![]() Technically, it takes longer to save a PNG at the maximum compression level (remember, 0 is lowest and 9 is highest), but on modern computers, it’s not usually a noticeable delay, so feel free to use the maximum by default.Įxactly how the different compression levels work is a bit beyond the scope of this article (and to be honest, a bit beyond my very limited grasp of mathematics and information theory), but you can read about them here on Wikipedia if you’re curious. The tradeoff comes in the form of larger final file sizes. Everything is lossless, and you get the option of including transparent sections in your image. PNG compression is actually quite a lot simpler than JPEG because you don’t have to worry about losing any image quality. Search engines consider how quickly your page loads when determining ranking position, so make sure you trim those files down as much as possible without compromising (too much) on quality. This is especially important when it comes to saving images for the web. If you’re not saving a photo, you can often get away with setting the quality down to 25 or 30 – always test your options! Usually, a quality setting between 70-85 is ideal – you get some of the benefits of a smaller file size, without having to lose much image quality. At this setting the image is too overcompressed to use for much of anything, but it shows how important it is to set the right compression level. If we go any lower, the subjects get almost unrecognizable.Īll that sounds bad, until you see that the file size has dropped from 2.0 MB to 97.8 KB, over 20 times smaller than at 100% JPG quality. Setting this photo to be saved at 20% JPG quality seriously degrades the image quality, creating color banding across the image, especially noticeable in the lighting in the clouds and color shifts in the foreground trees. The Export dialog box will also update with an estimated file size for your chosen settings. To see the effects of your compression adjustments in the GIMP workspace, simply check the ‘Show preview in image window’ box. ![]() Large areas of similar color can compress quite well without noticeably losing image quality, often reducing your file size by 50% or more. If your image is a photo, you’ll want to compare a few different settings to find out what looks best. If you need the absolute best in image preservation, TIFF is the best choice – but the files get quite large. TIFF files are most commonly used by imaging professionals who demand exceptionally precise image quality, thanks to the ability to store complex bit depths without degradation. If you need to use transparency in your image, you’ll have to choose PNG, but if you want your image accessible to the widest audience then JPEG is your best bet. The best compression level will depend on two things: the content of your image, and any file requirements you have. PackBits compression is only effective on black and white images, and can actually increase the file size of more complex color images. LZW and Deflate both provide lossless compression, while JPEG provides lossy compression as usual. TIFF can also optionally use compression. We’ll take a look at compression level settings for common image file types and discuss which options are best for different situations, whether you’re trying to save images for a website at the smallest possible file size or to make sure that your photographic masterpieces look their best. I’m usually very demanding when it comes to image quality, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices to save a few extra KB, and I’ll help you figure out how to get the best image you can with GIMP. My name is Thomas Boldt, and over the years I’ve saved more digital images than I can possibly count, from high-resolution fine art photos to lazily-edited dank memes. The highest compression rate (0 is lowest and 9 is highest) will make the smallest file, but it will also take the longest to save. The ‘Compression level’ setting when saving PNG files determines the final file size of your image and also affects how long it will take to save. Each one has a quality/compression setting that you can adjust for your needs, but they don’t all work the same way. Usually, the highest-quality images have the largest file sizes, but compression allows you to shrink that file size down while maintaining quality – the trick is where you set it.Ĭompression level in GIMP appears when you’re exporting your finished work as one of the standard image file types like JPEG, PNG, or TIFF. The simplest explanation is that compression level helps you balance image quality against image size.
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