Program for reducing images. How to compress a photo or picture without losing quality in various ways
Platform: WindowsCaesium is a simple tool with open source, which is designed to compress PNG, JPG and BMP. This is a fairly easy-to-use program. Click the Add button, select 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 of no interest to us, as it is rarely used when creating websites, and there was also nothing special for us in JPG compression technology. The program does not offer lossless compression; it simply re-encodes the file at the selected quality setting.
Caesium does provide support for lossless PNG compression, although it does have some limitations. It can only output 24-bit images, otherwise it will likely increase the image size. The program's results clearly illustrate the problem, as most of our test PNG web graphics images with 48-bit color depth actually increase in size. Even with careful adjustments, 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 it tries to compress your photos, it may change the image format and size, re-encode JPEG files with lower quality, and strip out metadata. Most of these options can be set in the program settings.
In use, the program adheres to the generally accepted principle. Once you've given it the source file, chosen a folder for the output, and perhaps configured an option or two, it only takes one click to start optimizing. This all happens fairly quickly, so you don't have to wait too long.
How good is the compression? Everything varies depending on the format, at least in our tests. PNG compression was nothing special - 26.8% (some tools do better without losing quality), GIF compression was above average - 16.5%, but our JPG web graphics were reduced in size by 39.3% - the highest 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. It not only can compress JPG, GIF and PNG images, but also can work with executable files, archives, documents Microsoft Office, PDF files - the list can be continued for quite a long time.
Surprisingly, it is absolutely not difficult to use. In fact, the program has one of the most simple interfaces: Drag and drop images into FileOptimizer, right-click, select Optimize and enjoy the results. However, this simplicity also has reverse side- 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, of paramount importance, and here FileOptimizer provides good results. For example, the program reduced our test PNG graphics by 42.2% - this is the best compression without loss of quality in this group. JPEG and GIF compression were 17.7% and 15.9% higher than standard, respectively, but there are still plenty of 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 images, JPEG and PNG, and also acts as an interface to many other applications: PNGOUT, AdvPNG, Pngcrush, extended OptiPNG, JpegOptim, jpegrescan, jpegtran and Gifsicle.
The program performs almost lossless compression: rather, it removes comments, color profiles, etc., without recoding or reducing the number of colors. ImageOptim's interface is also very user-friendly. Drag and drop a single file, group, or folder of the files you want, and the program immediately begins compressing each image and displaying the results. She's not the most quick tool, but even if you send a thousand for processing JPEG files in high definition, this is unlikely to be a problem for her.
The end results were impressive, but not exciting. Our web graphics GIFs decreased in size by 16.2%, PNGs by 17.8%, and JPGs by 18.3%. You can do better with individual 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. JPEG mini
Platform: MacJPEGmini is an interesting Mac application with a non-standard approach to reducing the JPEG format.
First, it uses an intelligent algorithm to figure out how much images can be compressed without any visible effect (that is, not just re-encoding at some fixed quality setting). The program uses its own JPEG encoder to try to produce the smallest files possible. Processing is carried out in background. Just drag and drop your photos into the program (in free version maximum 20 per day), and it will replace the originals with compressed versions.
But the range of results turned out to be huge. Our JPG image was reduced by only 8.2%, but when we submitted 25 large digital photos for processing, they were reduced by 71.3% with little visible loss of quality. With simple web graphics, JPEGmini doesn't do anything too surprising. It is best used for processing large-sized images.
7. jStrip 3.3
Platform: WindowsJStrip is a lossless compression tool for JPEG files that removes non-essential information: thumbnails, comments, color profiles, extra bytes at the beginning or end of the file, and various other bits and pieces. But file compression will be small, since the program does not use re-encoding. This was especially noticeable when we placed in JStrip JPG photos With high resolution, which the program was able to reduce by about 1%.
