How to compress an image?

Image API
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Can ImageKit compress my images? How much compression can I get on a JPG file of 2MB size. Will it also impact the quality of the output image?

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Yes, ImageKit uses lossy compression techniques to significantly reduce image file size while preserving visual quality.

How Much Compression Can I Expect on a 2MB JPG File??

The amount of compression and the final file size of an image in ImageKit depend on various factors such as the original image size, format, resolution, and visual complexity.

For example, high-resolution or detailed images typically result in larger output sizes compared to simpler images with flat colors.

ImageKit measures image quality on a scale of 1 to 100, where 100 represents the highest quality (and largest file size), and 1 the lowest. Since image quality and file size are directly proportional, lowering the quality setting results in greater compression and smaller file sizes.

You can control the degree of compression using:

Will Compression Affect Image Quality?

ImageKit uses Lossy compression, which aims to reduce file size while retaining maximum visual fidelity.

Key points to consider while compressing your Images:

  1. By default, ImageKit sets the quality to 80, which is generally a great balance between visual quality and file size. At this setting, most users won’t notice any compression artefacts, even on high-resolution screens. For context, tools like Google PageSpeed use a quality setting of 85, so anything below that is considered optimized. If you require higher visual quality, it’s best to stay within the 70–90 range, with a maximum of 90 to avoid unnecessarily large files.
  2. For critical visual assets (e.g., product or design imagery), we recommend testing with different q values to find the sweet spot.
  3. Compressing your image with a lower quality value can lead to a noticeable reduction in visual fidelity, especially on high-resolution displays or when fine details matter.