Image optimization

What is image optimization?

Image optimization refers to adding high quality images with the right format, dimensions, resolutions as well as size while ensuring that the image size is not too big. Doing this will help improve the time it takes to load a page which in turn will improve the performance.

Use the right format

Before we start with optimizing the images, it's best to ensure that you've chosen the best image format. PNG images have a higher quality but this comes with a bigger file size. JPEG is best suited for photography and most of the images, especially when the image doesn't need to be transparent. GIF is the right format when you want to share short videos, avoid uploading .mp4 footage.

SVG

Scalable Vector Graphics, popularly know as SVG is an XML based vector image format. SVGs are highly responsive, resolution independent as well as smaller in size compared to other formats which makes these ideal for the web. SVG files can be edited in graphic editing program and even text editors.

PDF

PDF stands for Portable Document Format and is used to display documents as well as graphics in the best manner possible. PDFs work well regardless of operating system, device or browser. Most design tools allow you to export the design files as PDF. PDFs are commonly used in print or when you'd like to display the document or the graphic on the web.

Use the right dimensions

It is recommended to export your assets in the same size that you will require. One common mistake is to use a larger image than what you need. When you resize an image, please keep in mind to keep the proportions so that you don't end up distorting it.

ImageOptim

ImageOptim is a free tool that can help you optimize JPG and PNG images.

Tinypng

Tinypng is a really good tool to optimize JPG and PNG images. You just have to drop an image and as soon as it's done processing, a download link is provided.

Squash

Squash is a simple, powerful app for compressing and converting images for the web and more.

JPEGMini Pro

This app really does the work, it can optimize any JPG file perfectly.

Aerate

Aerate does a really good job at optimizing JPG and PNG images.

How optimize your images with Aerate

It is a good practice to optimize your images. As we mentioned before, there are many tools that can help you. For this case, we will use Aerate because it does a really good job at optimizing JPG and PNG assets but feel free to use your favorite tool. As you can see for this exercise we have an JPEG image with a size of 3.7 MB.

Once you have the image or images you want to optimize, open Aerate app and just drag the images to the compress area. You can even drag entire folders filled with images. Here, we will drag our image and just wait a couple of seconds for it to render.

After a few seconds you will witness that the image size was reduced significantly. From 3.7MB to 635 KB without compromising the image resolution.

If you are happy with the result, you can save the new version of the image or after you save this new version, you can use it to try reducing the size of the image one more time. In our case we are happy with the results so we will just save the image.

Conclusion

You can use JPEG for almost any image, except if you need an image with transparency; for those cases, the right choice will be PNG. Use GIF only if it is necessary to add some small videos. You can always use any of these optimization apps to help you have a better render of your assets without compromising the image quality.