If the files you want to compress are already small, the compression will likely be much larger. When we ran our selection of JPEG web graphics through jStrip, the images shrank by an average of 16.1%. It is worth noting that the program is not stable. By default, it replaces the images you specify with compressed versions, so it's best to use copies for processing. Overall, jStrip is a fast 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) for image processing and optimization.
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 understand. Installation files are downloaded along with PDF file, which explains the various toggles and options, which is quite handy (though you'll still need to practice image optimization to fully understand how it works). If you want to combine several command line tools to get the best results, OptiPNG is one of them.
The results, even with the default compression settings, were quite acceptable: our test PNG web graphics were reduced in size by an average of 32.2%.
9. PNGGauntlet 3.1.2.0
Platform: WindowsPNGGauntlet is a pretty interesting tool that is essentially a wrapper around three other open source image compression programs (PNGOUT, OptiPNG, DeflOpt).
In the process of work, it acts in the same way as its competitors. Drag and drop your source images, select the output folder, click the “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 processing tools. PNGGauntlet can be very slow, in our case it took 50 minutes 44 seconds to compress 25 high-resolution photos into PNG format.
However, the results obtained are impressive. When processing our test PNG web graphics, the program reduced our 50 images by an average of 41.3% and even reduced photos by 7.75% with no visible loss of quality. Sometimes this is enough to justify performance problems. So if you need a quality PNG compression tool, then PNGGauntlet really needs to be on your list.
10. PNGOptimizer 2.2
Platform: WindowsAt a tiny 146 KB in size, PNGOptimizer is the lightest of the bunch. this review programs, so it is not surprising that its interface is as simple as possible and it specializes only in PNG files.
Using PNGOptimizer 2.2 you get amazing control capabilities a large number processing parameters. PNGOptimizer can remove frame interlacing, preserve, remove, or replace background color, and remove text or physical pixel dimensions from an image. The program can even import GIF, BMP and TGA files, saving them as PNG according to the selected options.
But the program was unable to beat its competitors in image compression, as can be seen from the test results. PNGOptimizer reduced high-resolution PNG photos by only 3.6% on average. She did much better with small graphic images, the average compression was 39.8%. If you need 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. Unfortunately, it is quite inconvenient to use because it is based on command line without support batch processing. But if this is a problem for you, you can always choose its commercial interface: PNGOUTWin.
The program is easy to configure. You can use PNGOUTWin to overwrite your original images or save the output in a new folder. There are also options to save file time attributes, adjust the compression level, implement the ability to store some (or all) PNG pieces, etc.
It's also easy to use. Drag an image into the program window and it will immediately begin the compression process, using multiple threads to work on multiple images simultaneously. The results are also great, with our PNG web graphics reduced in size by 40.5% (not bad for lossless compression).
Unfortunately, the only free interface it currently offers is PNGOUT, the same as PNGGauntlet, which is also a very easy-to-use program (in fact, you can achieve even higher levels of compression if you combine it with other tools). While PNGOUTWin is a powerful program, it's probably not worth the $14.95 (personal license) / $29.95 ( corporate license) who are asking for it.
12. PUNYpng
Platform: webMuch more versatile than its name suggests, PUNYpng is a web service that can truly apply lossless compression to GIF, JPG, and PNG images. Registration and creation account are free, but there are restrictions for free accounts: you can upload only 15 images in batch mode, each no more than 150 kb.
Overall the service is quite convenient. Click the Upload Images button on the site, and then wait while the photos are downloaded and compressed. A report of the operations performed appears, and everything can be downloaded as a ZIP archive.
For testing we used free account. PUNYpng showed good results and compressed various test sets of files by 16-32%. For $2 per month, you can upgrade your account to PRO, with which you can get additional option compression with less quality loss and download 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 box during installation if you are not interested in such additional software.
Everything else is very simple. The clear and intuitive interface makes it easy to compress individual GIF, PNG or JPG images and compare results, while the batch interface processes multiple files at very high speed.
