Zipping up a folder/files ????

[Bonesone4]

How do you go about zipping up a folder or number of files?

I've tried a few different things and have successfully zipped up some documents but their file sizes dont seem to get any smaller. Shouldnt zipping compress the size of the document(s) ???

Bones

 

[Mindflux]

How do you go about zipping up a folder or number of files?

I've tried a few different things and have successfully zipped up some documents but their file sizes dont seem to get any smaller. Shouldnt zipping compress the size of the document(s) ???

Bones

zipping compresses everything contained in the zip file until you re-extract them, thusly returning to their pre-zipped state.

 

[GimmeSlack12]

Depends on what you are zipping on how much compression is possible. Generally the only thing that is incompressible is video files (outside of the encoding game). But basically select the files you want, right click and select archive.

 

[QuarterSwede]

zipping compresses everything contained in the zip file until you re-extract them, thusly returning to their pre-zipped state.

What does that have to do with his question?

As far as I know you can change the compression via terminal. I think there may be some front ends for them as well.

 

[killmoms]

If you select a number of files and then right-click and choose "Archive" (in Tiger) or "Compress" (in Leopard) it will ZIP them.

Keep in mind that things that are already compressed (like JPG images, or MP3/AAC audio, or most video files) will not compress very much (if at all) by being ZIPped.

 

[Quint]

Some file types are already as small as they can get. Many jpegs and pdfs won't get noticeably smaller by zipping. If you really need to reduce size, you can either optimize the individual files in the applications that created them, or buy an application like Stuffit, that uses different compression schemes that they say can reduce files that zipping can't.

 

[TEG]

How do you go about zipping up a folder or number of files?

I've tried a few different things and have successfully zipped up some documents but their file sizes dont seem to get any smaller. Shouldnt zipping compress the size of the document(s) ???

Bones

Some things are saved in a compressed state. As a result, Zipping them together just makes a single file to deal with when moving them around. Audio files are notorious for not getting any smaller when you zip them. To see any difference, when you zip up files your files must be larger than 4KB anyway, as 4KB is the smallest a file can be on a computer (due to cluster size).

TEG

 

[Bonesone4]

Thanks guys. I always thought things would generally get much smaller. I wanted to share an album I had in iTunes and just send it via iChat through our chat window. I figured zipping it would make things smaller and easier to deal with.

Bones

 

[Mindflux]

What does that have to do with his question?

As far as I know you can change the compression via terminal. I think there may be some front ends for them as well.

because it sounds like he was zipping things but expecting the original file size to change?

reading comprehension?

 

[Quint]

To see any difference, when you zip up files your files must be larger than 4KB anyway, as 4KB is the smallest a file can be on a computer (due to cluster size).

TEG

I think that you will find it is 4 bytes (which would show up in Finder as 1KB.)

 

[yellow]

Don't forget picture files. Generally speaking, the most common picture formats .(jpg) are already compressed.

Compressing already compressed files (such as jpegs) will end up with no reduction in size, or in some cases an increase in size!