Gimp: Compress and reduce pictures - how it works

Uncompressed images can take up a lot of space. With Gimp you can easily compress them and save more data accordingly. We explain how to do it.

Gimp: How to compress images

1. Open the picture in Gimp.
2. Click "File" - "Export As".
3. Now click on "File type: by extension" at the bottom left.
4. The size of an image depends on the file type and the compression rate. For example, choose the JPEG file type if you want to save a lot of space.
5. If you now click on "Export", a new window opens. Here you choose how strong the compression should be.
6. The lower the value, the more the image is compressed and accordingly less memory is required. However, a lot of information is lost. Depending on the setting, the pictures lose a lot of quality.
7. Try different settings to find a compromise that is acceptable to you. Use the preview option for this.
8. If you are satisfied, confirm again with "Export" and your image is compressed.

A feature that JPEG files do not support is transparent backgrounds. In the next practical tip, we will explain how to create transparency in Gimp.