The last post tells you how to set or change image size defaults and how to use the WordPress Image Media Tool to re-size or edit your photos. But sometimes the images come out blurry.
Learn how to set the Image details and use the Edit Media Tool correctly so you don’t end up with blurry pictures.
Here are five things to check.
Things that can make photos blurry
Read How to use WordPress to edit your photos for more about Media Settings and using the WordPress Image Media Tool.
1) Your Theme may be set to use a Thumbnail as a header or Featured Image on the Search or Blog page. If you have changed your Thumbnail size settings in your Media Settings or if you are trying to change from a Theme that had small Thumbnail images, you will have blurry pictures used as headers on your Search and Blog home pages.
2) Don’t Set a Custom Size at Image details > Display Settings Size.
Telling a smaller photo to be bigger makes a blurry photo.
Telling a big photo to be a smaller photo makes a blurry photo and a slow loading page.
3) Choose your Full Size photo instead of another image size if it is the same size.
That way you use the photo that has not been re-saved. Re-saved photos are blurry.
4) Don’t use the Edit Media Tool to Scale to New dimensions that are larger than the original photo.
5) Don’t re-edit and re-save photos that you have already re-sized. Every time you save a photo, it deteriorates. If you are going smaller, you have enough information, but if the photo is the same size, the computer will guess.
Why Not Re-Save Jpegs?
Jpegs are lossy. Every time you re-save them, some of the information in the original file is lost. You can end up with a large but blurry file if you keep making changes and saving them. If you are using the WordPress Image Media Tool, Restore the Original Image, make all of your changes and then save.
Even if you apply all the remediation techniques people recommend, tweaking the colors, levels, contrast, sharpening…. it’s still a blurry photo with jpeg artifacts.