Unfortunately, there is no lossless compression here. RIOT, rather, reduces the number of colors in the image and re-encodes JPEG format with low quality value. Despite this, the program managed to make some of our test images significantly larger. Therefore, we recommend that you carefully check the output settings of RIOT before using it for processing.
The program still 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” performance was 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 your JPG files into the script, select compression options (either without loss of quality, or with a special setting JPEG quality), and ScriptJPG will shrink your images. So, at least, it was stated in the description. For some reason, the program with our JPG web graphics did not work as promised, and the start menu was not even displayed.
We were able to test the package on our JPEG photo and got good results. Its lossless compression option reduced the size of our image by almost 10%. If you are a graphics professional, then ScriptJPG may be of interest to you. You'll be able to diagnose problems as they arise and possibly modify the script to adjust compression settings to suit your needs. If you prefer more understandable and simple tools, we recommend using one of the analogues with a graphical interface. There are many more powerful alternatives and, of course, they are much easier to use.
15. ScriptPNG
Platform: WindowsAs you probably guessed from the name, ScriptPNG is the closest relative of ScriptJPG. It is a batch Windows file, which uses four utilities to compress PNG files to the desired size. Also, as with ScriptJPG, there are very few customization options here. Drag the image into the file and nine open in the command line possible options compression. Select the one you need, and the program will immediately begin trimming each file in turn (and replacing the original images with the output ones, so it's best to work with copies).
Another problem we had was that after installing Starza, pngout.exe crashed. This didn't show up when we ran the script, but we had to manually close the error dialog every time it appeared. Despite this, the compression results were quite impressive. Our PNG web graphics lost up to 40.1% of their volume without any visible degradation in image quality.
16. Smush. It
Platform: webMost web services for image compression are very limited, but Smush. It on Yahoo is a rare exception. The only limitation is the file size (no more than 1 MB), but 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's 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 discovered with JPG files since Smush. It managed to reduce our test images by just 1%. PNG compression was more efficient at 35.3%, although our GIFs lost an impressive 23.9% of volume (the best lossless compression in all tests).
17.TinyPNG
Platform: webSo is Smush. It, TinyPNG is a free web service that can optimize images for you. Just drag and drop your files onto the web page, it will compress them and provide download links. The system has some disadvantages: file size limitation to 2 MB, the ability to download only 20 files at a time, and the lack of batch download capabilities.
TinyPNG also takes a clear approach to compression at the expense of quality, unlike most other tools, and overhauls its palette to reduce (sometimes significantly) the number of colors used. Unsurprisingly, this pays off when it comes to raw graphics by compressing our PNG web graphics by 48% - best result in this test. In most cases, it was very difficult to detect any differences between the original images and the compressed versions.
By the way, the best compression rate without loss of quality among locally installed programs is 40%. So if your main priority is image quality, or you just don't want to constantly compare graphics trying to see if there's a difference, then TinyPNG might be of interest to you.
18. Trout's GIF Optimizer 2.3
Platform: WindowsTrout's GIF Optimizer is a compression tool that requires no installation. Its parameters are, of course, a little limited. As you guessed from the name, the program only performs compression GIF files, so it doesn't have any global configuration options of particular interest (although you can manually optimize the palette of individual images in a variety of ways).
However, Trout's GIF Optimizer is very easy to work with. Simply import your selected photos, the size reduction for each image is displayed immediately (it's very fast), and you can save them with just a few clicks. But unfortunately, the compression results weren't particularly impressive: our GIF web graphics were reduced by an average of only 16.7%.
Summary table for all tested services
Tested | Platform | Compression | PNG reduction (in%) | JPG reduction (in%) | GIF reduction (in%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AdvanceComp 1.15 | Windows | No loss of quality | -14.20% | ||
Caesium 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% |
Tiny PNG | 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 a general breakdown of the participating programs into stages, we can conclude that image compression is really effective tool optimization and gives quite good results. All of our test PNG files could be reduced by 30-40%, and even JPEG files could be compressed by 16-18%. In all cases, lossless compression was used, so the image quality was not reduced, the images look exactly the same, they just load faster.The exact results you get may, of course, vary. But if you haven't tried image compression before, it's definitely worth picking up the best of our programs and giving them a try to see what they can do for your sites.
