Understanding Images, Image Sizes, Deleting Images Not Found
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Continuing work with a client who reached the image upload limit, I’m trying to find a way to fix this as there are almost 1000 images and half as many posts to resize images. Ah, the joy of image management in WordPress.
So far, my understanding is that each image must be deleted and resized then uploaded again, changing the embed code in the post or Page. Another tip is to find all unattached images and insure they are not used in a post or Page and delete them. Few, but a few megs of space recovered.
Not liking that as an option, I’m considering exporting the site and importing it into another holding site on WordPress.com. This puts everything in the new site, hopefully, as a holding place for all the images.
I’d make another export file from the second site’s, edit it, changing all the image upload file folder references to 2016/03/.
Delete all the content and media from site one, as if starting fresh, then import the edited export file. No images would import – or at least most of them wouldn’t as the file location would be changed.
Then upload a new batch of the resized images, still the same file name. While not “attached” to the posts and Pages, they should appear in all of the posts as the upload location would be the same as in the import file.
Am I on the right track? Could this work? Anyone tried it? I’ll do a test run before I apply it to their site, but would like someone to see what I’m missing.
More Image Size Questions
Not wishing to add to the burden of too many questions on a forum post, these are very related and need answering, and I’d love to have a support doc on the specifics of these answers, as well as better tips and methods for dealing with people not understanding that they can’t just take a picture with their camera and put it in their blogs.
1. I’ve resized many images in WordPress.com hoping to reduce the file size. I’ve been told that this doesn’t change the original upload file size, just creates a new image. In the Media Library, however, there is only one image. How do I get to the original oversize image to delete it, or any of the other multiple versions of the same image to delete them? If I delete the resized image, does its duplicates delete as well?
2. To find and delete images and upload their smaller duplicate, I’m searching for the file name. A search of 2536 as in img_2536890235489.jpg does not return a find in the search results in the Media Library. I event put in img_4748-e1457288817407.jpg, an image uploaded recently, and it is not found in the search. This is clearly not helpful, and possibly a bug in the media search. I can find numbered images on other WordPress.com sites, but not on this. Does it mean that search is turned off when the limit is reached?
3. I’m downloading all of the images off the site for backup and resizing to upload them again (nifty tricks I’ve found to do that), and images are being downloaded as img_4261.jpg and img_4261-e14589782.jpg. Why? The larger file size has the shorter name and the smaller has the longer name. Are these ones created by the resizing or the size displayed on the web page (thumbnail, medium, full widths) plus the original image size? why the file name change in WordPress?
4. When an image is uploaded to WordPress, multiple sizes are generated, along with a little compression, right? I’d love to know the specifics of that, and if there is some control on limiting that on WordPress.com as there is with Plugins on dot org. Do these duplicate images add to the WordPress.com media limit or is it tracked by the size of the original uploaded image only?
5. Is there an canonical linking with image and media files? It would be so easy to just delete all the biggest image files, then upload them, but the image pretty permalink means they have to be embedded again. That’s a huge time suck. Any luck on adding canonical links to images?
You see why this image stuff is so confusing. Thanks for your patience and help with this.
PS: It would be SO helpful to have something in bold red flashing letters that warns people to prep their images before uploading – or the storage space be increased with this in mind. Or offer a step in the process to resize the image during the uploading process – a nag and time suck but maybe worth it. My client is a farmer with few technical skills and prepping images between her phone camera and her blog is just something she is struggling to not only learn, but also fit into her long and busy days. She just wants to share stories about her cattle, not fight with technical stuff, and she can’t afford the higher costs to increase the storage space. I think she is among millions, not the few.
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
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There is no easy way to do what you are trying to do. WordPress.com simply is not set up that way. There is space for thousands and thousands of images if people resize before uploading. WordPress.com is clear about there being 3GB of space, if people insist on uploading full resolution images, that space is going to fill up quickly.
I would suggest that your client either upgrade to WordPress.com Premium with its additional 10GB of space. Or, if that is not a route they are willing to go, move to a self-hosted WodPress.org site where they will have no space issues.
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@staff-ozmodiar, yes, this is true, but not helpful. These are known options. I’m trying to stretch a little here, as has been my job with WordPress since its very beginnings.
