6 Best Ways to Compress JPEG Images Without Losing Quality

Every day, you use or see a JPEG image file.

Its widespread use on 77.9% of all websites makes JPEG images prevalent.

Not only that, 

• 79.2% of the top 1 million websites use JPEG.
• 77.5% of the top 10000 websites use JPEG.
• 74.2% of the top 1000 websites use JPEG.

One of the reasons for JPEG’s broad acceptance is its high compression rate. So, you can compress JPEG images to any size you want.

However, you want to preserve your image without affecting it.

In this article, we’ll show you how to compress JPEG images without losing quality.

What Is a JPEG Image File?

In the ’80s and ’90s, the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) standardized a file format for digital photographs. Since then, it has surpassed all other image formats in popularity.

JPEG is the best choice for website use and the most popular image format, with 77.8% of sites using JPEG. It’s also beneficial for email attachments, large photos, and archiving. 

It uses lossy compression and supports 24-bit colors, allowing image compression ratios ranging from 10:1 to 20:1. But, it degrades the original image quality.

The quality loss suffered by using JPEG is not a dealbreaker in most cases, so the format remains popular. However, it may be preferable for small-size images such as logos.

JPEG images share these filename extensions: .jpg, .jpeg, .jpe, .jif, .jfif and .jfi. 

Advantages of using JPEG images:

• JPEG files are compatible with most browsers, software, and apps. 
• JPEG files are highly compressible. You can adjust JPEG image compression to fit any size.
• JPEG images are small and easy to upload to websites.
• With 24-bit color and 16 million colors, high-resolution JPEG images are vibrant.

JPEG vs. JPG

There’s no difference between JPG and JPEG. They are precisely the same thing but have different names.

The JPG format was developed because the early version of Windows (MS-DOS 8.3 and FAT-16) only supported three-letter file extensions. They just altered the characters to fit the system.

Since they are the same type, you can use any format have the exact small file sizes and vibrant colors.

Why Would You Compress JPEG Images?

If you’re wondering how to reduce JPEG file size without compromising quality, it’s important to understand the different methods available.

Like yours, every website uses JPEG images daily. And file size dramatically affects how well they work. Large file sizes can make it take longer for a page to load, which is vital for a good user experience. 

Over 45% of online shoppers are less likely to buy from eCommerce stores that take longer than expected to load, according to Unbouce research. 

Google’s ranking algorithm also gives a lot of weight to how quickly a page loads. So, your website must load quickly to rank on the first page of search results.

Aside from user experience and SEO considerations, large file sizes impact your website’s cloud storage usage. So, you must compress and reduce the file size of JPEG images to improve user experience and SEO.

6 Best Ways to Compress JPEG Images Without Losing Quality

Whether using a Windows or Mac device or browsing online, you can use many applications and tools to compress a JPEG without losing quality.

Here are some ways to use these applications to compress JPG images:

Compress JPEG Images on Windows Using the Windows Photos Application 

Windows Photo application is the newest way to look at photos from Windows. Unlike the old photo viewing app, this lets you edit and resize JPEG images with a few clicks. 

Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Right-click the JPEG image you want to compress. Then open it in the Windows Photos app.

Step 2: Once your image is open in the Photos app, click the three dots icon in the top right corner. Then, select Resize image from the menu.

Step 3:  Set the image’s height and width to your liking. Also, set the output format to JPEG. Then select the desired image quality level. Remember that lower image quality means a smaller file size.

Find the sweet spot where the image retains acceptable details without losing quality. So set the quality to 80% (High) for decent JPEG compression without losing quality. 

Step 4: Now, select a location to save the compressed image by clicking the Save button. Give the image a different name to avoid overwriting the original copy.

Remember that Windows Photos is an entry-level photo application. You can’t set a proper compression limit if you use it to resize JPEG images. There are no guarantees of professional results.

Compress JPEG Images on Windows Using the Windows Paint Application 

Windows Paint is another photo app that comes with Windows. It’s not a photo viewer app; it’s a drawing app. But, like most other superpowerful image editors, it has some superpowers. 

Paint has excellent photo editing features such as cropping, resizing, etc. You can compress JPG images using Windows Paint jin with a few clicks.   

