From time to time, every user needs a program to compress photos.
The situation is quite trivial and simple - you go on vacation, take a camera with you, but the memory in the device is not enough to take more pictures.
There is practically no memory on the computer either.
Then already existing photos need to be compressed. This means that you need to make the files weigh less, that is, take up less space in the device's memory.
We will consider 5 of the most convenient and popular programs that will help solve the problem.
But before that, let's consider one interesting question. Is it possible to compress photos without losing quality.
Many people say that this is possible and even cite examples of programs that supposedly do it. In fact, it is impossible to compress any files without losing some of their information!
Yes, the algorithms may differ, and some of them allow you to compress photos with minimal loss, which will be invisible to the human eye.
Others make it possible to perform the task in such a way that the loss of quality is not noticeable even for the best devices. But it is simply impossible to compress a picture without losing quality at all.
Most of the algorithms and programs in which they are used give approximately the same result as shown in Figure 1.
As you can see, here the loss of quality is noticeable with the naked eye.
But this does not mean that all these programs do not need to be used. You just need to choose the ones that work better than the rest. But we did it for you.
Enjoy!
Below are all five programs that compress images best (they lose the least quality) and are the most convenient to use.
Cesium
And we will start with a very unusual tool that does an excellent job with the task at hand. At the same time, even a novice user can use it.
Interestingly, Cesium is open source.
And this means that everyone can quite safely take this very code and add some of their own adjustments to it.
If the developers like them, they will implement them in the next version of the program. In addition, Cesium algorithms can be taken for your own use.
True, this program works only with three image formats - PNG, JPG and BMP. However, this is relevant for most of such programs and you should definitely not abandon Cesium because of this.
However, if you have pictures in a different format, it is better to convert them to one of the three above-mentioned formats.
"But that's a completely different story!" (with)
When it comes to compressing photos, Cesium has some limitations in its work.
The most important of them is that if you use PNG, the program will only work with 24-bit pictures.
Otherwise, the images are even enlarged. Otherwise, Cesium is a great tool for compressing photos.
It is very simple to use the tool, for this it is enough to do the following:
The program can automatically reduce the width and height so that the resulting image meets the criteria of a particular resource.
In addition, using this tool, you can put images in the archive. Moreover, after compressing the files, all of them can be safely stored in the archive.
This will reduce their size even more.
In general, FastStone Image Viewer is a very multifunctional and really high quality thing!
To use it, you need to do the following:
- First, you need to download the program from the official site and, accordingly, install it.
- It is advisable to copy all the files intended for compression into one folder before starting work. Then all of them will be easier to import into the program.
- Then launch FastStone Image Viewer. On the left there will be a folder tree in which you will need to select your own. When you click on it, all images will automatically appear in the large window on the right.
Rice. 3. Selecting a folder with photos in FastStone Image Viewer
- Now select the pictures for compression in the same window on the right. This is done with the mouse cursor.
Rice. 4. Selecting images in FastStone Image Viewer
- Now click "File" in the upper left corner of the program. In the drop-down menu, select the option "Send by e-mail".
Rice. 5. Item "Send by e-mail" in the drop-down list of the "File" menu
- The compression menu will open. Where it was originally written «<Выбор размера>» , in the drop-down menu select the size of the output image. Check the boxes if you wish. "Add frame" and "Save EXIF / IPTC data"... Also, if desired, all pictures can be renamed. To do this, put a check mark on the appropriate item and set the name template. Then check the box "Pack images into archive" if you want this action to be performed.
Rice. 6. Compression settings in FastStone Image Viewer
- Click on the button "Copy to ..." and in the window that appears, select the path to save the files.
Rice. 7. "Copy to ..." button in the compression settings window
- Wait for the process to finish.
As you can see, nothing complicated either.
ImageCompressor
In this tool, everything is extremely simple. There are no special display elements like FastStone Image Viewer.
Yes, and there are not many functions here, and specifically, one is image compression.
On the one hand, this is even good, because the developers paid as much attention as possible, and were not distracted by anything else.
Based on many reviews and tests, ImageCompressor does its job slightly better than Cesium. The quality of compressed files is practically not lost.
At least the human eye does not notice this.
Using ImageCompressor is as follows:
- First download and run the program on your computer ().
- Import the original images into the program. To do this, click on the button with the ellipsis. A standard file selection window will open, in which you need to select the ones you need.
- Next to the “Quality” label, use the slider to specify the desired quality of the resulting images. If you want, you can specify it manually in the corresponding field to the right of the slider.
- Check the box next to "Size in%" and use the slider to select 100 or specify this number manually. This will show the program that you want to keep 100% of the photo size.
- Then check the box next to “Save as JPEG” or “Save as PNG” - depending on the format in which you want to save the image.
- Click on the ellipsis button under the inscription "Save Compressed Images ..." and in the window that appears, select the folder where the compressed images will be saved.
- Click on the "Compress All" button and wait for the process to finish.
Rice. 8. Working in ImageCompressor
When finished, the compressed files can be found in the folder specified in the sixth step.
