Compress images for a website — faster pages without visible quality loss
2026-10-05
Photos straight from a phone or camera are several thousand pixels wide and a few megabytes each. Displayed in an 800-pixel column, every one of those extra pixels is downloaded and thrown away.
Resize before you compress
This is the step most people skip, and it does more than anything else. If an image is never shown wider than 1200 pixels, resizing it to 1200 cuts the file dramatically before compression even starts.
Double the display width is a safe target for high-density screens. Beyond that you are paying for pixels nobody sees.
Choosing a format
- WebP is noticeably smaller than JPEG at the same quality and every current browser supports it
- JPEG remains the safest choice for photographs when you need maximum compatibility
- PNG is only worth it for screenshots, logos and anything needing transparency
How far to compress
For photographs, quality around 75 to 85 is usually indistinguishable from the original at normal viewing size. Below that, flat areas like skies start to band visibly.
Screenshots with fine text are the exception. They hold up badly under heavy compression, so keep those lighter or use PNG.