Overall, FileOptimizer turned out to be better than analogues for Windows with lossless compression, demonstrating superior compression (up to 42.2%) of our test files. It also compresses files with the JPG and GIF extension quite well, and it also contains other useful options(eg PDF compression).
But if this program doesn't suit you for some reason, PNGGauntlet and ScriptPNG also provide good PNG compression, and ImageOptim is useful for Mac because it gives good level JPEG compression and GIF.
While we found web services to be less user-friendly in testing, we wouldn't rule them out entirely. PUNYpng was the best at lossless JPG compression, and Smush. It beat all the competition when it comes to GIF compression, both of which can be a big help in reducing the size of your web graphics.
Can be installed as a plugin for Chrome: goo.gl/aDSQ6, Firefox: goo.gl/mlxd0.
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Image Resizer– very valuable and useful free program in Russian for working with images on Windows. It is designed to allow you to quickly and easily change the image resolution or convert it to any other format. Image Resizer has a nice design, ease of use and speed.
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.
Every computer should have such a program, since often an inexperienced user simply cannot do without it. That is why this program is presented on our website.
Peculiarities
- Convert files between different graphic formats;
- Inserting watermarks into an image;
- Reducing the size of photos for publishing on the Internet or sending by e-mail;
- Changing image compression strength and resolution;
- Support JPEG, GIF, BMP, TIFF and other files;
- Support for RAW formats of digital cameras: Canon, Nikon, Minolta;
- Changeable options and settings for advanced users.
If you work with photographs or pictures different formats, With using Image Resizer for Windows, you can easily compress them 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 installations) to convert images optimized for iPod, NTSC, Sony PSP, HDTV, DVD FULL HD.
Compressing images is a very important process, because ultimately it saves space on your hard drive, increases site loading speed and saves traffic. But how can you figure out among the many different programs for optimizing images, each of which has its own special functionality? Let's find out about the possibilities of the most popular applications to compress images.
The program for compressing photos without loss of quality RIOT is distinguished not only by its wide functionality, in addition to file compression, including the ability to change their size and convert to other formats, but also very user-friendly interface. What matters is that this application supports optimization of multiple formats at once graphic files.
The main disadvantage of the application is the lack of a Russian-language interface.
Caesium
Another popular photo optimization program is Caesium. The main feature of this application is the high accuracy of image compression settings. This utility also has a very user-friendly graphical interface. In addition, unlike most image optimization programs, the Cesium application is Russified.
At the same time, despite the fact that this program Works with several graphic file formats; it does not support processing of all popular extensions. For example, Caesium does not work with the GIF format.
Light Image Resizer
Enough powerful program Light Image Resizer is an application for compressing and optimizing photos. 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. The program performs 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 does not have any significant drawbacks. Is it possible to take as a disadvantage the fact that this program is one of the few described in this review that has a shareware license. That is, you will have to pay for its continued use.
Advanced JPEG Compressor
Unlike previous applications, the Advanced JPEG Compressor program does not specialize in compressing several types of graphic files, but is concentrated on working with one format - JPEG. She is considered one of best utilities to optimize files with this extension, providing high compression and compression speed. In addition to this primary task, the program has an image editing function, including using a convenient graphic equalizer. It is capable of converting a range of popular graphic formats to files with JPEG extension. In addition, JPEG images are converted back to BMP format.
But, official version This program, unfortunately, is not Russified. In addition, the functionality of the free version, which can be used for a short period of time, is very limited.
PNGGauntlet
A similar version of the previous program, only specializing in compressing images in PNG format, is the PNGGauntlet utility. Thanks to the built-in tools PNGOUT, OptiPNG, Defl Opt, this program compresses photos very well of this format. In addition, it converts a range of image formats to PNG images.