Pngyu
Another very unusual tool that is great at reducing the size of photos. Its main difference is that Pngyu is a cross-platform tool.
It can be used by fans of Windows and fans of Mac OS.
True, Pngyu, as the name implies, works with. Therefore, again, before use, you must convert the photo to this format.
It makes sense!
Pngyu is truly one of the coolest photo compression tools out there! It's definitely worth taking advantage of.
Interesting: Sometimes by converting photos from one format to another, you can achieve a reduction in file size. True, the quality can also be lost to such an extent that it will be noticeable.
To use Pngyu, do this:
- Download Pngyu to your computer and launch it - here is the link for Windows, but for Mac OS.
- Drag all the original images with the mouse cursor to the largest field in the middle of the program window. It also originally says "Drop here".
- If you want to change any compression settings, click on the "Custom" button at the top of Pngyu (left).
- If you want to overwrite the original, that is, you did not have two images - one original, and one compressed, leave the "Overwrite the original" button selected. And if you want to specify the path for the output image, select "Custom" and do it.
- Click on the "Compress Start" button. Compression starts. Wait for it to end.
Rice. 9. Pngyu work
In the same field where you originally uploaded the pictures, the original size of each file and the size of the compressed picture will be shown.
There is also information about the percentage of compression and how much it was saved (in MB or KB).
In general, it is also very convenient and simple!
FILEminimizer
This program takes a very radical approach to compressing photos, as well as a wide variety of files for other purposes. It removes everything that is not directly related to the picture.
This can be metadata, some kind of signatures, additional information, and so on.
FILEminimizer also recodes photos. In some cases, this leads to the fact that the quality of the photo is lost, but all this can be adjusted.
Although this process is also quite complicated. FILEminimizer has the highest compression percentage of all the programs described here.
In its simplest form, the use of this program is as follows:
- Initially, the program is downloaded, for example, from this link, and is launched on the computer.
- Once launched, the source files should be placed in the box under the "Files to optimize" label.
- Then you just need to click on the "Optimize Files" button. The program will automatically select all the required parameters. If you still want to customize them, check the box next to "Custom Compression" and click on the "Settings" button. A settings window will appear, in which you can select everything that you need.
Rice. 10. Working in FILEminimizer
As you can see, there are many good photo compression programs that will help you save space on your storage medium.
Below is a visual instruction on how to use FastStone Image Viewer.
Compress Photos with FastStone Image Viewer
Photo Compression Software - TOP 5 Best (2019)
Image Resizer- a very valuable and useful free program in Russian for working with images on Windows. It was created so that you can quickly and easily change the resolution of an image or convert it to any other format. Image Resizer has a nice design, ease of use and speed of work.
Anyone can download Image Resizer for free using a direct link on our website. This is the most accessible and functional tool for working with pictures on a computer.
Each computer should have such a program, as often, an inexperienced user simply cannot do without it. That is why this program is presented on our website.
Peculiarities
- Converting files between different graphic formats;
- Insert watermarks into the image;
- Reducing the size of photos for publishing on the Internet or sending by e-mail;
- Changing the compression strength of the image and resolution;
- Support for JPEG, GIF, BMP, TIFF and other files;
- Support for RAW formats of digital cameras: Canon, Nikon, Minolta;
- Modifiable options and settings for advanced users.
If you work with photos or pictures of different formats, with the help of Image Resizer for Windows you can easily compress or resize them, for example, in order to send it to your loved ones by e-mail. People who work with website design, as a rule, very often need to compress images as much as possible without visual loss of quality. Image Resizer is a program that allows you to do this.
It also contains "presets" (ready-made settings) for converting images optimized for Ipod, NTSC, Sony PSP, HDTV, DVD FULL HD.
Compressing images is a very important process, as it ultimately saves space on your hard drive, increases website loading speed and saves traffic. But, how to figure out among the many different programs for image optimization, each of which has its own special functionality? Let's take a look at the capabilities of the most popular image compression applications.
RIOT
The program for compressing photos without loss of quality RIOT differs not only in wide functionality, in addition to compressing files, including the ability to resize and convert them to other formats, but also a very user-friendly interface. It is important that this application supports the optimization of several graphic file formats at once.
The main disadvantage of the application is the lack of a Russian-language interface.
Cesium
Another popular photo optimization software is Cesium. The main feature of this application is the high accuracy of the image compression settings. This utility also has a very user-friendly graphical interface. In addition, unlike most programs for optimizing images, the Cesium application is Russified.
At the same time, despite the fact that this program works with several formats of graphic files, it does not support the processing of all popular extensions. For example, Cesium does not work with GIF format.
Light Image Resizer
A fairly powerful program for compressing and optimizing photos is the Light Image Resizer application. This software product, despite its relatively simple appearance, is a serious utility for image processing. Although image compression is the main function of this utility, it also has a number of photo editing tools in its baggage. The program produces cropping, applying effects, reducing the physical size of the image, converting to various formats. The domestic user will like the fact that the Light Image Resizer utility is completely Russified.
