To make an image file smaller, reduce the pixel dimensions first, then lower the compression quality. That order gets most photos under an email or upload limit with no visible damage.
Start with the dimensions
File size scales with pixel count. Halving the width and height of a 4,000 × 3,000 phone photo cuts its pixel count, and roughly its file size, by 75%. Use 1,500–2,000 px on the long edge for screens and 400–800 px for small web thumbnails.
Resize a copy and keep the original for printing or re-cropping. Deleted pixels cannot be recovered.
Set the compression quality
JPG and WebP quality runs from 0 to 100 and is not linear:
- 100 to ~85: often halves the file with little visible change.
- ~85 to ~70: bigger savings, with artifacts in skies and smooth gradients when zoomed in.
- Below ~60: diminishing returns, blockiness, smeared detail and edge halos.
Start around 82 for photos and judge the preview, watching skies and text near hard edges. Quality 100 is rarely worth the size.
Resize first, then compress
Crop, resize, then compress. A photo cut to a quarter of its pixels and saved near quality 82 can be 90–95% smaller with no visible change.
Check the file format
A photo saved as PNG can shrink 80% by converting to JPG or WebP. Screenshots and diagrams stay clearer as PNG (see the format guide).
Settings for email, websites and upload limits
- Email attachment: under 1–2 MB per photo. ~1,600 px long edge, JPG quality ~80.
- Website images: under 200–300 KB at displayed size (2× for high-DPI screens). WebP if you control the site.
- Hard upload limits: resize first. Drop quality below ~75 only if still over.
- Profile pictures: 500–800 px square at quality 80.
The resize & compress tool takes a percentage or exact dimensions, outputs JPG or WebP, and shows a preview. Trim edges first with the crop tool.