I offered some solutions and I’d like advice on whether or not they would work. I’m exploring all options, and this is something that many people are frustrated with. I just led a WordPress Meetup about this issue after six people in the group complained of the same issue.
Thanks for evaluating my suggested solutions and looking for a way to help us find alternatives to your suggestions.
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More importantly, we need a support document that answers these questions, especially the question of what happens to the original image if I’ve resized it in WordPress, and the original is still there and I’ve just added a new version of it but the file name is the same (or whatever it is), and I delete the resized version, the original and its duplicates are still there, right? Wrong?
The goal is to reduce the number and file sizes in the storage. If I cannot access every version of a single image, how is the goal achieved?
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I understand what you are trying to do and I can appreciate that WordPress.com could do a better job handling media. Some warnings about uploading full size images would be nice. But as I said before, there isn’t really a way on WordPress.com to do what you are trying to do.
As to your questions:
1 & 2 &5. There is currently no way to delete the larger file. WordPress.com is simply not set up to work that way.
3. The shorter file name is the original. The new file needs something appended onto it to differentiate from the original, so the gibberish number/letter combo is what the server adds.
4. Only the original size is counted towards the upload limit.
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Just so I understand, and this applies to WordPress.com as well as self-hosted WordPress for those following along, though there are easier ways to deal with this with a self-hosted site.
The shorter file name and the only file I can access to delete is the original image, a file that is counted toward the upload limit.
By resizing the original file, a duplicate is created. The new resized file does or does not increase the storage counter?
This is where confusion reigns.
If I delete the file viewed in the Media Library, a file resized with a smaller file name, the original image is not deleted and the problem persists. By simply resizing the images to lower the storage value, we’ve simply added to the problem.
Do you see a catch-22 here?
Time to hit Slack and get some help there as this is something that probably needs to be dealt with at a higher level. And we need to write up something that explains this more in depth for all users as this will persist as people want to go directly from phone or camera to blog, and not mess around with an intermediary step they don’t understand.
Thanks.
@timethief: You, too. So glad you are still here saving people’s spirits. You are the bestest of the best, my friend.
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Oh, crap, the last answer I definitely need because I think it is a bug.
I still cannot search for an image file in the media library with numbers. I’m trying to find specific images to delete them and replace them, and I can’t use the search function with numbers.
Is this because of a bug in the search, or is it because the storage limit is reached and by using the search function…who knows. Is that preventing the search?
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FWIW – as far as uploading directly from a phone, in the WP Android app you can limit the size of the image upload by editing the image in your post before you publish. Don’t know how this works in the other WP phone apps.
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Regarding the media library search.
After playing around with the search for a while, it appears that what is being searched is the image title, not the filename. To be honest, I am unsure if this is the intended behavior or not. It seems logical that the filename would also be searched. But it is pretty clear that it is not.
As for your comments on how media is handled generally, I will pass your feedback on to the team.
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@lorelle – There’s also the long slog that allows you to replace images in each post.
See the “Replace” button under the image in this screenshot? https://i2.wp.com/en.support.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/inserting-images_notextwrap1.png You can use that button to upload a resized and differently named image of the original image in the post. Once you’ve done that you should be able to then go back and delete the original from the Media Library.
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As far as a bit of additional storage, CloudUp (another automattic ruckus) embeds can be used here: https://en.support.wordpress.com/embedding-media-with-cloudup/
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@justjennifer – THAT was exactly what I was looking for. That would have saved so much time and energy expended on this. Fabulous.
Only one problem. Can’t find the “original” after replacing it, so it appears to also add to the image file size scorecard, unless I’m missing something. The inability to search by file name or title when there is a number in either is painful. I’ll keep poking it. Thanks.
@staff-ozmodiar – Thank you on behalf of the many people who think images from phone or camera to blog should be a streamline, no stress experience, and not cost them 4 arms and 3 legs. :D
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@lorelle – Welcome!
When you use the Replace function, you should be able to see and note the title of the original image you are replacing. Once you’ve replaced it, you should then be able to go to the Media Library and search for and delete the original. Might even be worthwhile having the Media Library open at the same time in a separate tab and search for the name before you replace it.
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how to I clean up any images that are in my library but not featured in posts? Is there a CLEAR UNUSED IMAGE FILES function?
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@annenorman
Please click this link and create your own thread https://en.forums.wordpress.com/?new=1
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