Decide what must remain visible
If you are tracing a whole photograph, preserve the composition. If you are researching a product, remove unrelated borders before reducing the image. A smaller but well-chosen image can be more useful than a large screenshot dominated by interface chrome.
Reduce in measured steps
- Check the service's actual limit rather than guessing.
- Export a copy at a moderate resolution.
- Use JPEG for a normal photograph when the service accepts it.
- Inspect small text and distinctive details before uploading.
For Facehunch, keep the file within its 10 MB limit and accepted JPG, PNG or WebP formats. Do not repeatedly recompress the same output: return to the original when trying a different export setting.
When size is not the cause
If a tiny file fails too, the problem may be its format, a damaged download or the service itself. Check that the file opens locally. Avoid sending a private cloud-sharing link that requires login when the service expects an actual image upload. An upload that succeeds only proves the file was accepted, not that useful sources exist in the search index.
Continue with photo formats and metadata.
Written by Facehunch with AI assistance and checked against the cited sources. Our editorial policy.