This application has no significant drawbacks. Is that to take for a disadvantage the fact that this program is one of the few described in this review, which has a shareware license. That is, you will have to pay for its continued use.
Advanced JPEG Compressor
Unlike previous applications, Advanced JPEG Compressor does not specialize in compressing several types of graphic files, but concentrates on working with one format - JPEG. It is considered one of the best utilities for optimizing files with this extension, providing high compression and compression speed. In addition to this paramount task, the program has the function of editing images, including using a convenient graphic equalizer. It is capable of converting a number of popular image formats to JPEG files. It also converts JPEG images back to BMP format.
But, unfortunately, the official version of this program is not Russified. In addition, the functionality of the free version, which can be used for a short period, is very curtailed.
PNG Guntlet
A similar version of the previous program, only specializing in compressing images in the PNG format, is the PNGGauntlet utility. Thanks to the built-in tools PNGOUT, OptiPNG, Defl Opt, this program compresses photos of this format very high quality. In addition, it converts a variety of graphic formats to PNG images.
But, unfortunately, the general functionality of this program is rather limited, and it does not have more features, except for those indicated above. In addition, the application is not Russified.
OptiPNG
The OptiPNG application, like the previous one, is also designed to compress images in PNG format. Moreover, it is included as a component in the PNGGauntlet program, but it can be used separately, providing high quality compression of this file type. In addition, it is possible to convert a number of graphic formats to PNG format.
But, it is worth noting that a significant disadvantage of this program is the lack of a graphical interface, since it works through the command line console.
Jpegoptim
The Jpegoptim utility, which also works from the command line console, and does not have a graphical interface, is an analogue of OptiPNG, only intended for processing files in the JPEG format. But, despite this, it is considered one of the best in terms of compression of JPEG images, and the speed of working with them.
But, unlike OptiPNG, this application does not have the ability to convert images of other formats into the format in which it specializes (JPEG), that is, it is even more functionally limited.
FileOptimizer
Unlike the previous program, FileOptimizer does not focus on working with just one file type. Moreover, it is capable of compressing not only images, but also video, audio, documents, programs, etc. The list of file formats that FileOptimizer can optimize is overwhelming. But, despite its "omnivorous", the program is very easy to use.
At the same time, it should be noted that a side effect of the versatility of this program is its relatively weak ability to work with files of graphic formats. For example, unlike most programs for compressing images, it cannot perform even basic image editing.
Faststone Image Viewer
Unlike the previous utility, Faststone Image Viewer is just a complex application for working with images, and compressing photos is far from its main function. This program is, first of all, a powerful image viewer and editor that works with a huge number of graphic formats.
It should be noted that this application is irrational to use if you plan to use it only as a tool for compressing photos. This is due to the fact that the net weight of Faststone Image Viewer is quite large, and the management of the compression process is complicated by the oversaturated functionality of the utility.
As you can see, the variety of programs for compressing and optimizing images is quite large. They can specialize both in a single photo format, and support the ability to work with a variety of image formats, and even with completely different types of data. These utilities can have only one function - image compression, or they can be very multifunctional, while file compression may not be their main task. In general, users have the opportunity to choose exactly the photo compression application that suits them best.
To speed up your site, some recommend analyzing each page: optimizing HTTP requests and any redirects, compressing scripts and styles, etc. This is undoubtedly necessary, but it's important to consider the basics first. Specifically, are you sure that any graphics you use on the sites you create are fully optimized for the web?
Almost all web developers know that it is necessary to choose the appropriate format for each image, as well as keep its dimensions (both in pixels and in kilobytes) to a minimum. Some even optimize JPEG settings as much as possible, balancing between size and quality. However, the harsh reality is that no matter how carefully you design your images, the regular graphics editors you use will not be able to save the finished files as efficiently as possible. And when images are compressed, their quality can deteriorate significantly.
It is difficult to say for sure how much quality is lost when compressing images, as it depends a lot on the source of the graphics. Some JPGs can be reduced by as little as 50-100 bytes. Usually, normal Internet graphics need to be compressed by 10-40%, without loss of image quality (you can also do this with reducing the number of colors or re-encoding JPEG files into other formats). But ideally, to compress images, use special programs or web services, which will be discussed in this review.
Testing
So which programs are the best? To answer this question, we'll look at 18 major competing programs. These are mainly Windows image compression tools as they are the most common. But we've also included lossy compression options, Mackintosh programs, and web services, so hopefully everyone will find something useful.We tried using each program to compress the same sets of GIF, PNG and JPG images, each of which was actually a sample of web graphics that we found on a number of real sites. The programs were also checked on other points. Are they user-friendly? How fast was the compression process? Reliability? Can a program, for example, increase the size of an image?
The results turned out to be very interesting, we invite you to familiarize yourself with them.
Programs
1. AdvanceCOMP 1.15
Platform: WindowsOutdated command line tool with minimal support. AdvanceCOMP is unlikely to suit the average PC user accustomed to graphical interfaces. For those who are used to working with the command line, there is nothing complicated about it. So, just one line:
"for% a in (" C: \ PNG File \ Folder \ *. png ") do advpng -z -4"% a ""
allows you to apply a lossless compression algorithm to each file in a folder, replacing the original with the compressed version.
