Website images, README screenshots, and photos attached to forms are often much larger than they need to be. Reducing quality aggressively can shrink the file, but it can also make text edges soft, introduce visible artifacts, or damage gradients and photographs.
Image Compressor & Converter lets you compare PNG, JPEG, and WebP candidates while adjusting quality and resolution. The goal is not the smallest possible file; it is to remove unnecessary size while keeping enough visual quality for the actual use case.
Start by choosing a format that fits the image
Photographic images with continuous tones often compress well as JPEG or WebP. UI screenshots and diagrams need closer inspection of text and line edges, where WebP or PNG may be more appropriate. If transparency is required, the chosen output format also needs to preserve it.
Avoid assuming that WebP is always smallest or PNG is always best quality. Generating multiple candidates from the same source and comparing both size and appearance is more reliable. Smart Optimize can help by evaluating several local candidates and selecting a smaller result that meets a lightweight visual threshold.
For a file-size limit, adjust resolution as well as quality
For a limit such as 500 KB, lowering JPEG or WebP quality may be enough. But if the source is several thousand pixels wide and the destination never displays it at that size, reducing dimensions can preserve a more natural appearance than pushing compression quality too low while keeping unused resolution.
Target-size mode can lower JPEG/WebP quality first and then reduce resolution in steps when quality changes alone are insufficient. PNG output is lossless, so target-size reduction works through dimensions rather than lossy quality. Because results depend on the image content, always confirm the actual exported size rather than treating the target as a guarantee.
Inspect text, edges, and gradients rather than only the reduction percentage
A 50% size reduction is not automatically a success. For README screenshots, inspect small text; for product photos, inspect edges and fine detail; for background images, check smooth gradients and large low-detail areas where artifacts can become obvious.
Before / After and amplified-difference views can reveal changes that are easy to miss at normal scale. Visible differences do not automatically mean the output is unusable. Judge whether they matter at the intended display size, and avoid keeping more quality than the use case actually needs.
Remember that re-encoding removes metadata such as EXIF
This tool re-encodes images through Canvas, so metadata such as EXIF is not preserved in the output. That can be useful when you do not want location metadata to remain in a shared image, but it also means capture time and camera metadata should not be expected to survive when those details matter.
Animated images are also treated as still-image content during re-encoding, so their animation is not preserved. Keep the original source and create optimized derivatives for each use case so you can produce a different size or format later if needed.
Step by step
- Open Image Compressor & Converter and add PNG, JPEG, or WebP images. On desktop, you can also paste a screenshot with Ctrl+V.
- Choose a preset close to the intended use, such as website, photo, screenshot, or file-size limit.
- Run Smart Optimize, or manually set output format, quality, dimensions, and a target size when needed.
- Use Before / After and amplified difference to inspect text, edges, gradients, and other areas that matter for the destination.
- Check original size, output size, and reduction percentage, then save the image or a ZIP. For web work, picture markup and a web-asset ZIP are also available.
Image Compressor & Converter
Choose a use case and compare PNG, JPEG, and WebP formats, quality, and resolution to balance file size and visual quality.
Tips and limitations
- For web use, resize toward the maximum dimensions actually displayed before pushing compression quality lower.
- When multiple formats produce similar sizes, include transparency needs and destination compatibility in the decision instead of choosing only by bytes.
- Keep the original source separately. Removed EXIF data and original image detail cannot be fully reconstructed from the optimized output.
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose JPEG, PNG, or WebP?
JPEG or WebP are common candidates for photos, while WebP or PNG may suit transparency, text, and line-heavy graphics. The best choice depends on the image and destination, so compare both appearance and size.
Can it always reach the exact KB limit I enter?
Not always. Target-size mode searches by adjusting quality and resolution, but image content and minimum practical dimensions can prevent a result from reaching the requested limit. Check the actual exported size.
Are EXIF and GPS metadata preserved?
No. Canvas re-encoding does not preserve metadata such as EXIF. Keep the original file separately if capture metadata needs to remain available.
Are my images uploaded to a server?
No. Loading, candidate generation, comparison, compression, conversion, ZIP creation, and code export all run in the browser; selected images are not sent to a Browser Kitty backend.