How to compress images without losing quality
Photos from a phone are often too big for email, forms and websites. Here is how to make them much smaller while they still look good, for free, without uploading them anywhere.
Why photos need compressing
A photo straight from a phone camera can be several megabytes. That is too big for many email limits, job application forms and website uploads, and it makes pages slow to load. You can usually make a photo far smaller with little visible difference, by doing two things: reducing the pixel size to what you actually need, and saving it with a sensible quality setting.
Step by step
- Open the tool.Go to imgLop's Resize & compress tab in Creative Studio. No account is needed, and it does not use any of your daily AI credits.
- Add your photos.Click Choose photos or drag them in. You can add up to 40 photos, up to 40 MB each. PNG, JPG, WEBP and iPhone HEIC all work.
- Set the size.Under Resize, choose Set the longest side and type a number of pixels, or tap one of the shortcuts (3000, 2048, 1600, 1080, 800). The longest side of each photo becomes that number and the other side shrinks to match. Photos are never enlarged, so a small photo stays as it is.
- Choose a format.Under Save as, pick JPG for most photos, WEBP if you want even smaller files and the place you are uploading to accepts it (WEBP only appears if your browser can create it, which Safari on iPhone and Mac may not, so use JPG for photos or PNG for logos there), or PNG if you need transparency kept. PNG is lossless, so the quality and target size options are hidden for PNG, and only resizing makes a PNG smaller.
- Choose how to compress.Under Compress by, use Quality and the slider (it starts at 80), or switch to Target file size and type a number of KB, such as 200. With a target, the tool lowers the quality until the photo fits, and if it still cannot fit at good quality it also makes the photo a little smaller.
- Click Resize & compress.Each photo shows its before and after size when it is done.
- Download.One photo downloads directly. Several photos download together as one ZIP file with Download all (ZIP). The files get an -imglop ending so your originals are never replaced.
Which settings should I use?
| Where the photo is going | Longest side | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| Email or a message | 1600 px | JPG, Quality 80 |
| A form with a file size limit | 1600 px or less | JPG, Target file size just under the limit |
| A blog or website | 1600 px | JPG, or WEBP if it appears in your browser, Quality 75 to 80 |
| Social media posts | 1080 px | JPG, Quality 80 |
| A screenshot or graphic with sharp text | Keep original size | PNG |
These are starting points. Check the size limit or image rules of the place you are uploading to, since they differ and change.
Tips for good-looking small files
- Reduce the pixels first. Setting the longest side is the biggest saver. A phone photo is often 4000 px or more, and few places need more than 1600.
- Do not go too low on quality. Between 70 and 85 is the sweet spot for most photos. Below that, blocky patches can appear in skies and skin.
- Use a target size for strict limits. If a form says "under 200 KB", type 200 and let the tool find the quality that fits. Aim a little under the limit, not exactly on it.
- Keep the originals. Compressing throws away detail that cannot be brought back. Save your full-size photos somewhere safe.
- Do not compress the same file again and again. Each round of JPG compression loses a bit more detail. Start from the original each time.
Privacy: Your photos are resized and compressed inside your browser tab. Nothing is uploaded, and the tool is free with no daily limit.
Questions people ask
Does compressing a photo reduce its quality?
A little, with JPG and WEBP. At a quality of about 80 the difference is usually hard to see. PNG is lossless, so only resizing makes a PNG smaller.
How do I get a photo under a certain size, like 200 KB?
Choose Compress by, then Target file size, and type the number of KB. The tool lowers the quality until the photo fits. If it still cannot fit at good quality, it also makes the photo a little smaller.
How many photos can I do at once?
Up to 40 photos, each up to 40 MB. Several photos download together as one ZIP.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. They are processed in your browser tab and never sent to a server.
Is it free?
Yes. Resize & compress is free, has no daily limit and needs no account.
Can I make a photo bigger?
No. Photos are never enlarged, because making a photo bigger only makes it blurrier.