Nevertheless, the results obtained were far from ideal, and our test PNG image was compressed by only 14.2% (only one of the services included in the review turned out to be even worse).
2. Cesium 1.4.1
Platform: WindowsCesium is a simple open source tool for compressing PNG, JPG and BMP. This is a fairly easy-to-use program. Click the Add button, select the images, select the folder where the processed images will be loaded - Output, click the Compress button, and in a few seconds you will get the result.
BMP compression is not of interest to us, as it is rarely used when creating sites, and there was nothing special for us in JPG compression technology either. The program does not have the ability to compress without loss of quality, it simply recodes the file in the selected quality setting.
Cesium does provide support for lossless PNG compression, although it does have some limitations. It can only output 24-bit images, otherwise the image size will probably increase. The results of the program clearly illustrate the problem, as most of our test images of PNG web graphics with a color depth of 48 bits actually increase in size. Even with careful adjustment, the overall size of our image was reduced by only 1.2%.
3. FILEminimizer Pictures 3.0
Platform: WindowsFILEminimizer Pictures takes a more radical approach to image compression than most of its competitors. By default, when trying to compress your photos, it can change the format and size of the image, down-encode JPEG files, and strip metadata. Most of these options can be set in the program settings.
In use, the program adheres to the generally accepted principle. After you have indicated the source file to it, selected the folder for the result obtained, perhaps configured one or two options, just one click of the mouse is enough to start the optimization. All of this is done pretty quickly, so you don't have to wait too long.
How well does the compression perform? Everything varies depending on the format, at least in our tests. PNG compression - nothing special - 26.8% (some tools do better without loss of quality), GIF compression was above average - 16.5%, but our JPG web graphics decreased in size by 39.3% - the largest compression in the study group. But in all tests, the loss of quality was visually noticeable.
4. FileOptimizer 2.10.135
Platform: WindowsThe capabilities of the FileOptimizer program are quite large. Not only can it compress JPG, GIF and PNG images, but it can also work with executable files, archives, Microsoft Office documents, PDF files - the list goes on for quite some time.
Surprisingly, it is absolutely not difficult to use it. In fact, the program has one of the simplest interfaces: drag and drop images into FileOptimizer, right-click, select Optimize and enjoy the result. However, this simplicity has a downside - the original files are replaced by the program. The originals are sent to the trash, so you will have to restore them (if you need them, of course).
But compression is of course paramount, and here FileOptimizer delivers good results. For example, the program reduced our PNG test graphics by 42.2% - the best lossless compression in this group. Compression for JPEG and GIF was 17.7% and 15.9% higher than standard, respectively, but there are still many useful options in this program that you can use with FileOptimizer to compress other files on your site.
5. ImageOptim 1.4.0
Platform: MacImageOptim is a Mac tool that optimizes GIF, JPEG, and PNG images, and acts as an interface to many other applications: PNGOUT, AdvPNG, Pngcrush, Advanced OptiPNG, JpegOptim, jpegrescan, jpegtran, and Gifsicle.
The program performs almost lossless compression: rather, it removes comments, color profiles, etc., without re-encoding or reducing the number of colors. ImageOptim's interface is also quite user-friendly. Drag and drop one file, group or folder with the files you want, and the program immediately starts compressing each image and displaying the results. It's not the fastest tool, but even if you submit thousands of high-res JPEGs for processing, it is unlikely to be a problem for it.
The end results were impressive, but not exciting. Our GIF web graphics are down 16.2%, PNGs down 17.8%, JPGs down 18.3%. You can do better with separate tools. But if you want a simple Mac tool that can handle GIF, JPEG, and PNG files, then ImageOptim is a perfectly reasonable choice.
6.Jpegmini
Platform: MacJPEGmini is an interesting Mac application with a non-standard approach to JPEG shortening.
First, it uses an intelligent algorithm to figure out how much images can be compressed without visible effect (that is, not a simple transcoding with some kind of fixed quality setting). The program uses its own JPEG encoder to try and get the most compact files possible. Processing takes place in the background. Just drag and drop your photos into the program (the free version has a maximum of 20 per day) and it will replace the originals with the compressed versions.
But the range of results was huge. Our JPG image was reduced by only 8.2%, but when we sent in 25 large digital photos for processing, they decreased by 71.3% with a small visible loss of quality. With simple web graphics, JPEGmini doesn't do anything too surprising. It is best used for processing large images.
7.jStrip 3.3
Platform: WindowsJStrip is a lossless compression tool for JPEG files that removes irrelevant information such as thumbnails, comments, color profiles, extra bytes at the beginning or end of a file, and various other bits and pieces. But the compression of files will be small, since the program does not use re-encoding. This was especially noticeable when we placed high-resolution JPG photos in JStrip, which the program was able to reduce by about 1%.