Step 1: Right-click on the JPEG image that you want to compress. Next, open the image with the Paint.

Step 2: Select Resize and Skew under the Home tab. 

Step 3: Enter the desired percentages in the Horizontal and Vertical boxes under the Percentage Ratio button to reduce image size. 

For instance, enter 50 in both boxes to split the image. Or, if you know the pixel counts, click the circle and enter them.

Tick the box labeled Maintain aspect ratio before proceeding. Afterward, adjust the width accordingly and click the “OK” button. If you change one aspect of your image, the app will change all other elements.

Step 4: After resizing the image, click “OK” to close the window. Then, click File and select Save to save the image.

Compress JPEG Images on Mac OS Using Mac Preview 

Like Windows, Mac also comes with excellent default photo apps. Mac Preview compresses JPEG images without sacrificing quality.

Here’s how to make a JPEG smaller on Mac using Preview:

Step 1: Locate the JPEG photo and double-click on it to open it in Preview.

Step 2: Click Tools in the menu bar and select Adjust Size.

Step 3: It will take you to the Image Dimensions menu. There, you’ll find some necessary options to resize images how you want. Options such as Fit into to set predefined dimensions, Pixels to set up pixels, Resolution to set Resolution, and Resulting Size show the change percentages and output image size.

Step 4: Select the File menu and click Save As to create a new copy of your JPEG image. Provide a name for your image file and click “Save.”

Compress JPEG Images on Mac OS Using Mac Convert

Here’s a step-by-step guide on using the Image Convert feature to compress JPG file without losing quality:

Step 1: Select the JPEG image you wish to compress and right-click on it. Navigate to Quick Actions > Convert Image.

Step 2: Choose JPEG as the image format from the 3 image formats.

Step 3: Click the Image Size dropdown menu and select Small, Medium, Large, or Actual Size (if you don’t want to compress!). 

Step 4: Finally, click on Convert to JPEG to compress and save the Image.

How to Compress JPEG Images Online 

Online image compression tools are more convenient than photo apps. Using a JPEG compressor or a reliable image compressor without losing quality like ShortPixel can help you compress image without losing quality, ensuring that your image retains its clarity and detail.

ShortPixel is one of the best online image compression tools to optimize images, let alone JPEG, without losing quality. It also supports PNG and GIF files. 

ShortPixel’s best feature is that it analyzes the quality of your image and decides the best compression rate. So, your image won’t degrade.

Step 1: Go to ShortPixel Image Compression tool Choose Lossless as the image compression type.

Step 2: Now, drag and drop or select the JPEG image into the compression area.

You can compress multiple files at the same time, but each file must be no larger than 10 MB in size. Once compression is complete, you can see the compression percentage.

Step 3: Click on the Download button to save the compressed image.

How to Compress JPEG Images Using a WordPress Plugin 

You should use your plugin on a WordPress website to save time and energy. Because you upload many images, a plugin always saves you time. 

Also, you need a WordPress plugin to compress the images you uploaded before. The ShortPixel Image Optimizer plugin is handy here, allowing you to automatically compress JPEG without losing quality.

Here’s how you can achieve this:

Step 1: Install and activate the ShortPixel Image Optimizer plugin

To begin, you must install and activate the plugin. Install it from the WordPress plugin directory or the ShortPixel website.

Step 2: Activate the API key

Sign up for a free account on the ShortPixel website, then navigate to the API key section.

Step 3: Configure Compression Settings 

Go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to “Settings,” and click “ShortPixel.” 

Choose ‘Lossless’ as the compression type, then click “Save Changes.” You will find additional settings there; customize them as desired. 

Summary

The smallest image sizes result in the fastest website loading speed. But the smallest size can also disrupt your image content. That is a difficult decision to make.

You need a faster-loading website to attract visitors. Conversely, you must keep your image quality to make the website attractive. Otherwise, your audience will leave your website.

To keep the balance between compressing JPEG images and maintaining the quality, you must pick a system that keeps both in your favor.

How do you like these JPEG image compression methods? Is there anything else we missed?

Leave comments on your best jpeg image compression methods and thoughts.

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