diff --git a/src/Model/Photo.php b/src/Model/Photo.php
index d6039dae8..e07b6b6af 100644
--- a/src/Model/Photo.php
+++ b/src/Model/Photo.php
@@ -1148,7 +1148,7 @@ class Photo
 			return [];
 		}
 
-		return ['image' => $image, 'filename' => $filename];
+		return ['image' => $image, 'filename' => $filename, 'size' => $filesize];
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -1182,8 +1182,7 @@ class Photo
 
 		$image    = $data['image'];
 		$filename = $data['filename'];
-		$width    = $image->getWidth();
-		$height   = $image->getHeight();
+		$filesize = $data['size'];
 
 		$resource_id = $resource_id ?: self::newResource();
 		$album       = $album ?: DI::l10n()->t('Wall Photos');
@@ -1193,30 +1192,12 @@ class Photo
 			$allow_gid = '';
 		}
 
-		$smallest = 0;
-
-		$result = self::store($image, $user['uid'], 0, $resource_id, $filename, $album, 0, self::DEFAULT, $allow_cid, $allow_gid, $deny_cid, $deny_gid, $desc);
-		if (!$result) {
-			Logger::warning('Photo could not be stored', ['uid' => $user['uid'], 'resource_id' => $resource_id, 'filename' => $filename, 'album' => $album]);
+		$smallest = self::storeWithPreview($image, $user['uid'], $resource_id, $filename, $filesize, $album, $desc, $allow_cid, $allow_gid, $deny_cid, $deny_gid);
+		if ($smallest < 0) {
+			Logger::notice('Photo not stored', ['resource-id' => $resource_id]);
 			return [];
 		}
 
-		if ($width > 640 || $height > 640) {
-			$image->scaleDown(640);
-		}
-
-		if ($width > 320 || $height > 320) {
-			$r = self::store($image, $user['uid'], 0, $resource_id, $filename, $album, 1, self::DEFAULT, $allow_cid, $allow_gid, $deny_cid, $deny_gid, $desc);
-			if ($r) {
-				$smallest = 1;
-			}
-			$image->scaleDown(320);
-			$r = self::store($image, $user['uid'], 0, $resource_id, $filename, $album, 2, self::DEFAULT, $allow_cid, $allow_gid, $deny_cid, $deny_gid, $desc);
-			if ($r && ($smallest == 0)) {
-				$smallest = 2;
-			}
-		}
-
 		$condition = ['resource-id' => $resource_id];
 		$photo = self::selectFirst(['id', 'datasize', 'width', 'height', 'type'], $condition, ['order' => ['width' => true]]);
 		if (empty($photo)) {
@@ -1240,6 +1221,77 @@ class Photo
 		return $picture;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * store photo metadata in db and binary with preview photos in default backend
+	 *
+	 * @param Image   $image       Image object with data
+	 * @param integer $uid         User ID
+	 * @param string  $resource_id Resource ID
+	 * @param string  $filename    Filename
+	 * @param integer $filesize    Filesize
+	 * @param string  $album       Album name
+	 * @param string  $description Photo caption
+	 * @param string  $allow_cid   Permissions, allowed contacts
+	 * @param string  $allow_gid   Permissions, allowed groups
+	 * @param string  $deny_cid    Permissions, denied contacts
+	 * @param string  $deny_gid    Permissions, denied group
+	 *
+	 * @return boolean True on success
+	 * @throws \Friendica\Network\HTTPException\InternalServerErrorException
+	 */
+	public static function storeWithPreview(Image $image, int $uid, string $resource_id, string $filename, int $filesize, string $album, string $description, string $allow_cid, string $allow_gid, string $deny_cid, string $deny_gid): int
+	{
+		$width  = $image->getWidth();
+		$height = $image->getHeight();
+
+		$maximagesize = Strings::getBytesFromShorthand(DI::config()->get('system', 'maximagesize'));
+
+		if ($maximagesize && $filesize > $maximagesize) {
+			// Scale down to multiples of 640 until the maximum size isn't exceeded anymore
+			foreach ([5120, 2560, 1280, 640, 320] as $pixels) {
+				if ($filesize > $maximagesize && max($width, $height) > $pixels) {
+					DI::logger()->info('Resize', ['size' => $filesize, 'width' => $width, 'height' => $height, 'max' => $maximagesize, 'pixels' => $pixels]);
+					$image->scaleDown($pixels);
+					$filesize = strlen($image->asString());
+					$width    = $image->getWidth();
+					$height   = $image->getHeight();
+				}
+			}
+
+			if ($filesize > $maximagesize) {
+				DI::logger()->notice('Image size is too big', ['size' => $filesize, 'max' => $maximagesize]);
+				return -1;
+			}
+		}
+
+		$width    = $image->getWidth();
+		$height   = $image->getHeight();
+		$smallest = 0;
+
+		$result = self::store($image, $uid, 0, $resource_id, $filename, $album, 0, self::DEFAULT, $allow_cid, $allow_gid, $deny_cid, $deny_gid, $description);
+		if (!$result) {
+			Logger::warning('Photo could not be stored', ['uid' => $uid, 'resource_id' => $resource_id, 'filename' => $filename, 'album' => $album]);
+			return -1;
+		}
+
+		if ($width > 640 || $height > 640) {
+			$image->scaleDown(640);
+		}
+
+		if ($width > 320 || $height > 320) {
+			$result = self::store($image, $uid, 0, $resource_id, $filename, $album, 1, self::DEFAULT, $allow_cid, $allow_gid, $deny_cid, $deny_gid, $description);
+			if ($result) {
+				$smallest = 1;
+			}
+			$image->scaleDown(320);
+			$result = self::store($image, $uid, 0, $resource_id, $filename, $album, 2, self::DEFAULT, $allow_cid, $allow_gid, $deny_cid, $deny_gid, $description);
+			if ($result && ($smallest == 0)) {
+				$smallest = 2;
+			}
+		}
+		return $smallest;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Upload a user avatar
 	 *
diff --git a/src/Module/Media/Photo/Upload.php b/src/Module/Media/Photo/Upload.php
index 3b1b69ef4..d00093388 100644
--- a/src/Module/Media/Photo/Upload.php
+++ b/src/Module/Media/Photo/Upload.php
@@ -164,34 +164,8 @@ class Upload extends \Friendica\BaseModule
 			$this->logger->info('File upload: Scaling picture to new size', ['max_length' => $max_length]);
 		}
 
