Image compression guide
A practical guide to reducing image file size while keeping enough quality for forms, websites, email, and social media.
Start with the right format
Use JPG for photos, PNG for screenshots and transparent graphics, and WebP when you want a modern web-friendly format. If the goal is a smaller upload, try JPG or WebP for photos and keep PNG for images that need transparency.
For measured results from the same source image, compare JPG, PNG, and WebP file sizes.
Use target size carefully
A strict target like 100KB is useful for upload forms, but very large photos may need lower quality or smaller dimensions. Start with 200KB or 100KB, then reduce maximum width if the result is still too large.
For a tested walkthrough, read how to compress an image to 100KB without uploading.
Preparing an application upload? See our comparison of two ways to compress an image to 200KB for an online form.
Resize before lowering quality too far
If a photo still looks too large after compression, reduce the maximum width before pushing quality very low. Smaller dimensions often preserve a cleaner result than aggressive quality reduction.
Need to preserve the pixel count? Follow our tested method to reduce image size without changing dimensions.
If a target setting still returns a large file, use the checks in why a compressed image is still too large.
Screenshots need a different approach from photos. Read how to compress a screenshot without making small text blurry.
Working with a logo or cutout? Read how to compress PNG without losing transparency, or follow the specific workflow to reduce a PNG email signature.
Keep private files local
Browser-side compression is best for IDs, application photos, internal screenshots, and private documents. PicZip processes selected files locally and does not upload image files.
Batch repeated work
For product photos, blog images, and website assets, use the same target size and export all results as one ZIP. This keeps repeated optimization work fast and consistent.
For email, use our tested workflow to reduce several image attachments and decide whether to send a ZIP.
Ready to try it? Open the compressor.