Resizing imagesResize images in Vista

For many of us traditional photo albums have been replaced by the zillions of photographs we transfer onto our computers from digital cameras. We’re still just as keen to share them with our family and friends - which is where email comes in handy.

Clogged inboxes

However, it’s not always a good idea to just attach a photo and hit send. Three megapixel cameras and above generate extremely large image files with high resolutions that may clog up the recipient’s inbox. Their inbox may have a size limit for example, or your email might be sent straight to your friend’s junk mail folder because of its large size.

Even if they can view the picture, it may be so large that they have to scroll up, down and across just to see the whole image.

Tip

You can also share photos online using a photo sharing website, where you can organise them into albums and invite friends to visit and view your snaps all in one place. See our recommended photo sharing sites for details.

Resizing images for email

If you do want to send photos via email, both Windows XP and Windows Vista (the latest version of Windows) feature handy tools that allow you to resize them for easy sending. This involves altering their resolution.

When emailing a picture, consider what the person receiving it wants to do with it before choosing an image size. Follow the steps below if you’re already using Windows Vista, or see 'Resizing in XP' for a Windows XP step-by-step.

1Select a picture

Open up the Windows Photo Gallery. Choose the picture you want to email and click Email at the top of the window.

2Select picture size

Choose the picture size you want from the drop-down menu. The 'smaller' size is fine if the recipient will only be looking at the photos on screen, while 'small' is suitable for printing photos sized 4x6-inches. Both 'medium' and 'large' are suitable for printing photos sized 5x7-inches. Once you've selected the size you'll see the estimated size of your attachment > Attach.