Google Wants to Make Your Images Take Up Less Space

For years , Google has been trying to reduce how much place images take up on the web . Most of those efforts have been free-base around its proprietary ( and largely ignored by non - Google entities)WebP formatting , buta new projectout of the company ’s research and undefendable informant divisions could help make JPEG images — one of the most common image formats on the planet — up to 35 percent smaller , while retaining their quality .

The project is an image encoder calledGuetzli(which is Swiss German for cooky ; the project was born out of Google Research ’s Zurich office ) . In addition to making image file that are smaller , Guetzli is also focused on make images that look unspoilt than other tight image , too .

Check out these comparisons Google offer up to show Guetzli compared to an uncompressed icon or an image pack together using the vulgar libjpeg encoder .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

In fact , Google lay claim thatits search showsthat even when image data file size are the same ( meaning the libjpeg files are encode in a high character setting , resulting in expectant single file size ) , human raters like the Guetzli images well .

The more of import matter , however , as Ars Technicanotes , is that Guetzli work with the entanglement browsers and file formats we already have . Other attempts at making image smaller have all relied on make new image formats that never get broad enough musical accompaniment to actually take off . The sweetheart of this project is that it create JPEG images the earthly concern already utilize .

Google has made the Guetzli encoder open source , and it ’s useable onGithubfor anyone to integrate into their own projects or to use on their own . That ’s a prominent deal because decent now , many vane - found image programme ( and even bear alone image processing apps ) use the libjpeg encoder because it is loose and be given to do a good enough job . If Guetzli does shape as well as Google claims , this could potentially be a solid libjpeg replacement for web developers , designers , or photographer . It ’ll also be good for even web user because photograph and range will take up less space .

William Duplessie