For a couple of years I've had troubles with the size of my movie
collection solution because of the size of the thumbnails I was using.

When I wrote the db, I began collecting those small graphics you can
find on online stores for VHS tapes. Of course, DVD covers now
available also.

I used an "insert picture" option in the main input screen of my db
and I dumped each thumbnail into that. The trouble is that each
record increased the solution by 25-90 or more kb. Doesn't sound like
much but after a few hundred entries can make the db rather large at
several megs.

I ran each small thumbnail through my freeware print screen program
yesterday, PrintKey v5.05, as it has one of the best algorithms for
GIFs that I've ever seen. I copied each image to the clipboard then
loaded it into PrintKey and re-saved but this time as a GIF. It
produces the smallest yet best quality GIFs of anything I have, even
Paint Shop Pro! Small size, no discernible quality loss to the eye
and no washed out colour or colour distortions as seems to happen with
a lot of other methods of saving GIFs. Each thumbnail was reduced at
least 1/3 of its original size and a a few up to even as much as
1/10th! The folder where I kept the original collection of the loose
graphics went from a little 2 megs or so down to 631 kb, and I've even
added several GIFs to that folder so it was under that figure!

So just wanted to share this tip. I'm not knowledgeable enough in FMP
to do much sharing of FMP info, but thought this might be of use to
others.

btw, though v5.10 of PrintKey seems to still be readily found on the
net, I've never been able to locate v5.05 which was given to me at a
job in 1998 and I've carried around to all my contracts since then on
a floppy. It's one app I can't live without. I find I don't like
v5.10 at all and that 5.05 is much better, but there is that option as
well to just + dl 5.10. Both are freeware and are standalone apps
with no install.

If anyone is interested in v5.05, though, let me know. I can post it
to alt.binaries.freeware or something. Or, if anyone knows of a
binaries filemaker newsgroup, perhaps I could post to that. Whatever
is best and easiest if anyone is interested, of course.

Cheers!