Dimensions Changing When I Transfer Photos: I have a photo on my computer that measures 6000 X 4000, size 10.2 MB. The same photo when transferred to either a travel drive or to my...

MaryFran Loc: Front Royal, VA

I have a photo on my computer that measures 6000 X 4000, size 10.2 MB. The same photo when transferred to either a travel drive or to my solid state external hard drive, only measures 1024 X 683, size 262KB. When I move the photo back to my computer, first to the desk top and then share it to Photo, it is only 1024 X 683, size 262 KB. Does anybody know why it does this? Why doesn't it come back to its original size? I don't want to move anything off the computer if this is what is going to happen to the photos. How is that change going to affect photos that I want to make into notecards later? I can't keep everything on the computer. Thanks.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Look at the tool being used to make this transfer. Apple software and / or email tools are notorious for resizing image files. You should be using the computer's operating system to copy the files between drives.

LarryFB Loc: Depends where our RV is parked

MaryFran wrote:

I have a photo on my computer that measures 6000 X... (show quote)

More information is needed. How are you transferring the photo? That info would really help!

MaryFran Loc: Front Royal, VA

CHG_CANON wrote:

Look at the tool being used to make this transfer. Apple software and / or email tools are notorious for resizing image files. You should be using the computer's operating system to copy the files between drives.

I don't know how to do that---"use the computer's operating system to copy files between drives". And, it's too late to do that for all the ones I have transferred already.

MaryFran Loc: Front Royal, VA

I just click on the photo and drag it.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

We're not there to physically help. So, what specific computer did the images start from? What type of external drive were they 'copied' onto? How did you copy the files? If you don't have access to the original files at this point, there's not much you can do further until you get home.

User ID

MaryFran wrote:

I have a photo on my computer that measures 6000 X... (show quote)

Never *move* stuff, only copy it to an additional location.

Until you learn the ropes, don’t even copy the original file to that additional location. FIRST copy the file to its current location, adding “copy” to the new file’s name.

Confirm that the new copy is full size etc. now, NEVER move, alter, rename, etc that *original* file. Use only the identical copy. You can make five or fifty identical copies as your “security blanket” until you learn to walk, run, jump hurdles, etc etc.

MaryFran Loc: Front Royal, VA

CHG_CANON wrote:

We're not there to physically help. So, what specific computer did the images start from? What type of external drive were they 'copied' onto? How did you copy the files? If you don't have access to the original files at this point, there's not much you can do further until you get home.

It's an apple computer, with Mac OS High Sierra. I have a Seagate SSD. All I did was click on the photo I wanted to move and dragged it onto the SSD.

MaryFran Loc: Front Royal, VA

User ID wrote:

Never *move* stuff, only copy it to an additional ... (show quote)

I don't know how to "copy" things. i don't see that as an option on Apple Photos.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

MaryFran wrote:

I don't know how to do that---"use the computer's operating system to copy files between drives". And, it's too late to do that for all the ones I have transferred already.

OK,
1. PC or Mac?
2. What software? Straight from the disk or through something like Lightroom or Photoshop?
3. Did you do a "copy" or a "move" or "export"?

In most photo apps when you "export" it has a setting for the dimensions of the export - my Lightroom Classic is set to export with the long side 2048 pixels at 72 pixels per inch for posting on line here at UHH and other sites.

When I put in a new larger hard drive to store photos I did a "clone" using Acronis backup/cloning software and it duplicated all my files on the new drive just the same as they were on the old drive. And the old drive still had all of them until I formatted it before removing it.

MaryFran Loc: Front Royal, VA

"until I get home"? I am at home. After I moved the photos to these other devices, I deleted the photos from my computer. So, the original is no longer. I had no idea there was a correct way to do these operations. I have deleted over 35,000 pictures. Have another 32,000 to go.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

MaryFran wrote:

It's an apple computer, with Mac OS High Sierra. I have a Seagate SSD. All I did was click on the photo I wanted to move and dragged it onto the SSD.

What you've described shouldn't have changed the file size / pixel resolution. As noted earlier, you shouldn't be moving images, certainly not to a 'work' drive from your main computer. You should be copying the original onto a working 'copy' drive. I'm not an Apple user to have the properly terms, but when you 'click' the photo, how were you viewing time? As a list of files / icons or directly list? Or, in something else?

You also should have back-up copies of your relevant images. If this 'work drive' was to create a back-up copy, again, the process much be copy rather than move. But, from your back-up, you should be able to recover these images.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

MaryFran wrote:

"until I get home"? I am at home. After I moved the photos to these other devices, I deleted the photos from my computer. So, the original is no longer. I had no idea there was a correct way to do these operations. I have deleted over 35,000 pictures. Have another 32,000 to go.

We can't parachute from an online message board into the middle of your problem and undo destructive actions you've already taken. You probably should stop and ask yourself what exactly you're trying to accomplish and determine that you're doing exactly what you want to be doing, understanding all the potential issues, especially when 'deleting' images from the source.

MaryFran Loc: Front Royal, VA

robertjerl wrote:

OK, br 1. PC or Mac? br 2. What software? Strai... (show quote)

Mac. I guess it's straight from the computer to the external device. Don't have Lightroom or Photoshop or anything like that. Only the Photo that comes on the Mac. I am not "exporting", I am just dragging the photo over. I am not trying to move the entire library over. I am organizing my photos into other files on the external drives. For instance, I am finding all of the photos I have taken over the years in Washington, VA, and putting them together into a new file on the external drive.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

MaryFran wrote:

Mac. I guess it's straight from the computer to th... (show quote)

If you mean the Apple software 'Photo', that is probably the software causing the problem. Certainly sounds like behavior others have encountered. You should be using the Mac operating system and whatever they call a 'folder browser' to open the folder and copy the files from that Window. Someone with more Apple experience will have to explain with precise Apple terms.