But, unfortunately, the overall functionality of this program is quite limited, and it does not have more features than those listed 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 can also be used separately, providing high quality compression of this type of files. In addition, it is possible to convert a number of graphic formats to PNG format.
But it is worth noting that a significant inconvenience of this program is the lack GUI, since it works through the command line console.
Jpegoptim
An analogue of the OptiPNG program, only intended for processing files in the JPEG format, is the Jpegoptim utility, which also works from the command line console and does not have a graphical interface. But, despite this, it is considered one of the best in terms of compression of JPEG images and 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 type of file. Moreover, it is capable of compressing not only images, but also videos, audio, documents, programs, etc. The list of file formats that FileOptimizer can optimize is simply impressive. But, despite its “omnivorous” nature, 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 capabilities for working with files in graphic formats. For example, unlike most image compression programs, it cannot even perform basic image editing.
Faststone Image Viewer
Unlike the previous utility, Faststone Image Viewer is a comprehensive 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 explained by the fact that the own weight of the Faststone Image Viewer program is quite large, and control 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 in a particular photo format, or support the ability to work with multiple 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, and 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.
Download installation file from the site and install a photo compression program on your computer. The photo editor will launch automatically after installation is complete.
Add an image to the program
To upload a picture to the Photo Editor, click the button Open file and select the desired image. You can also simply drag the file into the program window.
Reduce photo size
One way to compress an image is to resize it. To reduce the image, you need to go to the tab Size. To do this, click on the toolbar More, then select Size. In the right panel, select ready-made template or set the width and height yourself. You can specify the size in pixels, percentages, centimeters or inches. Click the button Apply to save changes.
Save the picture
We recommend saving the image in JPEG format: this raster format allows for high compression rates good quality pictures. If you save a photo in JPEG, you can adjust the image quality level and thus further compress the photo. To do this, next to the list File type click link Quality. Move the slider to the left to compress the image to the right size. To the right of the slider you will see the file size after saving. Please note that you cannot compress a photo without losing quality. But if you set the quality level to at least 80%, then the losses will be visually invisible.
From time to time, every user needs a photo compression program. The situation is quite banal and simple - you go on vacation, take a camera with you, but there is not enough memory in the device to take more pictures. There is practically no memory on the computer either.
Then 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 look at the 5 most convenient and popular programs that will help solve the problem.
But before that, let's look at one interesting question. Is it possible to compress photos without losing quality?
Many say that this is possible and even give examples of programs that supposedly do this. 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 losses, which will be invisible to the human eye. Others make it possible to complete the task so that the loss of quality is not noticeable even to the most the best devices. But it is simply impossible to compress a picture without losing quality at all.
Most algorithms and programs in which they are used give approximately the same result as shown in Figure 1. As we can see, here the loss of quality is noticeable to the naked eye.
Rice. 1. The result of one of the photo compression algorithms
But this does not mean that all these programs should not 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 amount of quality) and are the most convenient to use.
Caesium
Let's start with a very unusual tool that copes with the task perfectly. Moreover, even a novice user can use it. Interestingly, Caesium is open source.
This means that anyone can absolutely calmly take this very code and add some of their own adjustments to it. If developers like them, they will implement them into next version programs. In addition, Caesium algorithms can be borrowed for your own use.
True, this program only works with three image formats - PNG, JPG and BMP. However, this is true for most such programs and you definitely shouldn’t abandon Caesium 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 photo compression, Caesium 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 images. Otherwise, the images even increase in size. Otherwise, Caesium is an excellent photo compression tool.
Using the tool is very simple, all you have to do is do the following:
- Download the program from the official website and install it on your computer.
- In the largest field, simply use the mouse cursor to move the original pictures, which will later be 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” inscription. It is responsible for the quality of the output image.
- In the “Output Folder” section, specify the folder where the image will be saved.
- Press the “Compress!” button and wait for the process to complete. His progress can be judged by the scale below.
