How to compress images without losing quality

Most guides tell you to "just use a compressor," but the settings you choose matter far more than which tool you pick.

1. Resize before you compress. If an image will only ever display at 800px wide, exporting it at 4000px and compressing hard is worse than resizing first and compressing lightly.

2. Choose the right format. Photos compress better as JPG; graphics with flat colors or transparency belong in PNG or WebP.

3. Aim for 70-80% quality, not the lowest setting. Below that range, file size gains flatten out while visible quality keeps dropping.