JPEGmini vs SpaceSaver [ interesting comparison ]

Why buy JPEGmini or Spacesaver ?

JPEGmini & SpaceSaver are Jpeg optimisation programs. In basic terms, they make your JPEG files smaller, with very minimal loss of image quality. These are specialist programs – while photoshop & Lightroom provide some level image compression, JPEG mini & Space Saver are experts at it! For a photographer, having your files as small as possible, whilst retaining quality is very important. You don’t want huge JPEGs affecting your website load times. Equally, Jpeg optimisation programs can also be used to reduce the size of client galleries, which will in turn make uploading and downloading from gallery programs like pixieset much faster. The hard drive space you will save is massive.

JPEGmini – $89 USD

JPEGmini uses patented image optimisation technology to compress your images & reduce file size by up to a whopping 80%, without sacrificing images quality. The software, which was created in 2001, has two components. The first imitates human visual perception to analyze just how much compression can be applied to a particular image. The second component is the JPEG encoder which carries out the compression. Subjective tests have shown that the files compressed by JPEGmini cannot be distinguished by a standard users when displayed at 100% zoom on a monitor or printed at 200DPI.The technology was created by Beamr, an image technology company with offices in Palo Alto, Tel Aviv & St Petersburg. Aside from jpeg optimisation they also work on encoding and optimisation solutions for video.

Pros: comes with LR & PS extensions

Cons: cost

SpaceSaver – $49 USD

SpaceSaver is not as well know as JPEGmini, but that is no reflection of its performance. It has a similar drag and drop interface to JPEG mini. There are a number of setting you can change including export sizes, export folders, and if the original file is overwritten during compression. I couldn’t find much information about the technology used for the compression or the company behind the technology. That doesn’t really matter when your JPEG file sizes are being quartered with no discernible loss of quality. As long as you can get your hands on the software, you are sorted!

Pros: Cost, best image compression, fastest compressor.

Con: no Lightroom plugin

The Test

For the test I used a 298 KB image with clear & crisp details so that I could compare how those details were retained in the compressed images. I put the image thorough both JPEGmini & SpaceSaver and the compared the file sizes & quality.

JPEGmini vs SpaceSaver – The Results

To me, the quality in the compressed files is indiscernible. Let me know in the comments if you think you can see any differences.

Can you guess which image is from which software ?

Image 1: Original image, size 298 KB

Image 2: JPEGmini, size 87 KB

Image 3: SpaceSaver, size 64 KM

The winner ?

SpaceSaver! If you are looking for the most efficient compression for the best price SpaceSaver is your best bet. I’ve tested it now on numerous images & folders of images. Every time it has managed better compression than JPEGmini. Another factor is speed. Although minimal difference, if you are compressing huge folders of images, SpaceSaver is also faster.

Some tips: Both companies offer free trials so you can test out the software yourself. Interestingly, the compression is best done on larger files. So don’t compress in photoshop or Lightroom first. Give SpaceSaver the largest files for best compression results!

….. too much time inside testing photography jpeg compression software? Having a break from editing newborn galleries ? If you like lifestyle photography check out this blog post by Rayah Sunshine. She is brilliant at capturing authentic moments!