How to reduce image size: JPG, PNG and WebP compared
If you get a "file too large" warning when uploading an image to an email, a website or a form, three things are worth checking: the format, the pixel size and the quality.
1. Pick the right format
- JPG: for photos. It compresses with some loss and files stay small. It does not support transparency.
- PNG: for screenshots, logos, text and sharp lines. It is lossless, so photos become very large. It supports transparency.
- WebP: for both photos and graphics. It usually gives smaller files than JPG and PNG for the same look and supports transparency. All current browsers display it.
2. Shrink the pixel size, the biggest saving is here
Before lowering the quality, check how many pixels the image has. A phone photo can be 4000 pixels wide, while a blog post usually needs 800 to 1600. Halving the pixel dimensions cuts the file size to roughly a quarter, because both width and height shrink.
A practical rule: pick about twice the width the image will be shown at. A 1600 pixel wide image for an 800 pixel slot still looks sharp on high-resolution screens.
3. Adjust the quality
JPG and WebP have a quality setting. 100% is needlessly large. For most photos, 70% to 85% shrinks the file a lot with a loss you will hardly notice. PNG is lossless so the quality setting does not affect it. To shrink a PNG, reduce its dimensions or convert it to WebP.
A privacy note: EXIF
Phone photos can contain hidden data such as the location (GPS), date and device model. Re-compressing an image usually removes this data. The image compressor strips EXIF data from the output.
Try it now
To shrink many images together use the image compressor, to change only the pixel size use the resize tool, and to change the format use convert to WebP or PNG to JPG. Everything runs in your browser and your images are never uploaded.
iPhone's HEIC format does not open in most browsers. Switch the camera to the "Most Compatible" format or export as JPG first.