If the files you want to compress are already small in themselves, the compression is likely to be much greater. When we ran our selection of JPEG web graphics through jStrip, the images shrunk by an average of 16.1%. It should be noted that the work of the program is not stable. By default, it replaces the images you specified with compressed versions, so it's better to use copies for processing. All in all jStrip is a quick and easy way to slightly reduce the size of JPEG images.
8. OptiPNG 0.7.3
Platform: WindowsOptiPNG is a popular command line lossless PNG compression tool that is regularly used in other programs (such as PNGGauntlet) to process and optimize images.
The program is much better documented than many similar packages, so even if you have not worked with the command line, it will not be difficult to figure it out. The installation files are downloaded along with a PDF that explains the various switches and options, which is very handy (although you still need to practice image optimization to fully understand how it works). If you want to combine multiple command line tools to get the best results, then OptiPNG is worth including.
The results, even with the default compression settings, were quite acceptable, with our test PNG web graphics reduced in size by an average of 32.2%.
9.PNGGauntlet 3.1.2.0
Platform: WindowsPNGGauntlet is a pretty interesting tool, essentially wrapping three other open source programs (PNGOUT, OptiPNG, DeflOpt) for compressing images.
In the course of work, it acts in the same way as competitors. Drag and drop your original images, select an output folder, click the "Optimize! / Optimize" button! and wait.
It is possible that you will have to wait and wait and wait ... Presumably this long wait is due to the fact that it combines the work of three tools for processing. PNGGauntlet can be very slow, in our case it took 50 minutes 44 seconds to compress 25 high-resolution PNG photos.
However, the results are impressive. When processing our PNG web graphics test, the program reduced our 50 images by an average of 41.3%, and even the photos were reduced by 7.75% with no visible loss of quality. Sometimes this is enough to justify performance problems. So if you want a quality PNG compression tool, then PNGGauntlet should really be on your list.
10. PNGOptimizer 2.2
Platform: WindowsAt a tiny 146kb size, PNGOptimizer is the lightest of the programs in this roundup, so it's no surprise that its interface is as simple as it can be, and it specializes only in PNG files.
Using PNGOptimizer 2.2 gives you control over a surprisingly large number of processing parameters. PNGOptimizer can remove interlacing, preserve, remove or replace the background color, and remove text or the physical dimensions of an image in pixels. The program can even import GIF, BMP and TGA files, saving them as PNG according to the options selected.
But the program could not bypass the competitors in image compression, this can be seen from the test results. PNGOptimizer reduced high-resolution PNG photos by an average of only 3.6%. It coped much better with small graphics, with an average compression of 39.8%. If you are looking for a small and simple PNG compression tool, then PNGOptimizer is the way to go.
11. PNGOUTWin 1.5.0
Platform: WindowsPNGOUT is one of the best image compression tools out there. Unfortunately, it is rather inconvenient to use because it is built on the command line with no batch processing support. But if this is a problem for you, you can always choose its commercial interface: PNGOUTWin.
The program is highly configurable. You can use PNGOUTWin to overwrite your original images or save the weekend in a new folder. It is also possible to save file time attributes, adjust the compression level, the ability to store some (or all) PNG chunks is implemented, etc.
It is also easy to use. Drag and drop an image into the program window, and it will immediately start the compression process, using multiple threads to work with multiple images at the same time. The results are also great, our PNG web graphics are reduced in size by 40.5% (not bad for lossless compression).
Unfortunately, currently only PNGOUT interface is free for it, the same as PNGGauntlet, which is also very easy to use program (in fact, you can achieve even higher compression levels if you combine it with other tools). While PNGOUTWin is a powerful program, it probably doesn't cost the $ 14.95 (Personal) / $ 29.95 (Volume) they ask for it.
12. PUNYpng
Platform: webMuch more versatile than its name suggests is PUNYpng, a web service that can actually apply lossless compression to GIF, JPG, and PNG images. Signing up and creating an account is free, but there are restrictions for free accounts: you can only upload 15 images in batches, each no more than 150 kb.
In general, the service is quite convenient. Click the Upload Images button on the site and then wait while the photos are uploaded and compressed. A progress report appears, and everything can be downloaded as a ZIP archive.
We used a free account for testing. PUNYpng performed well and compressed various test suites of files by 16-32%. For $ 2 per month, you can upgrade your account to PRO, with which you can get an additional compression option with less loss of quality and upload more files.
13. RIOT 0.4.6
Platform: WindowsRIOT is free, but it is one of the few programs that tries to install additional software during the setup process. Be sure to uncheck the appropriate box during installation if you are not interested in such additional software.
The rest is very simple. The clear and intuitive interface makes it easy to compress individual GIF, PNG or JPG images and compare the results while the batch interface processes multiple files at a very high speed.
Unfortunately, there is no lossless compression here. RIOT rather reduces the number of colors in an image and re-encodes in a low quality JPEG format. Despite this, the program managed to make some of our test images significantly larger. Therefore, we recommend that you carefully check the RIOT output settings before using it for processing.
The program nevertheless coped well with the task, in particular, it managed to reduce our GIF files by an average of 42.8%. But first, a detailed configuration was needed - the "default" indicators were much worse.
