How to Compress Images Without Losing Quality
Updated September 22, 2026
Image compression is the highest-leverage performance optimization most sites never do properly. Here is how to shrink images dramatically while keeping them looking identical, and how to choose settings you will not regret.
The one rule that matters
Match quality to purpose. A hero image deserves quality 85. A content photo nobody zooms into needs 75. A thumbnail needs 60. Most images on the web sit at 90+ because that was the export default. That is where the free savings hide.
Typical results at sensible settings:
- JPG at quality 80: roughly 70–80% smaller than a quality-95 export, visually identical on screens.
- WebP at quality 80: another 25–30% smaller than the JPG at equal quality.
- AVIF at quality 60: about half the size of the JPG, when your audience's browsers support it.
Compress or resize: which first?
If the image is displayed smaller than its stored dimensions, resize first, then compress. Pixel count drives file size more than quality does: a 4000×3000 photo shown at 800px wide wastes ~95% of its bytes no matter how well it is compressed. Use the image resizer to get to real display dimensions, then the image compressor for the final squeeze.
Hitting an exact size limit
Forms and portals that demand "under 100 KB" or "under 2 MB" need a different approach. The compress to target size tool searches quality at the current dimensions and only succeeds when the target is achievable. It does not resize automatically: if it cannot fit, use the Image Resizer manually, then retry. Leave headroom: this tool uses 1024 bytes per KB, while a portal may use decimal KB (1000 bytes). Check the downloaded size, accepted format, required dimensions and visible quality before uploading.
What about EXIF data?
Re-encoding in the browser strips EXIF metadata, including GPS coordinates and camera details. For images headed to the web that is a privacy win, not a loss. Keep your originals if you need the metadata.
Batch workflows
Processing a photo library one file at a time does not scale. The batch image compressor handles up to 30 files per run with per-file results and a single ZIP download. The same format and quality settings apply to the whole batch.
Summary
1. Resize to actual display dimensions first. 2. Compress at quality 75–85 (60 for thumbnails). 3. Prefer WebP where the destination supports it; AVIF for maximum savings. 4. Use the target-size mode for hard limits. Never guess.