What JPEG export quality should I use for web sharing and online prints?
Asked 12/5/2012
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When exporting photos to JPEG, most editors offer a quality setting from 1–100. Is there a good rule of thumb for choosing a setting for different uses? I mainly want a sensible balance between image quality and file size for internet sharing and for ordering prints online.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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To be frank, it is entirely anecdotal that a JPEG image should be exported at a certain compression level all the time. The amount of JPEG compression should really depend on the usage purpose for the JPEG, and the contents of the JPEG.
The quality level one should choose when exporting an image to JPEG is highly dependent upon the kind of detail contained within the image. An image of a smooth blue sky or a sunset sky with large areas of orange gradient should probably use a high quality setting, 90-100. An image that contains nothing but complex detail could probably get away with a quality setting of 50-60, possibly even lower. There is no single "best" JPEG compression setting, and depending on the type and complexity of detail (or lack of complexity and detail), you may find yourself using 40-60, 70-80, or 90-100 as appropriate for the photo(s) you are exporting.
An excellent visual resource for how JPEG compression affects IQ can be found here:
An Analysis of Lightroom JPEG Export Quality Settings (Make sure your browser does not redirect you to https:// because it won't work forr this werbsite)
This site demonstrates JPEG compression from the lowest to highest settings in discrete ranges for a series of sample images of differing content. You can clearly see, by observing each image at each compression level, why a higher setting such as 90-100 may be required in some cases, and a lower setting such as 40-60 is entirely acceptable for others.
As a side note, if you are saving a JPEG for any kind of print purpose, or for viewing on-screen at a large size (i.e. as a wallpaper for a 30" 2560x1600 screen), there is no reason not to use the best quality setting available. When saving for web, compress as much as you can without introducing visible compression artifacts. Different classes of images will regularly fall into certain JPEG compression levels (the site linked above can help learning what fall where)...so it can quickly become second nature to know what compression level to use when saving various images for the web.
Originally by user124. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user124
13y ago
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There isn’t one best JPEG quality setting for every photo. JPEG file size depends both on the quality setting and on the image content: smooth gradients (like skies) often need higher quality to avoid artifacts, while very detailed images may compress better at lower settings.
Good practical guidance:
- For general use, export around 90–95 quality.
- Below about 90, file-size savings often become less worthwhile compared with visible quality loss.
- Around 75 and lower, compression artifacts are much more likely to be noticeable.
- Use lower settings mainly when you must meet a strict file-size limit, such as for certain web uses.
For online sharing and ordering prints, a high-quality JPEG is usually the safest choice. Even if the JPEG ends up fairly large, it has advantages over RAW: it previews instantly and is widely supported without special software.
So as a rule of thumb: start at 90–95, and only reduce it if you specifically need smaller files and the image still looks acceptable after checking it closely.
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