Compress Image to 1MB Online

Modern cameras make huge files. A DSLR or mirrorless shot can be 15 to 25 MB, and a phone in its high-resolution mode can top 10 MB. Plenty of websites, photo contest entry forms and online galleries stop at 1 MB per image.

The nice thing about 1MB is that it barely costs you anything you'd notice. There's room for a high-resolution image with fine texture in hair, fabric and leaves, so the compressed copy usually looks the same as the original unless you zoom right in.

It's also handy when you're moving print work to the web. A scan or export made for printing is often far bigger than a screen needs, and 1MB keeps it sharp for online viewing. If you need something lighter for a web page, 500KB is the next step down.

Originals over 4096 pixels on the long side are scaled to 4096 first, so your browser doesn't run out of memory. That still leaves about 12 megapixels for a 4:3 photo (4096 × 3072), which is enough for a good-sized print.

Files above roughly 25 MB bring up a warning, because some devices may struggle to decode them in the browser. Everything runs on your own device, and your photos are never uploaded to a server, which matters when they're client work or unpublished shots.

WebP is the default here and handles fine photographic detail well. If you're submitting to a photo site or contest that only accepts JPG, switch the output. At 1MB a JPG still holds plenty of detail. PNG is rarely a good idea for camera photos, since a lossless file this size would need much smaller dimensions.