-		$width  = $image->getWidth();
-		$height = $image->getHeight();
-
-		$maximagesize = Strings::getBytesFromShorthand($this->config->get('system', 'maximagesize'));
-
-		if ($maximagesize && $filesize > $maximagesize) {
-			// Scale down to multiples of 640 until the maximum size isn't exceeded anymore
-			foreach ([5120, 2560, 1280, 640] as $pixels) {
-				if ($filesize > $maximagesize && max($width, $height) > $pixels) {
-					$this->logger->info('Resize', ['size' => $filesize, 'width' => $width, 'height' => $height, 'max' => $maximagesize, 'pixels' => $pixels]);
-					$image->scaleDown($pixels);
-					$filesize = strlen($image->asString());
-					$width    = $image->getWidth();
-					$height   = $image->getHeight();
-				}
-			}
-
-			if ($filesize > $maximagesize) {
-				@unlink($src);
-				$this->logger->notice('Image size is too big', ['size' => $filesize, 'max' => $maximagesize]);
-				$this->return(401, $this->t('Image exceeds size limit of %s', Strings::formatBytes($maximagesize)));
-			}
-		}
-
 		$resource_id = Photo::newResource();
 
-		$smallest = 0;
-
 		// If we don't have an album name use the Wall Photos album
 		if (!strlen($album)) {
 			$album = $this->t('Wall Photos');
@@ -199,26 +173,10 @@ class Upload extends \Friendica\BaseModule
 
 		$allow_cid = '<' . $owner['id'] . '>';
 
-		$result = Photo::store($image, $owner['uid'], 0, $resource_id, $filename, $album, 0, Photo::DEFAULT, $allow_cid);
-		if (!$result) {
-			$this->logger->warning('Photo::store() failed', ['result' => $result]);
-			$this->return(401, $this->t('Image upload failed.'));
-		}
-
-		if ($width > 640 || $height > 640) {
-			$image->scaleDown(640);
-		}
-
-		if ($width > 320 || $height > 320) {
-			$result = Photo::store($image, $owner['uid'], 0, $resource_id, $filename, $album, 1, Photo::DEFAULT, $allow_cid);
-			if ($result) {
-				$smallest = 1;
-			}
-			$image->scaleDown(320);
-			$result = Photo::store($image, $owner['uid'], 0, $resource_id, $filename, $album, 2, Photo::DEFAULT, $allow_cid);
-			if ($result && ($smallest == 0)) {
-				$smallest = 2;
-			}
+		$smallest = Photo::storeWithPreview($image, $owner['uid'], $resource_id, $filename, $filesize, $album, '', $allow_cid, '', '', '');
+		if ($smallest < 0) {
+			$this->return(401, $this->t('Image could not be uploaded'));
+			@unlink($src);
 		}
 
 		$this->logger->info('upload done');
diff --git a/src/Module/Profile/Photos.php b/src/Module/Profile/Photos.php
index ebbba283b..6fa04d977 100644
--- a/src/Module/Profile/Photos.php
+++ b/src/Module/Profile/Photos.php
@@ -229,38 +229,15 @@ class Photos extends \Friendica\Module\BaseProfile
 			$image->scaleDown($max_length);
 		}
 
-		$width  = $image->getWidth();
-		$height = $image->getHeight();
-
-		$smallest = 0;
-
 		$resource_id = Photo::newResource();
 
-		$r = Photo::store($image, $this->owner['uid'], 0, $resource_id, $filename, $album, 0 , Photo::DEFAULT, $str_contact_allow, $str_group_allow, $str_contact_deny, $str_group_deny);
-
-		if (!$r) {
+		$smallest = Photo::storeWithPreview($image, $this->owner['uid'], $resource_id, $filename, $filesize, $album, '', $str_contact_allow, $str_group_allow, $str_contact_deny, $str_group_deny);
+		if ($smallest < 0) {
 			$this->logger->warning('image store failed');
 			$this->systemMessages->addNotice($this->t('Image upload failed.'));
 			return;
 		}
 
-		if ($width > 640 || $height > 640) {
-			$image->scaleDown(640);
-		}
-
-		if ($width > 320 || $height > 320) {
-			$result = Photo::store($image, $this->owner['uid'], 0, $resource_id, $filename, $album, 1, Photo::DEFAULT, $str_contact_allow, $str_group_allow, $str_contact_deny, $str_group_deny);
-			if ($result) {
-				$smallest = 1;
-			}
-
-			$image->scaleDown(320);
-			$result = Photo::store($image, $this->owner['uid'], 0, $resource_id, $filename, $album, 2, Photo::DEFAULT, $str_contact_allow, $str_group_allow, $str_contact_deny, $str_group_deny);
-			if ($result && ($smallest == 0)) {
-				$smallest = 2;
-			}
-		}
-
 		$uri = Item::newURI();
 
 		// Create item container