

The Export dialog box will also update with an estimated file size for your chosen settings. To see the effects of your compression adjustments in the GIMP workspace, simply check the ‘Show preview in image window’ box. Large areas of similar color can compress quite well without noticeably losing image quality, often reducing your file size by 50% or more.

If your image is a photo, you’ll want to compare a few different settings to find out what looks best. If you need the absolute best in image preservation, TIFF is the best choice – but the files get quite large. TIFF files are most commonly used by imaging professionals who demand exceptionally precise image quality, thanks to the ability to store complex bit depths without degradation. If you need to use transparency in your image, you’ll have to choose PNG, but if you want your image accessible to the widest audience then JPEG is your best bet. The best compression level will depend on two things: the content of your image, and any file requirements you have. PackBits compression is only effective on black and white images, and can actually increase the file size of more complex color images. LZW and Deflate both provide lossless compression, while JPEG provides lossy compression as usual. TIFF can also optionally use compression. We’ll take a look at compression level settings for common image file types and discuss which options are best for different situations, whether you’re trying to save images for a website at the smallest possible file size or to make sure that your photographic masterpieces look their best.
GIMP MEANING HOW TO
I’m usually very demanding when it comes to image quality, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices to save a few extra KB, and I’ll help you figure out how to get the best image you can with GIMP. My name is Thomas Boldt, and over the years I’ve saved more digital images than I can possibly count, from high-resolution fine art photos to lazily-edited dank memes. The highest compression rate (0 is lowest and 9 is highest) will make the smallest file, but it will also take the longest to save. The ‘Compression level’ setting when saving PNG files determines the final file size of your image and also affects how long it will take to save. Each one has a quality/compression setting that you can adjust for your needs, but they don’t all work the same way. Usually, the highest-quality images have the largest file sizes, but compression allows you to shrink that file size down while maintaining quality – the trick is where you set it.Ĭompression level in GIMP appears when you’re exporting your finished work as one of the standard image file types like JPEG, PNG, or TIFF.

The simplest explanation is that compression level helps you balance image quality against image size.
