Advanced
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:
| Format | Typical size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | 200–800 KB | Lossless; size depends heavily on image complexity |
| WebP (q80) | 40–150 KB | Good quality, significant size reduction |
| AVIF (q70) | 20–80 KB | Excellent quality, smallest size |
| JPG (q85) | 30–120 KB | No 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:
| Quality | Use case |
|---|---|
| 90–100 | Near-lossless, large files — use for source assets |
| 75–85 | Recommended sweet spot for web use |
| 60–74 | Noticeably smaller, minor quality reduction |
| Below 60 | Significant 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
Related
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