Knowledge
Set compression quality without visible loss
The right compression quality is the balance between a small file and a sharp image. With Spark Media Optimizer you set that balance once and it applies automatically to your entire media library.
In short
- One profile determines quality for your entire site
- Lossless for logos and text, lossy for photos
- Every change is reversible, your original is preserved
What compression quality really means
Compression reduces an image by removing information the eye barely notices. The lower you set the quality, the smaller the file, but the greater the chance of visible artifacts in flat areas and edges.
For most WordPress sites, the sweet spot is between 70 and 82 percent quality: this gives you the majority of the savings, while visitors won't notice the difference from the original.
Lossless or lossy: choose per file type
Spark adjusts the approach to the file. Photos with lots of detail and color gradients are suitable for lossy compression, where you save considerably. Logos, screenshots, and illustrations with flat colors and text stay sharper with a lossless or high-quality setting.
- Photos and product images: lossy, 70-82 percent
- Logos and icons: lossless or high quality
- Screenshots with text: high quality to avoid blurry text
Tip: change the profile on a staging environment and compare a few representative pages before applying it to your live site. This way you see the effect without any risk.
Set up your compression profile in just a few minutes.
Frequently asked questions
There's no single best value. For photos, 70 to 82 percent almost always works well; for images with text or flat colors, choose higher. Test on your own images and compare bytes against sharpness.
Yes. Because Spark works with safe copies and preserves your original, you can modify a profile and reprocess it without losing your source material.
Recompressing a file that's already heavily compressed yields little additional savings and can lose detail. Compare the result before doing this systematically.