14. ScriptJPG
Platform: WindowsScriptJPG is one of the more primitive packages, essentially just a Windows script that acts as an interface to several command line based tools. Drag and drop your JPG files into the script, choose compression options (either Lossless or Custom JPEG Quality), and ScriptJPG will scale down your images. So, at least, it was stated in the description. For some reason, the program did not work as promised with our JPG web graphics, and the start menu was not even displayed.
We were able to test the package on our JPEG photo and got pretty good results. Its lossless compression option reduced the size of our image by almost 10%. If you are a graphics specialist, then ScriptJPG may be of interest to you. You will be able to diagnose problems as they arise and possibly modify the script, adjust the compression settings according to your needs. If you prefer clearer and simpler tools, we recommend using one of the GUI counterparts. There are many more powerful alternatives and of course they are much easier to use.
15. ScriptPNG
Platform: WindowsAs you've probably guessed from the name, ScriptPNG is the closest relative of ScriptJPG. It is a Windows batch file that uses four utilities to compress PNG files to the desired size. Also, like ScriptJPG, there is very little customization here. Drag and drop an image into a file and nine compression options are presented on the command line. Choose the one you want and the program will immediately start shrinking each file in turn (and replacing the original images with the output ones, so it's better to work with copies).
Another problem we had was that pngout.exe crashed after installation. This did not show up on script execution, but we had to manually close the error dialog box every time it appeared. Despite this, the compression results were quite impressive. Our PNG web graphics lost up to 40.1% volume with no visible degradation in image quality.
16. Smush. It
Platform: webMost image compression web services are very limited, but Smush. It on Yahoo is a rare exception. The only limitation is the size of the files (no more than 1 MB), but on the other hand, you can upload as many images to the system as you need. There is no registration, no account creation, no daily quotas. Images are compressed using various tools and the results can be obtained as a ZIP file.
There is just one problem with this approach - you don't have access to the compression tools themselves. You cannot customize or change them. You see the results you will get, and there is nothing you can do to change them. Some problem was found with JPGs since Smush. It managed to reduce our test images by only 1%. PNG compression was more efficient at 35.3%, although our GIFs lost an impressive 23.9% volume (best lossless compression in all tests).
17. TinyPNG
Platform: webLike Smush. It, TinyPNG is a free web service that can optimize images for you. Just drag and drop your files onto the webpage, it will compress them and provide download links. The system has some drawbacks: limiting the file size to 2 MB, the ability to download only 20 files at a time, and the lack of the ability to batch download.
TinyPNG also has a clear approach to compression at the expense of quality, unlike most other tools, with a revision of the palette to reduce (sometimes significantly) the number of colors used. Unsurprisingly, this pays off for the raw graphics part by compressing our PNG web graphics by 48% - the best in this test. In most cases, it was very difficult to spot any differences between the original images and the compressed versions.
By the way, the best compression ratio without loss of quality among locally installed programs is 40%. So if your top priority is image quality, or you just don't want to constantly compare graphics, trying to see if there is a difference, then TinyPNG may be of interest to you.
18. Trout's GIF Optimizer 2.3
Platform: WindowsTrout's GIF Optimizer is a compression tool that does not require installation. His parameters, of course, are a little limited. As you guessed from the name, the program only compresses GIF files, so it does not have any global configuration options of particular interest (although you can manually optimize the palette of individual images in various ways).
However, Trout's GIF Optimizer is very easy to work with. Just import the selected photos, the size reduction for each image is displayed immediately (it's very fast), you can save them with just a few clicks. Unfortunately, the compression results are not particularly impressive: our GIF web graphics have shrunk by an average of only 16.7%.
Summary table for all tested services
| Tested | Platform | Compression | Reducing PNG (in%) | Decrease JPG (in%) | Reducing GIF (in%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AdvanceComp 1.15 | Windows | No loss of quality | -14.20% | ||
Cesium 1.4.1 |
Windows | +18.7% | |||
| FILEminimizer 3.0 | Windows | With loss / Without loss of quality | -26.8% | -39.3% | -16.5% |
FileOptimizer 2.10.135 |
Windows | No loss of quality | -42.2% | -17.7% | -15.9% |
| ImageOptim 1.4.0 | Mac | No loss of quality | -17.8% | -18.3% | -16.2% |
| JPEGmini Lite 1.4.1 | Mac | No loss of quality | -8.2% | ||
| jStrip 3.3 | Windows | No loss of quality | -16.1% | ||
| OptiPNG 0.7.3 | Windows | No loss of quality | -32.3% | ||
| PNGGauntlet 3.1.2.0 | Windows | No loss of quality | -41.3% | ||
| PNGOptimizer 2.2 | Windows | With loss / Without loss of quality | -39.8% | ||
| PNGOutWin 1.5.0 | Windows | No loss of quality | -40.5% | ||
| PUNYpng | Web | No loss of quality | -32.1% | -27.5% | -16.1% |
| RIOT 0.4.6 | Windows | With loss of quality | -21.7% | -39% | -42.8% |
| ScriptJPG | Windows | With loss / Without loss of quality | -10% | ||
| ScriptPNG | Windows | No loss of quality | -40.1% | ||
| Smush. It | Web | No loss of quality | -35.3% | -1% | -23.9% |
| TinyPNG | Web | With loss of quality | -48% | ||
| Trout's GIF Optimizer 2.3 | Windows | With loss / Without loss of quality | -16.7% |
conclusions
After many hours of testing and general decomposition of the participating programs into stages, we can conclude that image compression is a really effective optimization tool and gives a fairly good result. All of our test PNG files could be reduced by 30 - 40%, and even JPEG files were able to be compressed by 16-18%. In all cases, lossless compression was used, so the image quality did not degrade, the images look exactly the same, only they load faster.The exact results you get will of course vary. But if you haven't tried compressing images before, then it is definitely worth taking the best of our programs and giving it a try to see how they can be useful for your sites.
