How can PNG files be minimised? Pictures saved in the Portable Network Graphics (PNG) format are widely used in both photography and web design. Transparent files of this type are also great for logos and other creative pictures. PNGs tend to be huge because of their great quality. How can you compress PNG images to minimise their file size and speed up your website’s load time?
What is PNG Compression?
Compressing a PNG file optimises how your computer processes the data within the file, hence reducing the file size. As with JPEGs, PNGs can be compressed by sacrificing image quality. Unlike JPEG files, which suffer from horrible picture artefacts when compressed heavily, PNGs use lossless compression, which means that compression has no effect on image quality.
The export process performs some compression, however other techniques can be used to further reduce the PNG file size.
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How Much Can PNGs Compress?
Whether a PNG image is compressed using lossless or lossy methods can determine its final size.
Changing from 24-bit (16 million colours) to 8-bit (256 colours) colour depth might result in a 50%-50% reduction in file size. This process, however, is known as lossy compression since it degrades the image quality. In certain cases, you can clearly tell the difference, while in others you can’t.
When exporting an image, lossless compression rarely results in a noticeable decrease in file size. The typical size reduction is between 0 and 10%. It’s an improvement over doing nothing, but if you really need to reduce the file size of your PNG photos, lossy compression or WinZip are your best bets.
Why Compress PNGs
One may wish to reduce the file size of their PNG images for one of two main reasons.
- Reduce file size
- Increase loading times on the internet
High-quality PNG files can take up a lot of room on your computer’s storage. More media files, such as photos, can be kept if their size is decreased by compression. File size coincidentally affects website wait times. Even a small reduction in file size, say 20%, for a large number of PNG images on your website can have a noticeable effect on your page load speeds once compressed.
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How To Compress PNG images
When saving as a PNG, several image editors allow you to adjust the level of lossless compression. Compression like this does not degrade image quality as JPEG does; rather, it just helps you save space on your hard disc.
It will take more time to export your PNG file if you choose to increase compression. Unless you have a particularly sluggish computer or are attempting to compress thousands of PNG files concurrently, this delay shouldn’t be a major issue.
A tool like WinZip is ideal for compressing PNG files without compromising image quality. This compression not only results in a significant reduction in file size, but it also provides a more manageable method of archival storage (through formats like compressed folders).
Lossy PNG compression is possible by decreasing the quality of the image overall, including the colour depth. The extent to which compression is applied affects how obvious the effects are.
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