Month: September 2021

Looking for more control over the images you upload? Smush offers the ability to compress and create backups of your uploaded images, resize them to a specific threshold, turn off resizing completely, and much more.

Using Smush, you now have the ability to bypass the default WordPress Core features within the plugin’s settings, allowing you to compress and delete original images.

We have made adjustments to the mass compression system and included various choices that allow you to decide how to handle it.

Let’s start by clarifying what we mean by “originals” (we know, it can be a bit perplexing even for us).

Originals and Scaling

In October 2019, with the introduction of WP version 5.3, WordPress made changes to the way they managed large images.

Basically, WordPress defined a threshold (2560px is the default) and all images that were bigger than that would be scaled down, leaving users with all the usual generated attachments, plus the scaled version, plus the actual big image that you uploaded.

To quote the WordPress team:

If the dimensions of an image exceed a certain limit, the image will be reduced in size. The limit will serve as the maximum height and width for the image. The resized image will then be considered the largest size available.

Note: The scaling only works with JPEG images as the WP Core Team removed this functionality from PNG files due to a number of issues.

Use Cases

There are various reasons why you would want to compress your uploaded images or even go one step further and disable the default WordPress scaling functionality altogether.

For instance, some users might be unaware that it is not recommended to upload 20MB images straight from their camera when utilizing images on WordPress.

Or, images may be taking up a lot of space on your server and for various reasons, you can’t do anything but try to compress these.

The point is…you have your reasons and Smush allows you to choose how to handle images to better suit your workflow. 🙂

How does the process function?

Whether you have Smush free or Smush Pro installed, go to Bulk Smush > Settings and scroll down a little.

You will find several new options:

Adjust the maximum dimensions for uploaded images in WordPress by changing the default width and height threshold from 2560px to a different size.

Disable scaled images allows you to completely disable the scaling functionality, which means that WordPress won’t create scaled versions of your uploaded images if they’re larger than the threshold. Basically, this lets you go back to how WordPress managed large-sized images before v5.3.

Enabling Compress uploaded images allows you to smush those huge images that we talked about earlier. No more 20MB+ images taking up space in your server (unless you really want it to!).

Smush provides you with the ability to create backups of your uploaded images.

If you want to compress your scaled images, you’ll see the threshold size you defined (for example, 2048×2048) as another item under Bulk Smush > Image Sizes > Custom.

Under Tools > Bulk restore, you can restore your thumbnails as long as you enabled the option to back up your uploaded images.

Give this feature a spin and start managing your uploaded images better in WordPress. If you need additional information, check out our Smush plugin documentation or contact our support team.

Compressing and deleting original images is an essential step in optimizing your website’s performance. Large image files can slow down your site’s loading time, which can negatively impact user experience and search engine rankings. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to this problem: Smush.

Smush is a popular WordPress plugin that allows you to compress and optimize your images without sacrificing quality. It’s easy to use and can significantly reduce the file size of your images, making your website faster and more efficient.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to compressing and deleting original images using Smush:

Step 1: Install and Activate Smush
The first step is to install and activate the Smush plugin on your WordPress site. You can do this by going to the “Plugins” section of your WordPress dashboard, clicking “Add New,” and searching for “Smush.” Once you’ve found the plugin, click “Install Now” and then “Activate.”

Step 2: Configure Smush Settings
Once Smush is activated, you’ll need to configure its settings to suit your needs. Go to the Smush dashboard and click on the “Settings” tab. Here, you can choose whether to automatically compress new images as they’re uploaded, enable lazy loading for images, and more. You can also choose the level of compression you want for your images – the higher the compression, the smaller the file size.

Step 3: Compress Existing Images
Now that Smush is set up, it’s time to compress your existing images. Go to the “Bulk Smush” tab in the Smush dashboard and click “Bulk Smush Now.” Smush will then go through all of your images and compress them. Depending on how many images you have, this process may take some time.

Step 4: Delete Original Images
Once your images are compressed, you may want to delete the original, uncompressed versions to save space on your server. To do this, go to the “Settings” tab in the Smush dashboard and scroll down to the “Delete Originals” section. Check the box next to “Delete original images after compression,” and then click “Save Changes.”

Step 5: Monitor Your Site’s Performance
After compressing and deleting your original images, it’s important to monitor your site’s performance to ensure that it’s running smoothly. You can use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to check your site’s loading time and see if there are any other areas that need improvement.

In conclusion, compressing and deleting original images using Smush is a simple and effective way to optimize your website’s performance. By following these steps, you can reduce the file size of your images, improve your site’s loading time, and provide a better experience for your users.

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