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Performance workflow

Compress Images for Faster Pages and Better UX

Compress web images with slot-based byte targets and a two-pass quality check so pages load faster without obvious blur.

7 min read Updated 2026-02-10

Compression Workflow

This pass keeps quality stable while reducing payload where it matters most.

  1. 1

    Set byte budget by slot

    Define different KB targets for hero images, cards, thumbnails, and gallery assets.

  2. 2

    Resize before compression

    Remove excess dimensions first so compression has less data to process.

  3. 3

    Compress in two passes

    Run an initial quality pass, then a small second pass only if you miss the target.

  4. 4

    Validate in-page context

    Check edges, text overlays, and visual noise on the actual page layout.

Use these tools

Open the right workflow directly from this guide.

Pick your compression route

Start with the format that matches your source asset.

Photo-heavy content

Use JPG compression first for broad web support and lighter payloads.

Open Compress JPG

Graphics or transparency

Use PNG compression where edge clarity and alpha channels are required.

Open Compress PNG

Phone HEIC originals

Convert HEIC into share-ready outputs while controlling file size.

Open Compress HEIC

Set Realistic Budgets

A single target for every image creates avoidable quality loss and misses opportunities on lightweight assets.

  • Use stricter limits for repeating UI imagery.
  • Allow larger budgets for critical hero imagery.
  • Track wins by page slot, not only by file count.

Compression Order Matters

Dimension cleanup before quality tuning reduces artifacts and keeps visual consistency higher.

  • Resize to render dimensions first.
  • Choose format before final compression.
  • Avoid repeated recompression of already processed files.

Publish With QA Guardrails

Visual checks and destination checks prevent regressions that raw KB numbers miss.

  • Confirm face detail and text clarity at normal zoom.
  • Check responsive breakpoints for blur and ringing.
  • Verify key pages still meet performance targets.

Compression pitfalls and fixes

Avoid these mistakes before publishing images to production.

Compressing before resize

Issue: Large pixel dimensions keep files heavy even at aggressive compression levels.

Fix: Resize first, then compress so the encoder works on the final dimensions.

Open Image Resizer

Judging quality from tiny thumbnails

Issue: Artifacts are hidden in thumbnails and only show up in live layouts.

Fix: Inspect faces, logos, text, and gradients at real display size before shipping.

Open Compress JPG

Publishing metadata-heavy assets

Issue: EXIF metadata can add unnecessary bytes and privacy risk.

Fix: Remove metadata for web-ready outputs when original camera details are not required.

Open Photo Metadata & EXIF

Key takeaways

  • Slot-based budgets give better speed gains than one global limit.
  • Resize first to preserve quality during compression.
  • Always validate quality in the live page context.

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Related workflow

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