turn black and white at 300 KB?
No. The JPEG steps lower only the pixel size and the quality setting, and the image is kept in full colour. Blue-ink signatures, coloured stamps and printed logos stay in colour.
How much detail does a 4 MB photo of a document keep at 300 KB?
If it lands on the 1600-pixel step, a 4000 x 3000 photo becomes 1600 x 1200: about 1.9 million of its 12 million pixels, at JPEG quality 65. A page that fills the frame gets most of those pixels for its text, where one surrounded by desk or floor wastes them.
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