A useful image export begins with a destination: a page column, a slide, an email, or a small preview. “Make it smaller” is easier to act on when the intended size is known. Keep a full-size source and create named exports for each use.
Think in proportions
An image that is 2400 pixels wide and 1600 pixels tall has a 3:2 aspect ratio. Reducing its width to 1200 while keeping its proportions produces an 800-pixel height. Changing only one dimension without keeping the ratio would stretch the image.
Image desk asks for the longest edge. It keeps the aspect ratio and does not enlarge the source. A 1200 × 800 image exported with an 800-pixel limit becomes 800 × 533 pixels after rounding to whole pixels.
Work from the largest useful source
- Choose the original image, not a screenshot of a previously resized version.
- Decide how much space the image will occupy in the finished piece.
- Export a copy, then inspect it at that displayed size.
- Keep both the source and the export until the work is complete.
A smaller pixel count may reduce the file size, but the final number of bytes also depends on the format, quality setting, and image content. A detailed texture and a flat-colour graphic can compress very differently at identical dimensions.
Name the result clearly
Include the width or intended use in the filename, such as field-cover-1200w.webp. The download from Image desk includes its output width. For a collection of assets, keep a simple note explaining which file is the source and which ones are exports.