In order to have a skin that can be used online it need to be 400 kb. How do you keep it at that size 'cause my skin(s) keep going over.

What size are you doing them? 1280 x 1280 comes out quite big. 1024 x 1024 doesen't seem to be larger than 400kb, unless there is ALOT of colours.

ever heard of a thing called jpeg compression?

i use 1024x1024 here is a cmx of a skin:
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f392/11011/bf11.jpg
should i flatten it in photoshop or something?

how do i compress it?

THAT is over 400kb???

Compress it, have like 98% quality or something, you won't notice anything.

post the skin and ill compress it for you

me dad showed me how to compress. so, this thread is closed.

In Photoshop just save it and make the quality a little lower. Dont tell me youre still using the best graphic program ever made?

even better: in photoshop: - use "save for web"
-there you can adjust the level of compression much closer to the 400kb limit.

Quote from Kajojek(PL) :

In Photoshop just save it and make the quality a little lower. Dont tell me youre still using the best graphic program ever made?

nope, i swiched over to photoshop from paint.

show the actual skin file to us; not full size, just a little thumbnail will do; that way we can point out what is giving such a large size

here it is, was 3 mb before it was compressed.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f392/11011/BF1_RappaZ.jpg

97.7 Kb, that took all of 5 seconds

okay, that makes sense why its so large filesize wise

this is what you need to do... get rid of that black mask, it has alot of edges on it, and that takes up alot of space, if its just solid colors, it will shatter the skin's size, so just delete that black mask, and the blockier the colors you have, the lower the filesize (well.. the larger the blocks), soft edges increase filesize because that just adds that many more colors it has to save

ok.

That may be something... But still... I can really not see how that file could have been 3MB... I've done skins with more colors, details, and at 2048x2048, saving it as 100% quality jpeg, and gave no more than 1MB... heh.

Quote from Rappa Z :

here it is, was 3 mb before it was compressed.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f392/11011/BF1_RappaZ.jpg

But that's only 0.3MB!

:chairfall

Quote from wheel4hummer :

But that's only 0.3MB!

it's the compressed version.

i have no idea how it was 3 mb bbeforew it was compressed.

Quote from XCNuse :

okay, that makes sense why its so large filesize wise

this is what you need to do... get rid of that black mask, it has alot of edges on it, and that takes up alot of space, if its just solid colors, it will shatter the skin's size, so just delete that black mask, and the blockier the colors you have, the lower the filesize (well.. the larger the blocks), soft edges increase filesize because that just adds that many more colors it has to save

The black mask should reduce file size, not increase it. The mask actually reduces the number of edges around your edited work and as well it provides a large block of solid colour instead of hundreds of shades of grey present on the unmappable areas of the skin. When you paint or add objects to your skin you are creating many edges, the mask can tidy up the borders of your work effectively reducing the edged area. Having many colours or hues around the actual edge of the JPG can also lead to a slightly larger file, but if the entire perimeter is one solid colour (masked) there should be a saving of several KBs. It won't hurt to try though, paint your skin and save it. Now add a mask to the same skin and save that. If the masked version is smaller then it was probably worth using the mask.

Quote from Jakg :

ever heard of a thing called jpeg compression?

Stop being a sarcastic, patronising cock.

Quote from bahrain :

Stop being a sarcastic, patronising cock.

ok.... that was a serious question, and it appears (from the 3mb image) that he hadnt

i hadn't heard of jpeg compression(that is true)