XW

Aperture to Flickr Photo Sizes

System: OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4), Aperture (3.4.5)

Question: What is the difference between the three “Photo Size” options: “Web Images,” “Optimized Images,” and “Actual Size Images” when using Aperture’s native sharing command to upload to Flickr?

Answer: The RAW file I used for the test was an NEF file with dimensions of 4928 x 3264 pixels. The results are as follows:

  • Web Images: The “Original,” or the largest version of the image, is 1024 x 678.
  • Optimized Images: The “Original” is 2464 x 1632, or 50% of the size of the master.
  • Actual Size Images: The “Original” is 1024 x 678, which is most definitely not “actual size.”

Conclusion: If you want to share high quality photos, use the “Optimized Images” photo size.