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Image planning & checks

JPG Quality Calculator

Choose a starting JPEG quality setting and understand what to check after export. This guide interprets the setting; it does not inspect an image or predict its final file size.

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Your result

Quality 82: Start with a balanced export

This is an export-setting guide. Quality 82 does not mean 82% of the original file size or 82% of the detail retained.

Encode a copy, compare it at normal viewing size, then check text, hair and sharp edges at 100% zoom. Use the lowest setting that still looks right for your destination.

Different JPEG encoders use different quality scales. Begin each attempt from the original.

Calculations and image inspection run in this browser. Continuing to another tool saves a temporary local copy. No account is needed.

How to use this calculator

  1. Choose a quality value from 1 to 100, or try one of the suggested starting points.
  2. Export a copy of your original with that setting in an image compressor.
  3. Compare fine details and the file size. Adjust from the original until the copy suits its destination.

JPEG quality is an encoder setting, not a percentage of detail

A quality value of 82 does not mean 82% of the bytes or 82% of the original detail. The setting tells the encoder how aggressively to discard information, and different encoders may interpret the same number differently.

Start with a balanced export for ordinary photographs. If you see block patterns, ringing around letters or smudged fine detail, increase quality or reconsider the format. Graphics with small text or transparency may suit PNG or WebP better.

Compare each attempt against your original. Repeatedly recompressing a JPEG can compound artifacts. A high quality setting cannot repair detail already lost in a previous save.

Common questions

Does quality 100 make a JPEG lossless?

Do not assume it does. Standard JPEG export remains a lossy workflow and the quality scale is encoder-specific. Keep the original when exact preservation matters.

Can I calculate the perfect quality number without the image?

No. Fine texture, faces, text, image dimensions and viewing size all affect the useful quality setting. Encode and inspect the actual picture.

Should I resize before choosing JPEG quality?

First set the pixel dimensions needed by the destination. Then compare quality settings at those dimensions so the file-size and visual comparisons are meaningful.

Put the result to work

Try an actual compression →

Encode your image and inspect the downloaded result.

Set the destination dimensions →

Remove unnecessary pixels before comparing quality.

Measure the saving →

Compare original and output bytes.