I decided to write a little guide for beginners and not only on how to compress photos and other files that we want to put on the site.
For this I usually use:
Pixelmator Pro - without it I’m like without hands. It has a built-in tool for preparing web assets in two resolutions - which works without starting the program. It’s good for making quick assets.
Image Optim - brilliant photo compression program - I use it every day. The only flaw is that it does not support WebM format.
Optimage - not a bad program but the free version has a limit on the number of files. It does an excellent pdf compression in two clicks if needed. Compresses worse than Image Optim or compressor - and the difference can be more than twice as much.
HadBrake - In case you need to compress video.
The scenario is this:
I look for photos on sites with CC0 photo rights - that is, those that allow me to use the photo for commercial purposes as well.
If I want to change the image format or resolution - I use Pixelmator Pro.
If the images are the same - then I use the built-in function to prepare the assets directly from the desktop -
Earlier I was sure that there is nothing better than https://compressor.io, but by experiments I found out that these ImageOptim settings give exactly the same size as compressor or very similar.
Bottom line - for simple compression I definitely recommend ImageOptim at the above settings.
For PDF compression you can use Optimage - rarely do you need to do a lot of PDF compression and therefore the free limit is enough.
For photo editing, my choice is Pixelmator Pro.
What if you want to increase the resolution of a photo instead of compressing it?
I found only two normal human ways to do it.
Via Pixelmator - it uses a neural network and shows very good results. This allows you to either increase the resolution of the photo - or conversely decrease the resolution of the photo with minimal loss of detail. I have experimented a lot and am very happy with this feature.
Through a neural network deployed by a kind person on the Internet - waifu2x - it works.
What if you have already created a site - with uncompressed photos?
It’s simple - make an upload site - go to the folder with images - and there select all and send it to image Optim - it does not change the name of the photos and after uploading to the server everything works fine.
If anyone has any questions or wants to make additions or corrections - I’ll be happy to.
@Newbie Whilst Optimage is a great little image optimiser, it doesn’t actually compress PDF’s. It will compress scanned PDF documents which isn’t quite the same thing. Scanned PDF’s are images and lose their text readability/searchability/selectability. PDF’s retain all the content of the file (text, images graphics etc.) One of the best products for reducing PDF sizes is PDFsqueezer, which sonly about €10, so it isn’t going to break the bank.
Scanned PDF’s are images and lose their text readability/searchability/selectability.
Are you sure you’re not mistaken?
I just checked - I compressed a PDF document Optimage - from 1 megabyte it turned into 50 kilobytes and all the functions - - - are saved.
@Newbie Maybe I’ve misunderstood the company’s information. Their site says that the app compresses scanned PDF’s which I took to mean documents that have been scanned to a PDF file - thereby making the whole document into an image file. Clearly that isn’t the case, so, a good option for all sorts of optimisation. Thanks for the heads-up.
I used to use it too.
But sometimes you need to compress confidential information.
For example a bank statement. Or a contract.
We don’t know how such services relate to data security.
That is why it is better to have a native application on a PC - where the author of the application earns money - and he himself is known. He will definitely try not to play with fire.
That’s why I prefer compression on my PC.
Also, you may have heard about vulnerabilities based on exif script execution.
I’m not an expert, but I think it’s better to be safe than sorry.
I just compared the result of compressing an interior photo through:
image optim - the tone of the photo is lost. and strongly. on the settings that I gave above.
compressor io - the tones of the photo are preserved - despite the fact that the size is the same as that of image optim.
The final conclusion - when quality is important - you will have to use compressor io. there is a limit on the number but it is easily bypassed through vpn.
