File size is not the same as image size
People mix up two things. Dimensions are the width and height in pixels. File size is how much storage the file takes, measured in KB or MB. A photo can have large dimensions and a small file size, or the other way around.
The two ways to make a file smaller
- Lower the quality. JPG files get smaller as you increase compression. A little compression is hard to notice, but too much creates blocky patches.
- Reduce the dimensions. Fewer pixels means less data. This is the next step when lowering quality alone is not enough.
Our compress tools do both for you: they find the highest quality that fits your limit and shrink the dimensions only if they have to.
Tips for better results at small sizes
- Crop out empty space before compressing.
- Photos with plain backgrounds compress better than busy scenes.
- Save as JPG for photos. PNG files are usually larger.
- Do not compress the same file again and again, because each round loses more quality. Start from the original.
What if the result looks too soft?
Your limit may be too small for that photo. Try a larger limit if the site allows it, or crop closer to the subject so the pixels go to the important part.