A form says “maximum 200 KB”, but your photo is several megabytes. The useful question is not just which compressor to use: it is how much detail the destination actually needs. A smaller picture with the right dimensions can be more useful than a full-size picture with very low quality.
1. Check what the destination asks for
Look for three separate requirements: file type, file size and pixel dimensions. “JPG under 200 KB” is different from “600 × 600 pixels”. If you need exact dimensions, begin with the image resizer. If the main restriction is the number of kilobytes, begin with the image compressor.
2. Pick a sensible file type
| Your image | A useful starting point | Check before sending |
|---|---|---|
| An ordinary photo | JPG at around 80% quality | Fine details, faces and text |
| A transparent logo | PNG, or WebP if accepted | Whether the destination supports the format |
| A screenshot with small text | PNG, with smaller dimensions only if readable | Legibility at the size it will be viewed |
These are starting settings, not promises about final size. A detailed photograph can need more bytes than a simple image with the same dimensions. JPG replaces transparent areas with a solid background; this site uses white.
3. Reduce dimensions before pushing quality too low
A large camera photo may be much wider than an email or application needs. In the compressor, the longest-edge setting sets a maximum width or height while keeping the proportions. For example, a 4000 × 3000 image with a 1600-pixel longest edge becomes 1600 × 1200. This reduces the number of pixels from 12 million to 1.92 million; the byte saving still depends on the content and output format.
4. Set a target, then check the actual size
Choose the format and enter your target in KB. The compressor tries lower quality and, if needed, smaller dimensions. Download appears when the conversion succeeds, and the size shown is the actual output size. If it cannot meet the target, it tells you. Leave a little room below a strict limit: sites can interpret KB differently or apply other checks.
5. Review the image, not just the number
Inspect text, edges and important details in the preview. If they look soft, use a higher target or start with a better source. Keep your original; repeated lossy exports do not recover discarded detail. Our tools create a new download and leave the source file unchanged.
What this workflow does not do
It does not repair blur, preserve animation or make a document meet official photo requirements. The tools process one still image at a time. Canvas exports do not copy the original EXIF metadata. Your image is read and processed on your device.