Sounds like your pix might be in indexed color mode.
JPEG is not an option from that.
You do NOT want photographic images to start this way, as that is only 256 colors as opposed to 17 million.
Check under image/mode.
Also, bitmap mode will not save directly to JPEG, but I doubt this is what you have.
Or if for some reason you DO want this, you can convert to RGB (which does NOT really improve quality from indexed mode) and Save As JPEG. Or use Save For Web, which will convert/save index mode to JPEG (or GIF or PNG).
Mac
Another factor that will prevent you from saving an image as a JPEG is if it has multiple layers. You must flatten an image before you can save you as a JPEG.
Added later:
And it may not be a layer that you are aware of. I loaded an image once just to do a very simple red eye correction, and even though I couldn’t see any extra layers I had to flatten the image before Elements would save it as a JPEG.
Mac – My file WAS scanned as indexed color mode. I usually scan at 17 Million colors, but that one apparently did not scan as I planned – maybe because it was a black and white photo.
Thanks a bunch for your help – I would not have figured that one out on my own! (Back to the scanner for this one!)
Cindy
I can save multi-layered images just fine as JPEG in PE2.
Mac
Mac,
I must be losing my mind! I thought I remembered trying to save a JPEG image once that contained multiple layers, and JPEG was not on the list of choices. But now I see that it is there. However, I noticed that it presents a message that it must be saved as a copy. And the new copy does not contain any layers. At least that is the way it is on my computer.
Jim
Yes, of course, since JPEG can’t save layers.
M