Overall, FileOptimizer outperformed its Windows counterparts in lossless compression, delivering superior compression (up to 42.2%) in our test files. It also compresses JPG and GIF files quite well, and it also has other useful options (for example, PDF compression).
But if this program doesn't suit you for whatever reason, then PNGGauntlet and ScriptPNG also provide good PNG compression, and ImageOptim is useful for Mac, as it gives a good level of JPEG and GIF compression.
While we found web services to be less user-friendly in testing, we would not rule them out entirely. PUNYpng was the best at lossless JPG compression, while Smush. It beat all the competition on GIF compression, both can be of great help in reducing the volume of your web graphics.
Can be installed as a plugin for Chrome: goo.gl/aDSQ6, Firefox: goo.gl/mlxd0.
From time to time, every user needs a program to compress photos. The situation is quite trivial and simple - you go on vacation, take a camera with you, but the memory in the device is not enough to take more pictures. There is practically no memory on the computer either.
Then already existing photos need to be compressed. This means that you need to make the files weigh less, that is, take up less space in the device's memory. We will consider 5 of the most convenient and popular programs that will help solve the problem.
But before that, let's consider one interesting question. Is it possible to compress photos without losing quality.
Many people say that this is possible and even cite examples of programs that supposedly do it. In fact, it is impossible to compress any files without losing some of their information!
Yes, the algorithms may differ, and some of them allow you to compress photos with minimal loss, which will be invisible to the human eye. Others make it possible to perform the task in such a way that the loss of quality is not noticeable even for the best devices. But it is simply impossible to compress a picture without losing quality at all.
Most of the algorithms and programs in which they are used give approximately the same result as shown in Figure 1. As you can see, here the loss of quality is noticeable with the naked eye.
Rice. 1. The result of one of the photo compression algorithms
But this does not mean that all these programs do not need to be used. You just need to choose the ones that work better than the rest. But we did it for you.
Enjoy!
Below are all five programs that compress images best (they lose the least quality) and are the most convenient to use.
Cesium
And we will start with a very unusual tool that does an excellent job with the task at hand. At the same time, even a novice user can use it. Interestingly, Cesium is open source.
And this means that everyone can quite safely take this very code and add some of their own adjustments to it. If the developers like them, they will implement them in the next version of the program. In addition, Cesium algorithms can be taken for your own use.
True, this program works only with three image formats - PNG, JPG and BMP. However, this is relevant for most of such programs and you should definitely not abandon Cesium because of this. However, if you have pictures in a different format, it is better to convert them to one of the three above-mentioned formats.
"But that's a completely different story!" (with)
When it comes to compressing photos, Cesium has some limitations in its work. The most important of them is that if you use PNG, the program will only work with 24-bit pictures. Otherwise, the images are even enlarged. Otherwise, Cesium is a great tool for compressing photos.
It is very simple to use the tool, for this it is enough to do the following:
- Download the program on the official website and install it on your computer.
- In the largest field, simply use the mouse cursor to move the original images, which will be further compressed. Select the one you need by clicking on it with the left mouse button.
- In the "Compression Options" field, move the slider next to the "Quality" label. He is responsible for the quality of the output image.
- In the "Output Folder" section, specify the folder where the picture will be saved.
- Press the "Compress!" and wait for the end of the process. His progress can be judged on the scale below.
- After that, in the folder specified in the fourth step of this list, you can find a compressed photo.
Rice. 2. Use of Cesium
FastStone Image Viewer
This is not an open source project, it is a great professional tool, although it is distributed free of charge. FastStone Image Viewer is designed to work with images in principle. It performs not only compression, but also a great many other operations with pictures.
Basically, this tool just shows them. That is, it is a replacement for the standard Windows image and fax viewer and similar programs for other operating systems.
FastStone Image Viewer is very convenient when you need to send some kind of photo over the Internet. The program can automatically reduce the width and height so that the resulting image meets the criteria of a particular resource.
In addition, using this tool, you can put images in the archive. Moreover, after compressing the files, all of them can be safely stored in the archive. This will reduce their size even more.
In general, FastStone Image Viewer is a very multifunctional and really high quality thing!
