Why is Pricescope squashing my images?

[Smith1942]

OK, so I noticed this when I posted some pictures of my book collection on Pricescope the other day, and thought it was a one-off. But I just tried to post something in SMTB and it still happens.

My photos are nice high-res 1-2 MB and always have been. But now, for some reason, Pricescope is squishing them right down to 150KB-ish when they upload.This is very low-resolution and creates bad images, even though they are high-res on my computer.

I don't want to post anything until it's fixed as the low-quality images are making my items look bad.

Does anyone know why Pricescope would suddenly take it upon itself to reduce the resolution of my images so drastically? I can't seem to fix it. I looked in the sticky about how to take better photos, but there's nothing about this particular pitfall of uploading, and I can't seem to find the FAQs.

Thanks!

 

[Smith1942]

I just switched the settings on my camera and took some more images of 400kb. When I uploaded them, Pricescope STILL converted them to 150KB.

 

[kenny]

Perhaps so they upload more quickly, save money on bandwidth, or fit on tiny iPhone screens???

This drives me crazy too.
I like high resolution pics, which is why I spend a fortune on fancy cameras and lenses.

When I see my pics on PS they are so disappointing, technically.
Compared to seeing the full sized and full resolution pics it is like they were taken with a 1968 Kodak Instamatic camera with those tiny negatives.



Plus, PS won't even allow links to externally hosted pics which can be ultra-high resolution.

Years ago high quality was valued.
For a hundred years audio quality of consumer audio equipment and formats steadily improved and peaked with the CD.
Then with the Internet and MP3s audio quality suddenly declined in favor of faster downloading and taking up less memory.

Sometimes technology means a race to the bottom.

 

[Smith1942]

I dunno, Kenny. It's weird and very sudden - PS never used to squish my photos right down to low-res. I'm using a clunky old General Electric point and shoot on a desktop monitor, so no fancy tiny i-whatsit here.

My husband took the camera travelling and I think he must have changed the settings. I'm experimenting. The Cartier photos I took recently were converted to about 280kb, which is still better than this 150kb that PS is currently coming up with. Very strange.

 

[kenny]

One thing that's better here at PS ... they used to require each pic you upload was 2 MB or less.
Now I don't have to downsize them to under 2 MB.

Yes, they still look like crap, but at least I save a step.

I remember mentioning this subject to Andrey in Vegas and I think he said something bout images fitting in iPhones.
Again ... a race to the bottom.

I don't have a smartphone so I don't know, but can't they just make the pic smaller by pinching and squeezing or something.
I say optimize pics for people with a 15" screen or larger and let those small-screen people jump in a lake ... but I'm not running PS.

 

[Smith1942]

Small screens drive me mad.

Race to the bottom - I like it! So true.

I've managed to put my pics up on SMTB and I'm happy with them. But that's on a 15-inch screen. God knows what they look like on an i-whatsit. (Can you tell how technological I am?)