- After this, you can find the compressed photo in the folder specified in the fourth step of this list.
Rice. 2. Using Caesium
FastStone Image Viewer
This is not an open source project source code, this is an excellent professional tool, which, however, 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 images.
Basically, this tool just shows them. That is, this is a replacement for the standard tool for viewing images and faxes from Windows and similar programs for others operating systems.
FastStone Image Viewer is very convenient when you need to send some photos 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 archive pictures. Moreover, after compressing the files, all of them can be easily placed in an archive. This will reduce their size even further.
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 website and install it accordingly.
- It is advisable to copy all files intended for compression into one folder before starting work. Then it will be easier to import all of them into the program.
- After this, launch FastStone Image Viewer. On the left there will be a tree of folders in which you will need to select yours. When you click on it, all the images will automatically appear in a large window on the right.
Rice. 3. Selecting a folder with photos in FastStone Image Viewer
- Now select the pictures to be compressed 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" on the left top corner programs. In the drop-down menu, select the “Send by e-mail” option.
Rice. 5. The “Send by e-mail” item 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 “Add frame” and “Save EXIF/IPTC data” checkboxes. Also, if desired, all pictures can be renamed. To do this, check the appropriate box and set a name template. Next, check the “Pack images into archive” checkbox 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 complete.
As you can see, it’s also nothing complicated.
ImageCompressor
Everything about this tool is extremely simple. There are no special display elements like in FastStone Image Viewer. And there are not many functions here at all, but specifically one, and this is image compression. On the one hand, this is even good, because the developers paid as much attention as possible to the compression operation, and were not distracted by anything else.
Judging by many reviews and tests, ImageCompressor does its job a little better than Caesium. The quality of compressed files is practically not lost. At least this is not noticeable to the human eye.
Using ImageCompressor is as follows:
- First, download and run the program on your computer ().
- Import source images into the program. To do this, click on the button with the ellipsis. Will open standard window file selection in which you need to select the ones you need.
- Next to the “Quality” inscription, use the slider to indicate the desired quality of the resulting images. If desired, 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 enter this number manually. This will show the program that you want to save 100% of the photo size.
- Next, 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 ellipses button under the words “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 complete.
Rice. 8. Working in ImageCompressor
When finished, the compressed files can be found in the folder specified in step six.
Pngyu
Another very unusual tool that perfectly reduces the size of photos. Its main difference is that Pngyu is a cross-platform tool. It can be used by Windows fans and Mac OS fans.
True, Pngyu, as one could already understand from the name, works with a single file format – PNG. Therefore, again, before using it is necessary to convert the photo to this format.
This makes sense!
Pngyu is truly one of the coolest photo compression tools! It's definitely worth using.
Interesting: Sometimes by converting photos from one format to another you can reduce the file size. True, the quality may be lost to such an extent that it will be noticeable.
To use Pngyu, do this:
- Download Pngyu to your computer and run it - here is the link for Windows, and here is for Mac OS.
- Drag all the original pictures with the mouse cursor into the largest field in the middle of the program window. It also initially 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 so.
- Click on the "Compress Start" button. Compression will begin. Wait for it to finish.
Rice. 9. Pngyu's work
In the same field where you initially uploaded the pictures, it will be shown original size each file and the size of the compressed image. There is also information about how many percent the compression occurred and how much was saved (in MB or KB).
In general, it’s also very convenient and simple!
FILEminimizer
This program takes a very radical approach to compressing photos, as well as the most different files for other purposes. It removes everything that is not directly related to the picture. This could be metadata, some 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. Among all the programs described here, FILEminimizer has the most high percentage compression.
In the very in simple form Using this program looks like this:
- Initially, the program is downloaded, for example, from this link, and launched on the computer.
- After launch, the source files should be placed in the field labeled “Files to optimize”.
- Then just click on the “Optimize Files” button. The program will automatically select all the necessary 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 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 media.
Below is visual instructions on using the FastStone Image Viewer program.