Overview: Is your website slowing down because it’s bearing the weight of images with large file sizes? Don’t you wish there were any easy way to reduce the size of PNGs and JPEGs without sacrificing quality? Good news: There is! Read on to learn all about the magic of TinyPNG!

In today’s online world, visuals are essential to creating engaging content. When you’re designing a website or assembling a blog post, you want to include images to catch your readers’ attention and liven up the overall user experience.

But whether they’re PNGs or JPEGs, the more images you add to a post or page — and the more posts and pages you add to your website — the more space those images take up. The size of your images can be a  major concern when it comes to website loading speed.

When your website has too many large images, it can suffer from slow load times — and a slow-loading website can result in a poor user experience, and can even hurt your search engine rankings.

Should you go through your website deleting images? That doesn’t seem like a great solution. Your site will be a lot less visually appealing without them. So what’s the answer? Shouldn’t there just be a way to make your PNGs and JPEGs smaller?

Allow us to introduce you to TinyPNG.

What Is TinyPNG?  

If you work with online images on a regular basis, TinyPNG is your new best friend. It’s an amazing tool for compressing images without compromising on quality. Using smart lossy compression techniques, TinyPNG will reduce the size of your PNG and JPEG images, and when it’s done, the difference will be essentially imperceptible to the human eye.

The tool was developed by a team of designers and developers at Voormedia, a web development agency based in the Netherlands. The product’s mascot is an adorable cartoon panda named Panda who greets website users with a smile and invites them to try the tool while it munches on some bamboo.

How Does TinyPNG Work?  

TinyPNG works by reducing the number of colors in an image. PNG and JPEG images have millions of colors, but most of them are not required to display the image accurately. TinyPNG analyzes the image and removes the unnecessary colors, resulting in a smaller file size. It’s simple, but brilliant! And it even works with animated PNGs!

>>Related Reading: JPEG vs. PNG

TinyPNG also uses a smart compression algorithm that selectively decreases the amount of data in the image without reducing its quality. This algorithm is based on the human visual system, which is less sensitive to changes in certain colors and details.

When we started using TinyPNG, we passed around a few “before and after” images, and none of us could tell the difference between the two!

Features of TinyPNG 

Some of the key features of TinyPNG:

Lossy compression: TinyPNG uses lossy compression, which means that some data is lost during the compression process. But the loss is truly not noticeable to the human eye, and the quality of the image remains. 

Bulk compression: You can compress multiple images at once using TinyPNG! This feature is particularly useful if you have a large number of images on your website or blog that you need to make smaller.

Developer API: If you’re a developer, you can use the TinyPNG API to integrate the image compression functionality into your own application.

>>Related Reading: TinyPNG Developer API

Why Is TinyPNG Essential For Bloggers And Website Owners?  

When you start using TinyPNG, you’re likely to get these results:

Faster loading speed: Compressing images using TinyPNG results in smaller PNG and JPEG file sizes, which means that your website or blog will load faster. This can improve the user experience and reduce bounce rates.

Better search engine rankings: Google has stated that website loading speed is a factor in search engine rankings. By compressing your images with TinyPNG, you can improve your website’s loading speed and potentially boost your search engine rankings.

>>Related Reading: Page Speed as a Google Ranking Factor

Reduced bandwidth usage: Smaller image file sizes mean less data is used when visitors access your website. This can be particularly important if you have a limited bandwidth allowance or if you’re hosting your website on a shared server.

Increased efficiency with PNG files: TinyPNG works wonders with JPEGs, but it’s exceptionally helpful if you regularly work with PNG files. Unlike other common image file formats, PNGs can be saved as partially transparent images. TinyPNG allows you to reduce the size of your PNGs while maintaining that transparency.

How Do I Use TinyPNG?  

You can start using it right now! Just go straight to their website at TinyPNG.com and start uploading files. You can upload up to 20 images at a time, up to 5 MB each.

Just drop your files in the uploader, or click to select the files from your device. TinyPNG will get to work compressing your images. When it’s done, it will tell you how much file size you just shaved off, and you’ll have the option to download files individually or all at once, or save them to your Dropbox. Then all that’s left to do is add them to your blog or website!

But what if you’d rather not upload and download all your files on the website every time you’re creating images? You might want to consider the TinyPNG Photoshop plugin! With the plugin, you’ll be able to use TinyPNG’s compression functionality right there in Photoshop without having to export, upload, and download.

The Photoshop plugin will cost you — it’s $65 to purchase. But it’s a one-time fee, and it’s available for both Mac and Windows. Download the TinyPNG Photoshop plugin here!

If you’re a frequent WordPress user, you’ll definitely want to install the TinyPNG WordPress plugin. This plugin integrates the features of TinyPNG with WordPress, allowing you to quickly resize images as you upload them to your website or blog.

The free plugin allows you to apply TinyPNG’s magic on about 100 images per month. If you need more than that, you can sign up for a paid account with TinyPNG. Download the TinyPNG WordPress app here!

In Summary  

TinyPNG is a lifesaver for bloggers and website owners who want to improve their website’s loading speed and user experience without sacrificing visual interest. The tool is easy to use via the website, WordPress plugin, Photoshop plugin, and developer API. Give TinyPNG a test drive and we’re confident you’ll see the difference it can make to your website or blog!

Do you have any questions about TinyPNG? Or about WordPress plugins or website design in general? You’ve come to the right place! We’d love to help you with your next website venture. Get in touch with MyUnlimitedWP today!