My image quality setting is at the highest JPEG level but am still only getting file sizes at 3.2 or smaller.

Hi,
if you have a photo in jpeg format then it is possible to save it in jpeg format too but changing the parameter "JPEG quality factor" from 100% to 80% for example. The pixels of photo will be the same but the size smaller. I usually use Microsoft Photo Editor application on my Windows PC:
1- open file
2- save as ...
3- choose jpeg format
4- press button "more"
5- change jpeg quality factor %
6- press save

Bye

There are several image types that you can try to save it as. I would suggest trying bitmap but be sure to select the highest level of quality and lowest compression. This will result in a large file size however so it may become difficult to send in email or post on facebook. As far as file size goes JPG is your best option but it does not support transparency so you will have to either be sure to not have transparency or be ok with it being black when you save it. When you save as a JPG you need to again be sure to increase quality to the highest level and compression to the lowest.

Your solutions are varied, but the results will be (mostly) the same. Option 1: Lower the resolution and quality settings on your camera. If you are seeing 3-4 MB per photo, then they are probably at least 4000 pixels wide, and your file size will be larger to reflect that. If you set the camera to a lower quality and or resolution, you will for sure save disk space. Consequently, you will also lose image quality. If you are mainly archiving the photos for the purpose of viewing them online, on your PC, or through a digital picture frame, this is no big deal. If you intend to print, especially a large print, you will see pixelation occur in the print. This will take smooth parts of your picture and chunk colors together in a "boxy" appearance. Your second option, is to import your photos in a program like Google Picasa or many other free options, and then convert your image to a compressed format, such as a compressed JPEG or PNG file. PNG files are usually the better choice for file size, but not every devices (frames, TVs, etc.) recognize PNG files. So you may want to stick with JPEG depending on your use for your photos. Additionally, you can lower the resolution of hi-res photos within Picasa (or its alternatives) after importing the photos. This is the preferred route as you can take every photo like you want to print it as a poster, and then choose which photos to drop the resolution. This gives you the safety of shooting each picture as if you want to keep the quality and then later decide which are worth archiving at what resolution. Remember, the detail in a photo also reflects upon its size, not just resolution, if you take one 12 MP picture of the sky and another of a bunch of different color balloons, the balloon will have more color data and thus a higher file size.

Hi dear, most printers can only use jpeg or bmp format .Use Irfanview to convert raw file to either one.

You have what is known as JPEG compression artifacts. Try viewing your pictures smaller. Set your camera for the highest quality or largest file size for images. This site will explain it better for you.

http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/digitalimaging/qt/overcompression.htm

JPEG format storage is ideal for posting your photos to the Internet and for e-mailing them to friends. (It’s also useful for archiving when you've finished editing them and need to save storage space.) The compressed images still look good on-screen and contain a relatively large amount of information in the shrunken file. JPEG storage is great for maximizing space but not for maintaining image quality. If you want to get smaller files for archiving, use minimal JPEG compression (high quality/low compression). The ideal compression is lossless, which means there's no discernible drop in image quality even though the file size has decreased.

think what is happening is that Pentax is not using the maximum JPEG quality value for their high quality setting. I re-saved an image in Photoshop last night, and the JPEG quality value was set to 9. I increased it to 12, and ended up with a 3.5 MB file.

The details for each record mode are as follows: RAW: RAW data is unprocessed image data in its original state to which white balance, sharpness, contrast, color conversion and other processes have not been applied. CAMEDIA Master can be used to display RAW data and save it in other image formats. A RAW plug-in is also available for Adobe Photoshop which also provides the ability to process images in 32-bit color depth. TIFF: This is the highest-quality mode. images are saved as uncompressed data, which is the best for printing or image processing on a computer. SHQ: This is a high quality mode using the JPEG format. Because the compression rate is very low, high quality images can be stored. HQ: This is a high quality mode using JPEG format, with medium compression. Because the compression rate is higher than SHQ, file sizes are smaller. More images can be saved to a card. The file size can be changed in the 3:2 or Enlarge size mode as well as SHQ. 3:2 Mode: Ordinarily the image aspect ratio is set to 4:3. Due to change the ratio to 3:2, the picture size becomes 2592 x 1728 so that the image can be printed without losing the image borders at a photo lab. 3:2 can be set in the TIFF, SHQ, or HQ mode. SQ1/SQ2: SQ1 is used for resolutions above 1600 x1200 and SQ2 is used for resolutions below 1600 x1200. For both, you can choose high compression to reduce noise or normal compression to save more images.

The details for each record mode are as follows: RAW: RAW data is unprocessed image data in its original state to which white balance, sharpness, contrast, color conversion and other processes have not been applied. CAMEDIA Master can be used to display RAW data and save it in other image formats. A RAW plug-in is also available for Adobe Photoshop which also provides the ability to process images in 32-bit color depth. TIFF: This is the highest-quality mode. images are saved as uncompressed data, which is the best for printing or image processing on a computer. SHQ: This is a high quality mode using the JPEG format. Because the compression rate is very low, high quality images can be stored. HQ: This is a high quality mode using JPEG format, with medium compression. Because the compression rate is higher than SHQ, file sizes are smaller. More images can be saved to a card. The file size can be changed in the 3:2 or Enlarge size mode as well as SHQ. 3:2 Mode: Ordinarily the image aspect ratio is set to 4:3. Due to change the ratio to 3:2, the picture size becomes 2592 x 1728 so that the image can be printed without losing the image borders at a photo lab. 3:2 can be set in the TIFF, SHQ, or HQ mode. SQ1: SQ1 uses the highest compression for resolutions greater than 1600 x 1200. You can choose high compression to reduce noise or normal compression to save more images. SQ2: SQ2 uses the highest compression for resolutions less than 1600 x 1200. You can choose high compression to reduce noise or normal compression to save more images.