Your Guide to The Best Image Compression Plugins for Photographers in 2018

Last updated on Sep 27, 2021 by Brenda Barron

Let’s face it, achieving online success in the photography world is all about the images you share, and the content you create. Sometimes, optimizing your website for SEO isn’t enough – you also need to show your customers that you can deliver the sensational snaps that they want for their big day.

While there are many different factors that can help a user to judge whether your website is worth their time, few issues can cause as many problems as slow loading times. Unfortunately, high-resolution images, which happen to be the bread-and-butter of professional photographers, are one of the biggest culprits for slowing down pages.

The good news? There is something you can do to help your site load faster. Optimizing your photos with image compression plugins could be the key to getting ahead of the competition.

Speed Up Your Website with Envira Gallery’s Compression Tool

The Compression Tool directly inside Envira Gallery lets you to optimize your images and reduce their file sizes.

The image compression tool is available for users with any paid Envira Gallery subscription (Pro tier or higher).

If you’re using Envira Gallery Lite, head over to our documentation to learn more about upgrading your Envira Gallery license.

If you’ve already upgraded, you’ll just need to update the Envira Gallery plugin before you can begin compressing your images.

Learn how to set up the new Compression Tool inside Envira Gallery so that you can speed up your website and page loading times.

Here are 5 more options that support multiple file types.

1.     reSmush.It

One of the most popular image compression plugins on the market, reSmush.It can automatically optimize your pictures upon upload. There’s also a bulk optimization feature for pre-existing images that you need to spruce up for the modern age.

The reSmush.It API optimizes the images in your WordPress library and allows you to choose the level of pixels you want to show. The only downside is that you can’t upload anything bigger than 5MB in size.

2.     Compress JPEG & PNG

The Compress JPEG & PNG images plugin comes to you from the team behind TinyPNG. As image compression plugins go, this one requires a little more work as you’ll need to create an account to use it. Additionally, you can only optimize up to 100 images every month if you’re using the free account option.

However, the great thing about this plugin is that it offers countless options for compression and optimization, and you can choose which sizes you want your images to be. What’s more, you can also set a maximum size for original uploads, so you never go over your limit.

3.     WP Smush

Another highly popular option on our list of image compression plugins, WP Smush, automatically compresses your pictures for you on upload, and can also optimize older image files in WordPress too. You can set maximum image resolution guidelines to scale your snaps down on your website, and the free plugin version doesn’t require an account.

With the bulk optimization feature, photographers can enjoy the convenience that comes with being able to optimize as many as 50 images at one time.

4.     EWWW Image Optimization Plugin

Despite its strange name, EWWW is one of the biggest image compression plugins on the market and a great option for WordPress users. This simple plugin is easy to use and can automatically compress your previously uploaded pictures in bulk too.

The great thing about EWWW is that it performs all the compression for your images on your own dedicated servers, so you won’t need to sign up for an API key. Additionally, the system can also optimize pictures that are stored outside of your standard image folders.

5.     ShortPixel

Finally, ShortPixel is another incredible WordPress compression plugin that requires you to sign up with your email address to get an API key. With the basic free account, photographers can compress as many as 100 images a month, although you’ll need to upgrade to the basic paid plan if you want to increase your limit.

ShortPixel begins to compress your images from the moment you activate the plugin while keeping previous versions of pictures stored in a separate folder. This means you can compare your compressed file with original images to see the difference in quality. ShortPixel also comes with plenty of advanced features and compression formats to choose from.

Do you use any of these image compression plugins? Do you have another favorite? Feel free to leave a comment below. And, as always, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter for even more practical advice.