A smaller image can make a page, email or upload feel much faster, but aggressive compression can soften text and introduce visible blocks. The best result comes from choosing the right dimensions, format and quality for the image's real purpose.
Start with the dimensions you actually need
An image displayed at 800 pixels wide rarely needs to be uploaded at 4,000 pixels. Reducing dimensions removes far more data than adjusting a quality slider alone and often creates the largest file-size saving.
Keep a separate original if you may need a large print or crop later. Compress a copy for the web, application form or message you are preparing.
Choose JPG or PNG for the right job
JPG is usually efficient for photographs and images with many colours. PNG preserves sharp edges and transparency, which makes it useful for interface graphics, diagrams and logos but potentially much larger for photographs.
Converting a photographic PNG to JPG can save substantial space. Converting a JPG to PNG does not restore detail that was already discarded; it may only produce a larger file.
- Use JPG for most photographs.
- Use PNG for transparency, screenshots and crisp flat graphics.
- Check whether an upload service requires a particular format.
Lower quality gradually
Start around a high quality setting and move down in small steps while viewing the image at its intended size. Fine texture, gradients, small text and faces tend to reveal compression damage first.
There is no universal best percentage because image content matters. A simple photo may remain clean at a lower setting than a busy night scene or a screenshot containing text.
Protect private images
For personal documents or photos, prefer a tool that processes the file locally when possible. Kitalva's Image Compressor uses the browser canvas and provides the result as a download without intentionally uploading the image to a Kitalva server.