Image Format & Compression Settings

SmallPict provides fine-grained, scientifically grounded control over how images are transcoded, optimized, and delivered to your visitors.

Navigate to Settings → SmallPict in your WordPress dashboard to configure the options below.

⚖️ The Science of Compression: 2 True Modes + Quality Slider

Unlike tools that invent artificial marketing names (such as "Glossy"), SmallPict is built on authentic image compression science with two fundamental modes:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    2 SCIENTIFIC MODES IN SMALLPICT                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1. LOSSY MODE (Perceptual Quantization) + Quality Target Slider (50% - 95%) │
│    • 75% - 80% (Default) : Standard high compression (75% - 85% reduction)  │
│    • 85% - 90% (High-Fi) : Equivalent to "Glossy" (ultra-sharp photography) │
│    • 50% - 70% (Extreme) : Maximum bandwidth savings for mobile grids       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 2. LOSSLESS MODE (Bit-by-Bit Exact Precision)                               │
│    • 100% mathematical pixel preservation for brand logos & graphic design. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

1. Lossy Optimization (Perceptual Engine)

Uses advanced perceptual quantization via libvips to discard high-frequency color variations that the human eye cannot distinguish.

• Quality Target Slider (50% – 95%):
  • 75% – 80% (Recommended Default): The sweet spot for 95% of websites. Yields 70% to 85% file size reduction while retaining pristine visual fidelity on Retina and high-DPI displays.
  • 85% – 90% (High-Fidelity / Photographer Grade): Retains maximum micro-contrast and fine texture detail. Equivalent to what some tools label as "Glossy".
  • 50% – 70% (High Efficiency): Optimized for high-volume content publishers, mobile-first apps, and catalog thumbnail grids.
• Best for: E-commerce product photos, hero banners, blog photography, and user uploads.

2. Lossless Mode (Pixel-Perfect Cloud Engine)

Preserves every single pixel byte-for-byte with zero loss of visual data. It optimizes the file by restructuring internal entropy tables, applying advanced Deflate/Zopfli algorithms, and stripping non-essential metadata.

• Savings: Typically saves 15% to 35% off original PNG and JPEG sizes.
• Best for: Brand logos, vector rasterization, icons, typography graphics, screenshots, and legal/medical archival imagery.
• Availability: Available on Pro and Business plans.

🎨 Next-Gen Format Transcoding

1. WebP Format (Universal Next-Gen Compatibility)

WebP is supported by over 97% of modern web browsers worldwide.

• Behavior: Automatically converts uploaded JPEG and PNG images to .webp format.
• Availability: Supported across all plans (Free, Starter, Pro, Business).

2. AVIF Format (Next-Gen Ultra Compression)

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) represents the latest breakthrough in web image compression, delivering an additional 20% to 40% file size reduction beyond WebP at identical visual quality.

• Browser Support: Chrome, Firefox, Safari (iOS 16+ / macOS Ventura+), Edge, and modern Android browsers.
• Behavior: Generated via SmallPict's Serverless Cloud Engine and served dynamically to supported browsers.
• Availability: Exclusive to Pro and Business plans.

📦 WordPress Plan Tier Capabilities

SmallPict features capability-driven rendering in the WordPress Admin dashboard:

⚙️ Automated Backend Pipeline (Under-the-Hood)

Regardless of the selected plan, all images processed by SmallPict benefit from automatic cloud-grade engineering:

1. Safe Metadata Policy (GDPR / Privacy Compliance):
   • Technical camera metadata and GPS coordinates are automatically stripped on upload to safeguard user privacy and prevent data leakage.
2. Orientation Normalization:
   • Detects EXIF orientation tags from smartphone cameras and normalizes the image matrix using vips_autorot() before stripping metadata (preventing sideways/inverted images).
3. Color Space Harmonization:
   • Ensures all color profiles (e.g. Adobe RGB, Display P3) are safely transformed to the web-standard sRGB color space via vips_icc_transform() to eliminate color shifting across visitor browsers.
4. Decompression Bomb Protection:
   • Hard-capped at 8192×8192 px to prevent server memory exhaustion.