To use it, you need to do the following:
- First, you need to download the program from the official site and, accordingly, install it.
- It is advisable to copy all the files intended for compression into one folder before starting work. Then all of them will be easier to import into the program.
- Then launch FastStone Image Viewer. On the left there will be a folder tree in which you will need to select your own. When you click on it, all images will automatically appear in the large window on the right.
Rice. 3. Selecting a folder with photos in FastStone Image Viewer
- Now select the pictures for compression in the same window on the right. This is done with the mouse cursor.
Rice. 4. Selecting images in FastStone Image Viewer
- Now click "File" in the upper left corner of the program. In the drop-down menu, select the option "Send by e-mail".
Rice. 5. Item "Send by e-mail" in the drop-down list of the "File" menu
- The compression menu will open. Where it was originally written, “<Выбор размера>", In the drop-down menu select the size of the output image. Optionally, check the boxes "Add frame" and "Save EXIF / IPTC data". Also, if desired, all pictures can be renamed. To do this, put a check mark on the appropriate item and set the name template. Then check the box "Pack images into archive" if you want this action to be performed.
Rice. 6. Compression settings in FastStone Image Viewer
- Click on the "Copy to ..." button and in the window that appears, select the path to save the files.
Rice. 7. "Copy to ..." button in the compression settings window
- Wait for the process to finish.
As you can see, nothing complicated either.
ImageCompressor
In this tool, everything is extremely simple. There are no special display elements like FastStone Image Viewer. Yes, and there are not many functions here, and specifically, one is image compression. On the one hand, this is even good, because the developers paid as much attention to the compression operation as possible, and not distracted by anything else.
Based on many reviews and tests, ImageCompressor does its job slightly better than Cesium. The quality of compressed files is practically not lost. At least the human eye does not notice this.
Using ImageCompressor is as follows:
- First download and run the program on your computer ().
- Import the original images into the program. To do this, click on the button with the ellipsis. A standard file selection window will open, in which you need to select the ones you need.
- Next to the “Quality” label, use the slider to specify the desired quality of the resulting images. If you want, you can specify it manually in the corresponding field to the right of the slider.
- Check the box next to "Size in%" and use the slider to select 100 or specify this number manually. This will show the program that you want to keep 100% of the photo size.
- Then check the box next to “Save as JPEG” or “Save as PNG” - depending on the format in which you want to save the image.
- Click on the ellipsis button under the inscription "Save Compressed Images ..." and in the window that appears, select the folder where the compressed images will be saved.
- Click on the "Compress All" button and wait for the process to finish.
Rice. 8. Working in ImageCompressor
When finished, the compressed files can be found in the folder specified in the sixth step.
Pngyu
Another very unusual tool that is great at reducing the size of photos. Its main difference is that Pngyu is a cross-platform tool. It can be used by fans of Windows and fans of Mac OS.
True, Pngyu, as the name implies, works with the only file format - PNG. Therefore, again, before use, you must convert the photo to this format.
It makes sense!
Pngyu is truly one of the coolest photo compression tools out there! It's definitely worth taking advantage of.
Interesting: Sometimes by converting photos from one format to another, you can achieve a reduction in file size. True, the quality can also be lost to such an extent that it will be noticeable.
To use Pngyu, do this:
- Download Pngyu to your computer and launch it - here is the link for Windows, but for Mac OS.
- Drag all the original images with the mouse cursor to the largest field in the middle of the program window. It also originally says "Drop here".
- If you want to change any compression settings, click on the "Custom" button at the top of Pngyu (left).
- If you want the original to be overwritten, that is, you do not have two images - one original, and one compressed, leave the "Overwrite the original" button selected. And if you want to specify the path for the output image, select "Custom" and do it.
- Click on the "Compress Start" button. Compression starts. Wait for it to end.
Rice. 9. Pngyu work
In the same field where you originally uploaded the pictures, the original size of each file and the size of the compressed picture will be shown. There is also information about the percentage of compression and how much it was saved (in MB or KB).
In general, it is also very convenient and simple!
FILEminimizer
This program takes a very radical approach to compressing photos, as well as a wide variety of files for other purposes. It removes everything that is not directly related to the picture. This can be metadata, some kind of signatures, additional information, and so on.
FILEminimizer also recodes photos. In some cases, this leads to the fact that the quality of the photo is lost, but all this can be adjusted. Although this process is also quite complicated. FILEminimizer has the highest compression percentage of all the programs described here.
In its simplest form, the use of this program is as follows:
- Initially, the program is downloaded, for example, from this link, and is launched on the computer.
- Once launched, the source files should be placed in the box under the "Files to optimize" label.
- Then you just need to click on the "Optimize Files" button. The program will automatically select all the required parameters. If you still want to customize them, check the box next to "Custom Compression" and click on the "Settings" button. A settings window will appear, in which you can select everything that you need.
Rice. 10. Working in FILEminimizer
As you can see, there are many good photo compression programs that will help you save space on your storage medium.
Below is a visual instruction on how to use FastStone Image Viewer.
