Reduce file size using context menu (right click)

dragonfly · 09-30-2009, 01:32 PM

My context menu is full of a variety of options, but the one that I could really use is one that will copy&reduce images for uploading to the internet. For now I have to open a program and reduce my files one by one or batch.

I'd like to right click an image in explorer and go straight to the resize dialog of any particular program or a program that I specify.

Is that possible?

dosdan · 09-30-2009, 01:53 PM

If you place a program shortcut in the user's SendTo directory it will appear in the right-click SendTo list. I did a search on SendTo and in my case it is here:

C:\Documents and Settings\Dan\SendTo

This is a hidden directory so you will need to have the file visibilty & search options enabled to see it.

I tried this with PIXresizer Bluefive software : useful freeware Windows utilities but it ignores a command-line filename parameter. Many programs will load up a file this way though, so search for a another small resizing utility. I believe that programs that work this way will also load a "drag & drop" file.

XnView works. You can use the Shift-S hot-key to resize a loaded image

Dan.

Arpe · 09-30-2009, 05:05 PM

If using Windows XP look for Microsoft Image resizer powertoy.

**Marc Sabatella** · 09-30-2009, 07:08 PM

Why would anyone browe photos with explorer rather than a decent photo browser?

Arpe · 10-01-2009, 04:50 PM

Coz it loads in about 1 second.
I'm used to it.
It can show thumbnails.
It can show the folder names and heirachy.
I can copy/paste/move etc. really easily.
I can double-click and bring up the Windows viewer really quickly.
Why not if it does everything I want?

**Marc Sabatella** · 10-01-2009, 11:12 PM

If it suits you needs, fine. But questions about how to install different utilities to make up for its inherent shortcomings are what make me wonder.

wasim_altaf · 10-03-2009, 11:28 PM

Originally Posted by Arpe

Coz it loads in about 1 second.
I'm used to it.
It can show thumbnails.
It can show the folder names and heirachy.
I can copy/paste/move etc. really easily.
I can double-click and bring up the Windows viewer really quickly.
Why not if it does everything I want?

Pentax Photo Browser (PPB) does all of the above. It's left most window is essentially an explorer window. Unilke explorer, it has a better viewer, can load PEF files, and there is a full EXIF window too.

While PPL can be a real dog at times, PPB has become my default photo browser, because it is so much like explorer.

Arpe · 10-04-2009, 02:15 AM

Never bothered to install it!

dosdan · 10-04-2009, 03:06 AM

Originally Posted by Arpe

Never bothered to install it!

PPB/PPL uses the SilkyPix v2 engine. While the interface is dumbed-down, the results are nice.