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Managing file sizes

PNG vs WebP vs AVIF — how format and quality settings affect file size.

Format comparison

For a typical 1000×800 px product cutout:

FormatTypical sizeNotes
PNG200–800 KBLossless; size depends heavily on image complexity
WebP (q80)40–150 KBGood quality, significant size reduction
AVIF (q70)20–80 KBExcellent quality, smallest size
JPG (q85)30–120 KBNo transparency, for when you include a background

Note: these are rough estimates. Highly detailed images (hair, complex textures) will be larger; simple shapes (logos, icons) will be smaller.

When to use each format

PNG — use for

  • Source files for design work
  • Photoshop, Affinity, print workflows
  • When absolute quality matters and file size doesn't
  • Logos and icons (lossless preserves crisp edges)
  • When you're unsure what the recipient's software supports

WebP — use for

  • Web publishing (product pages, blog images)
  • Social media that supports WebP (most modern platforms)
  • When you need transparency AND smaller file sizes
  • Figma export for web handoff

AVIF — use for

  • Modern web publishing where you control the pipeline
  • When every KB matters (mobile pages, slow connections)
  • Chrome/Firefox/Edge users (wide support as of 2024)

JPG — use for

  • Amazon product photos (requires white background anyway)
  • Email attachments
  • Platforms that don't support PNG/WebP
  • Sharing to non-technical recipients

Quality settings

For WebP and AVIF, the quality slider (1–100) controls the compression level:

QualityUse case
90–100Near-lossless, large files — use for source assets
75–85Recommended sweet spot for web use
60–74Noticeably smaller, minor quality reduction
Below 60Significant quality loss — not recommended for cutouts

For cutouts with soft, transparent edges, compression artefacts show up more obviously near semi-transparent pixels. Keep quality above 75 for best edge results.

PNG compression

PNG is always lossless, but you can reduce file size by changing the canvas area:

  • Crop tightly to your subject before processing if you don't need extra canvas space
  • PNG file size is proportional to the number of fully transparent pixels — a tightly cropped cutout is smaller than one with a large transparent border

Tips for batch exports

When exporting a batch as ZIP, all images use the same format and quality setting. To minimise ZIP size:

  • Use WebP at quality 80 for most web product photos
  • Use PNG only for deliverables that must be lossless
  • Large images are the main driver of ZIP size — consider resizing before uploading if you don't need 4K exports

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