What file size do editorial CMSs and wire services require for photos?

Requirements vary by outlet and platform. Most editorial CMSs perform best with images under 3 MB per file. Wire services like AP and Reuters specify pixel dimension minimums and file size ceilings for contributed imagery — raw camera exports at 15–20 MB routinely exceed those ceilings. Compressing at quality 80–85 in Deliteful brings standard editorial JPEGs well within typical submission specs.

Will compressed news photos lose quality at web display sizes?

No. At quality 80–85, JPEG compression is not perceptible at the 1200–1920px widths used for editorial web display. The difference between a 15 MB raw export and a 1.5 MB compressed version is invisible to readers.

Does Deliteful remove GPS location data from photos?

Yes — all EXIF metadata is stripped, including GPS coordinates. For sensitive investigative shoots where location metadata serves as documentation, preserve original files in your archive before processing. For standard editorial web use, stripped metadata is appropriate.

Can I compress a full photo set for a story in one batch?

Yes. Deliteful supports batch uploads, so you can compress every photo for a story in a single session — faster than processing images one at a time in a deadline environment.

Get Editorial Photos to CMS Spec Without Losing News Quality

Journalists filing stories on deadline don't have time to open Photoshop and manually export every photo at the right compression — but submitting 15 MB raw files to an editorial CMS or wire service causes upload failures and delays publication. Deliteful compresses photos to CMS-ready sizes in a batch, fast enough to fit into a deadline workflow.

Create free account

Most editorial CMSs — WordPress, Arc Publishing, Chorus — impose practical upload limits and display images at 1200–1920px regardless of source resolution. A 24 MP camera JPEG at 18 MB compresses to under 2 MB at quality 82 with no visible difference at web display sizes, and uploads in a fraction of the time. For wire service submissions, AP and Reuters both specify image size and compression requirements that raw camera exports rarely meet without processing.

The metadata stripping behavior warrants attention for journalists: Deliteful removes all EXIF data from optimized outputs, including GPS coordinates, camera model, and timestamp. For investigative work where source location metadata must be preserved as evidence or documentation, retain the original unprocessed files in your archive. For standard editorial web publishing, stripped metadata is appropriate and prevents inadvertent location disclosure for sensitive shoot locations.

How it works

1
Select photos for the story
Pull the JPEG files you're filing — lead image, supporting photos, and any graphics.
2
Compress at quality 82
This setting meets editorial web display standards with file sizes appropriate for CMS upload and email transmission.
3
File compressed images with your story
Upload to your CMS or attach to your wire service submission — within spec, without delay.

Frequently asked questions

What file size do editorial CMSs and wire services require for photos?: Requirements vary by outlet and platform. Most editorial CMSs perform best with images under 3 MB per file. Wire services like AP and Reuters specify pixel dimension minimums and file size ceilings for contributed imagery — raw camera exports at 15–20 MB routinely exceed those ceilings. Compressing at quality 80–85 in Deliteful brings standard editorial JPEGs well within typical submission specs.
Will compressed news photos lose quality at web display sizes?: No. At quality 80–85, JPEG compression is not perceptible at the 1200–1920px widths used for editorial web display. The difference between a 15 MB raw export and a 1.5 MB compressed version is invisible to readers.
Does Deliteful remove GPS location data from photos?: Yes — all EXIF metadata is stripped, including GPS coordinates. For sensitive investigative shoots where location metadata serves as documentation, preserve original files in your archive before processing. For standard editorial web use, stripped metadata is appropriate.
Can I compress a full photo set for a story in one batch?: Yes. Deliteful supports batch uploads, so you can compress every photo for a story in a single session — faster than processing images one at a time in a deadline environment.