# Shrinking digital pics for e-mail
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrinking-digital-pics-for-e-mail/259661
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 13, 2004, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrinking-digital-pics-for-e-mail/259661 "2004-08-13T05:28:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2004, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrinking-digital-pics-for-e-mail/259661/1 "2004-08-13T05:28:49Z")
Hi.
Using just ordinary Windows software, is there a convenient way to shrink digi-pics before one sends them via e-mail? Thanks for your help.
---
### Author:  [@tadc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tadc)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2004, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrinking-digital-pics-for-e-mail/259661/2 "2004-08-13T05:36:20Z")
> [@Aeschines](#):
>
> Hi.
>
> Using just ordinary Windows software, is there a convenient way to shrink digi-pics before one sends them via e-mail? Thanks for your help.
Any number of free/shareware programs will allow you to resize digital pics. I don’t think any “stock” windows software will do it, though.
Try [download.com](http://download.com).
---
### Author:  [@Leonard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leonard)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2004, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrinking-digital-pics-for-e-mail/259661/3 "2004-08-13T06:51:25Z")
I believe you can do it with MS Paint. Just go to Image\>Stretch/Skew. Although I don’t remember what all formats Paint works with.
---
### Author:  [@Leonard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leonard)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2004, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrinking-digital-pics-for-e-mail/259661/4 "2004-08-13T06:53:56Z")
If not Paint, then seems like the freebie I liked the most was Irfanview. A better freebie may be around now though. Haven’t checked in a while.
---
### Author:  [@pilot141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pilot141)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2004, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrinking-digital-pics-for-e-mail/259661/5 "2004-08-13T10:32:42Z")
I recommend Irfanview as well, but if you want the Super-easy way to do it:
Right click on the photo you want to send. (I assume it’s saved on your hard drive somewhere).
Anyway, right click on the picture and then click “Send to \>” and “Mail recipient”.
Windows will then prompt you about resizing your photo. Click “OK” and your picture will be auto-magically resized. It even opens up your e-mail program with the resized picture as an attachment.
---
### Author:  [@capnfutile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capnfutile)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2004, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shrinking-digital-pics-for-e-mail/259661/6 "2004-08-13T10:35:28Z")
> [@Leonard](#):
>
> If not Paint, then seems like the freebie I liked the most was Irfanview. A better freebie may be around now though.
Nope. Irfanview still rocks. It is amazingly powerful (batch processing and renaming), small, and quick.
Windows XP will ask you if you wish to resize your pictures before mailing, but if you’re using a prior version of windows, Irfanview is the way to go.
[ctrl]-r is the command you want; if sender or recipient is known to be on dialup, use 600 as the larger of the two dimensions.
I do image acquisition for an e-commerce website, and use irfanview more than I use Photoshop. That should tell you something!
Best. Free. Software. Ever.
(ok, well, there’s GNU/Linux…)
capn
PS - [www.irfanview.com](http://www.irfanview.com) for the Google-impaired.