Upload forms with 100 KB limits, emails that bounce over 10 MB, pages that load slowly because a hero image weighs 4 MB — file size is the most common image problem there is. The fix is a sequence, and the order matters, because the first two steps are free and the last one costs quality.
Step 1 — resize to the size it will be seen (free)
A 4000×3000 photo shown at 800 px wide carries 18 megapixels where 1 is needed. Resizing to the display size is the single biggest saving available — routinely 80–95% — and costs nothing visually. If you do not know the display size, the resizing guide has targets for the common destinations.
Step 2 — pick the right format (free)
| Content | Right format | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | WebP (or JPG for maximum compatibility) | lossy codecs built for photos; WebP ~30% smaller than JPG |
| Screenshot, UI, text | PNG or WebP-lossless | lossy formats smear text edges |
| Logo / icon | SVG if available, else PNG | vector is tiny and infinitely sharp |
| Photo needing transparency | WebP | alpha channel at a fraction of PNG’s size |
Converting is one drop in the image converter — it batches, and shows the size change per file so you can see what the format switch bought you.
Step 3 — compress (the only step that costs quality)
Only after size and format are right, lower the quality setting. For JPG and WebP, quality 80–85 is visually indistinguishable from 100 for most photos at a third of the bytes; 60–70 shows mild softness under scrutiny; below 50 is visible. The image compressor previews the result live so you can stop exactly where your eyes tell you to.
Live preview, batch, before/after sizes. Or use the resizer’s “Max file size” field to hit an exact KB target automatically.
Hitting an exact limit (100 KB, 200 KB, 1 MB…)
Guessing quality values until a file squeaks under a limit is miserable. The image resizer has a Max file size field: set “100 KB” and it binary-searches the quality that lands just under the limit while keeping your chosen dimensions. If even quality 20 cannot fit, the honest fix is fewer pixels — drop the dimensions 20–30% and try again.
Special cases
- SVGs that are somehow huge: exported SVGs carry editor junk — hidden layers, absurd precision, embedded rasters. The SVG optimizer typically cuts 40–70% losslessly.
- Animated GIFs: GIF is an ancient format; the same clip as MP4/WebM is 10× smaller. If it must stay an image, reduce dimensions and frame count.
- Documents full of images: compress the images before inserting them; office suites re-encode poorly and PDFs balloon.