- One quick way to reduce photo size on iPhone is to use a shortcut. Simply run the shortcut → select photos → enjoy the compressed images.
- Another option is to message yourself via messaging apps like WhatsApp and use their built-in compressors.
- You can also rely on third-party photo editing apps or web apps to compress one or more images.
How to Reduce Photo Size on iPhone and iPad,
Method 1. Crop an Image in the Photos App
You can crop an image, remove unwanted parts from the image, and reduce the file size.
Step 1: Open the Photos app . Select the image .
Step 2: Tap Edit at the top and select Crop . You can use the default templates to crop an image in a specific aspect ratio. Make necessary adjustments and tap Done .
In our testing, we cropped an image and reduced the image size from 2.1 MB to 1.1 MB.
Method 2. Use the Shortcuts App to Reduce Photo Size
You can use a shortcut to reduce image size with a single tap.
Step 1: Add the Change Image Quality & Share shortcut to your Shortcuts app.
Step 2: The shortcut appears under the All Shortcuts tab. Open it.
Step 3: Select pictures from the following menu. Tap Add and select the image quality (Low, Medium, or High).
Step 4: Allow the shortcut to add compressed images to the Photos app. Tap Save Image from the bottom menu.
You can also create a custom shortcut to resize an image with a specific width and height. Although, the above shortcut should be sufficient for most.
Method 3. Change File Format From Camera Settings (for Future Photos)
The most common form of picture and video formats might be why your camera pictures are taking up so much space. Apple introduced the High-Efficiency Image Container (HEIC) format as an alternative to JPEG and PNG.
HEIC offers high-quality images in a smaller size. Follow the steps below to change the camera capture format to HEIC.
Step 1: Open the Settings app on the iPhone. Scroll down to the Camera section.
Step 2: Navigate to Formats and select High Efficiency from the following menu.
Now, Apple will use the HEIC format to shoot pictures, which saves space and reduces photo file size. However, these pictures still weigh a couple of MB.
Tip : For the existing images, you can convert JPG images to HEIC on iPhone easily.
Method 4. Use the Apple Mail App
The default Mail app has another handy feature to make iPhone pictures smaller in size.
Step 1: Open an image in the Photos app. Tap Share and select Mail .
Step 2: Enter your email address and hit Send . Mail lets you reduce message size by scaling the image.
Step 3: Tap Small, Medium, or Large . Open the Mail and download the resized image to your phone.
Method 5. Compress Photos Using Instant Messaging Apps
Have you noticed how most social media file sizes are smaller than typical files? When you upload a picture on social media and re-download it, the size reduces drastically.
What’s more? You can message yourself on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, etc., so there is no need to share the images with others. You can apply this method to both photos and videos to reduce their size on your iPhone . Let’s take WhatsApp as an example.
Step 1: Open WhatsApp and tap the compose button at the top. Message yourself from the following menu.
Step 2: Tap + and select photos & videos Library on WhatsApp. Then, select the media .
Step 3: Open the sent photo, hit Share , and select Save to download the compressed file.
Method 6. Compress All iPhone Images via iCloud
This method is the best way to reduce the photo size of all images on your device. However, it’s only applicable if you use iCloud to back up your photos.
The settings basically optimize the photos and videos on your device (lowering their quality and, hence, size) while the originals are secured on the cloud.
Step 1: Go to Settings → Photos .
Step 2: Scroll and select Optimize iPhone Storage .
Source: Apple
Method 7. Check Third-Party Apps
The Image Size app allows you to resize an image to whatever size you like quickly and easily. You can specify the output format using one of the following four measurement units: pixels, millimeters, centimeters, and inches. Go through the steps below.
Step 1: Download Image Size . Open the app and permit it to access the library.
Step 2: Select the Photo from the Photos app.
Step 3: Select Pixel from the above menu and enter the desired Width and Height for the photo.
If you find third-party apps more comfortable, Compress Photos is another effective option to reduce image file size on iPhone.
How to Compress Photos on Mac
Compressing photos on a Mac doesn’t require third-party apps. The built-in methods should be enough for most Mac users.
Method 1. Use Preview to Compress Pictures on Mac
You can use the Preview app to reduce one or several images simultaneously. But first, send photos from your iPhone to your Mac using AirDrop or opt for iCloud, Google Photos, or OneDrive.
Compress One Image
Notably, you can also change the image file type using this method. Go through the steps below.
Step 1: Open the image using the default Image preview on Mac.
Step 2: Go to File on the menu bar. Select Export from the following menu.
Step 3: macOS will ask you to select the location and file type. Below the file type option, you will have a Quality slider to reduce the image size.
Compress Bulk Images
Step 1: Select several images in Finder and open them in the Preview app .
Step 2: Press the Command + A keys and select all photos . Click Tools and open the Adjust Size menu.
Step 3: Change width and height, check the resulting size, and hit OK .
Method 2. Use Mac’s Photos App
The Photos app comes with an Export tool that helps you reduce the photo size in quick steps.
Step 1: Launch the Photos app on Mac and select image/images . Click File at the top.
Step 2: Expand Export and select Export x photo .
Step 3: Expand the Size menu and select a relevant size. You can also select Custom and set a specific width.
Step 4: Hit Export and pick a specific folder in Finder to save the image.
Method 3. Use Image Resizer Shortcut
The above-mentioned Siri shortcut is available on Mac too. You can use the same link to open the shortcut and click Get Shortcut → Add Shortcut .
Step 1: Open the Shortcuts app on Mac. Select the Change Image Quality & Share shortcut.
Step 2: Select the picture and hit Add .
Step 3: Select image quality size. Next, click Done .
Step 4: Allow the app to save the image to the Photos app on Mac.
Method 4. Check Online Tools
There is no shortage of online tools to reduce image size on Mac. Photostack is one such tool to compress bulk images with a single click.
Step 1: Visit Photostack . Drag and drop images from the Finder app.
Step 2: Set the image width, add a border (if you prefer), change the image format, and set quality.
Step 3: Hit Export to download compressed images on Mac.
Method 5. Try Third-Party Apps
PhotoScape X is a capable image editor to compress pictures on Mac. It’s free to download and use.
Step 1: Open PhotoScape X on Mac. Give necessary permission to access the device storage.
Step 2: Select Batch at the top. Drag and drop images from Finder or the side menu. Click Save .
Step 3: Use the slider to reduce the photo size, confirm the output folder, and click OK.
You can also add a filter, change the width, and make other necessary changes before saving the photos to Mac.
