Image Compressor
How it works
Drag one or more images onto the drop zone (or click to browse). Use the quality slider to pick the compression level: the estimated output size updates as you drag, so you can find the sweet spot between file size and visual quality. A side-by-side preview shows the original and compressed versions at real pixel density, and you can zoom in to check banding or artefacts before downloading.
What actually happens: the tool uses the browser's native Canvas API to re-encode your image at the quality you chose. For JPEG output, quality maps to libjpeg's standard 0–100 scale, the same scale Photoshop and ImageMagick use. Quality 80 is a common "photo-grade" default (the eye can't tell it from the original, the file is ~30% of the size); quality 60 is web-hero territory (still looks great at 10-20% of the size); below 40 you start seeing blocky compression artefacts in smooth gradients.
Format choice guidance: • JPEG: best for photographs and images with lots of colour variation. Lossy compression, and it does not support transparency. • WebP: Google's modern format, ~25–35% smaller than JPEG at the same quality, with transparency support. Every modern browser (2020+) handles it, which makes it the right pick for web hero images and product photos. • PNG: lossless, with transparency. Use it for screenshots, logos and illustrations with sharp edges where JPEG's artefacts would show. For photographs, PNG files are 3–5× larger than JPEG for no visible quality benefit.
Typical reductions observed: a 4 MB smartphone JPEG becomes 400–800 KB at quality 75; a 12 MB PNG screenshot becomes 800 KB to 2 MB at quality 85. The bigger the image you start with, the more absolute bytes you save.
All compression happens in your browser tab, with no upload and no thumbnails cached on a server somewhere. For product photos under NDA, wedding photos, or anything else you'd rather not trust a random website with, that is the point.
Frequently Asked Questions
What image formats are supported?
- Input: JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg), PNG (.png), WebP (.webp), GIF (.gif), BMP (.bmp). Output: JPEG or WebP, selected before downloading. Transparent PNGs converted to JPEG get a white background, so for transparency output as WebP or keep the PNG.
How much can it reduce file size?
- Typical reductions: 50–80% for smartphone JPEG photos at quality 75 (looks identical to the eye), 60–90% for PNG screenshots converted to JPEG or WebP, 20–40% for images already compressed as WebP. The exact number is shown live as you move the quality slider, so you can tune it to your target.
What quality level should I choose?
- For web hero images and product photos: 70–80 (good balance). For social media uploads: 75–85 (platforms re-compress anyway). For email attachments: 60–70 (small file, still looks fine). For print source files: 90+ or use a proper print workflow. Below 40 you start seeing blocky artefacts in smooth gradients.
Does it support bulk compression?
- Yes. Drop multiple images at once and the tool processes them in parallel with the same quality setting, then you download them one by one or as a ZIP. Because everything runs locally there is no upload queue and no per-file limit, so 500 product photos in one session is fine.
Will it remove EXIF metadata (camera, GPS location)?
- Yes. Re-encoding through the Canvas API strips all EXIF metadata (camera make and model, lens info, GPS coordinates) because the canvas is a fresh bitmap without the original metadata. That's actually a privacy win: run photos through this tool, or a similar one, before posting them publicly.
Is my image uploaded to a server?
- No. The image is loaded into an HTML Canvas in your browser tab, re-encoded there, and handed back to you as a download. DevTools → Network confirms zero outbound requests when you compress and download, so your originals never leave your device, which matters for client work, NDA assets, and personal photos.
Why is my PNG getting bigger instead of smaller?
- Because PNG is lossless: when the source is already efficient (few colours, flat areas), re-encoding it cannot shrink it further, and the small overhead of a new PNG header can even make it marginally larger. For photo-like PNGs, convert to JPEG or WebP instead. For screenshots of text and UI, PNG at a reasonable quality is already optimal.
JPEG vs WebP vs AVIF: which one should I use?
- WebP is the right default for the web in 2026: ~30% smaller than JPEG at the same perceptual quality, transparency support, and coverage in 100% of in-use browsers. Use JPEG only for compatibility with very old systems or email clients. AVIF is smaller again (~50% vs JPEG) but slow to encode and not yet universally supported in image-editing tools, so leave it to static asset pipelines rather than interactive tools.
Will compression damage my photo's print quality?
- Not at quality 85+. For print, set quality to 90-95 and keep the original resolution. Compression artefacts only appear in two situations: heavy compression (quality < 60) makes blocky gradients visible, and repeated re-saves (compress, edit, re-compress five times) compound the artefacts. Always edit from the original and compress once at the end of the workflow.
Quality level guide: what to use where
Recommended quality settings for the most common publishing destinations. Compression is lossy: each setting trades visible quality for file-size savings. Anything below 50 starts producing visible artefacts in smooth gradients.
| Use case | Format | Quality | Typical size (4 MB photo) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Print master / archive | JPEG | 95-100 | 2.5–3.5 MB | Visually indistinguishable from original; safe for editing |
| Print copy / poster | JPEG | 90 | 1.5–2 MB | Sweet spot for high-DPI photo prints |
| High-quality web hero | WebP | 80-85 | 300–500 KB | Sharp on Retina displays; smaller than JPEG |
| Standard web image | WebP | 75 | 200–400 KB | Imperceptible from quality 85 to most viewers |
| JPEG fallback for the same hero | JPEG | 75-80 | 400–700 KB | Use when WebP support is not guaranteed |
| Social media upload | JPEG | 85 | 500–800 KB | Platforms re-compress anyway; quality 85 keeps headroom |
| Product catalogue thumbnail | WebP | 70 | 80–150 KB | Bulk catalogue, hundreds of images per page |
| Email attachment | JPEG | 65-70 | 150–300 KB | Small enough to slip past 5–10 MB attachment limits |
| Blog / article body image | WebP | 75 | 200–400 KB | Balanced for readability and page-load |
| Sharp-edge UI screenshot | PNG | (lossless) | 150–500 KB | JPEG would blur the text; PNG is the right choice |
| Screenshot for documentation | WebP | 85 (lossy mode) | 100–200 KB | WebP lossy on text screenshots is acceptable; smaller than PNG |
| Logo with transparency | PNG | (lossless) | 20–80 KB | Or WebP with alpha: both preserve transparency |
| Quick preview / chat thumbnail | JPEG | 60 | 80–150 KB | Visible degradation acceptable for low-stakes use |
File sizes are rough averages for a 4032×3024 (12 MP) smartphone photograph at the listed quality. Exact size depends on image content (smooth landscapes compress better than busy markets) and the encoder. WebP and AVIF figures use the modern browser-native encoders.