How to reduce image file size in spreadsheet

Question

I have created a spreadsheet that contains cells with small amounts of text, and images that I brought in from the Media Browser from iPhoto. This has caused the file size to become HUGE, on the order of 234 MB. Saving it as a pdf only reduces it to 220 MB.
I have tried the Format>Image>Reduce Image File Size, as well as File>Reduce File Size, but in both cases, those options are grayed out.
What am I doing wrong? All I really want is thumbnail versions of my image files.
I don't understand what the Reduce Image File Size command would be used for, if it doesn't work for this?

Answer 1

When you insert a picture in a cell, it's used as a background.
To do that, the app keep it in a size allowing it to accomodate the larger cell size permitted.
If you want to get small images matching the cell size which you use, you must reduce the picture by yourself before inserting it. For instance, cells are often 72 * 16 pixels ones so you may reduce your pictures so that thir width become 72 pixels.
Of course, if the user enlarge the cell, the picture will become highly pixelated.
Look at this example.
In B4 is the original : 202 x 177 pixels
In C3 is the reduced one : 72 x 63
in B2 is the reduced one in a 202 x 177 pixels cell. It's awfully pixelized
We must arbitrate between size and quality.
Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) samedi 10 septembre 2011 16:50:24
iMac 21”5, i7, 2.8 GHz, 4 Gbytes, 1 Tbytes, mac OS X 10.6.8 and 10.7.0
My iDisk is : <http://public.me.com/koenigyvan>
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