Export and troubleshooting
Aquarell blog-image export: compare JPEG quality and file size
Choose output dimensions for the real display width, compare JPEG and PNG edges and textures, and reduce damage from repeated compression.
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A blog illustration should make its content clear at a suitable size while avoiding an unnecessarily large file. Aquarell supports JPEG and PNG output. JPEG is an option for landscapes, illustrations, and cards with complete backgrounds; keep PNG for standalone decorations that need transparency.
This tutorial starts with a finished landscape-format illustration and establishes a workflow: choose the display dimensions, export comparison versions, inspect details, and retain the source file. How small the file can become depends on its content; one quality value cannot guarantee the same file size for every artwork.
1. Check how wide the image needs to be on the webpage
Suppose the image appears about 800 CSS pixels wide in a blog article. An output 1600 pixels wide is a reasonable starting point for comparison. If the article only shows a small card 400 pixels wide, the same large file may be unnecessary. Check the template's display area before deciding whether to retain the original large dimensions.
If the original is 2400 × 1350 pixels, reducing it to 1600 × 900 preserves the same aspect ratio. Do not enter arbitrary width and height values separately and stretch the image. If the current export screen has an “Image Size” option, use the options actually shown. If it has no equivalent control, save the original output first and resize a copy during publishing.
2. Decide when JPEG is appropriate
JPEG is worth trying for landscapes with a complete background, soft colors, and plenty of texture. Compression can reduce the file size, but JPEG does not preserve transparency. Small text, fine lines, and high-contrast edges can show compression artifacts more readily, so do not judge the result by large areas of color alone.
If the artwork is a transparent leaf icon, or contains fine-lined text that needs crisp edges, use PNG as a reference first. Choose the format according to the actual content rather than treating one format as the answer for every blog image.
3. Start with a relatively high quality and make a few comparisons
In “Export,” choose “Export JPEG.” If your version has a “JPEG Quality” slider, try around 90% first, then a copy at around 75%. These values are for observing the trend; the encoder and image content affect the actual result.
Two or three candidates are usually enough. Exporting many nearly identical settings makes comparison harder and files easier to confuse. You can use names such as landscape-1600-q90.jpg and landscape-1600-q75.jpg , but label files this way only when you actually used those settings.
In versions without a quality slider, you can still compare the default JPEG output with PNG. There is no need to search for a nonexistent button just to match the tutorial's settings exactly; the real question is whether the result suits its purpose.
4. Inspect the areas most likely to cause problems
First inspect the edges of the heading for blur, colored fringes, or compression blocks. Then look at smooth transitions in the sky or a light background, followed by the boundary between dark fine lines and a light background. The output is suitable for the whole artwork only when all these areas look acceptable.
View it at its actual webpage size, then enlarge it to inspect details. Searching for every difference only at extreme magnification can lead to keeping large files with no practical benefit. Looking only at thumbnails can miss problems visible at article size. Checking both scales gives a judgment closer to the reader's experience.
5. Compare file size with visible benefits
Check the actual sizes of the candidate files. If the higher-quality version is only slightly larger but preserves text edges noticeably better, it is usually worth keeping. If the two look almost identical at the target size but differ substantially in file size, choose the smaller one.
Also check whether you really need so many pixels. Reducing unnecessary dimensions is often more sensible than compressing the same large image at very low quality. Set the target pixel dimensions before adjusting compression. Changing both at once makes it harder to identify which change affected the result.
Final check: view it on the publishing page
Place the chosen image in a blog draft and check it on desktop and mobile. The page may crop, resize, or recompress the image, so the final appearance can differ from a local viewer. Confirm that the heading is not cropped, the article image stays within its container, and details remain clear after loading.
Write accurate alternative text, such as “Three layers of blue-green mountains with tree silhouettes on the left,” to help readers understand the image. Describe the image itself rather than stuffing in unrelated keywords, and do not describe an unfinished exercise as an actual photograph.
Keep the original and avoid repeated compression
Treat the final JPEG as a publishing file and keep the native artwork or high-quality master. When you need to change text, refine edges, or crop again, export from the original rather than repeatedly saving an already compressed JPEG.
If you are publishing the same image on several platforms, generate a separate copy for each platform and record its target dimensions. Images sent through a chat tool and downloaded again may already have been processed. Keep the first exported version so you can compare where a problem arose.
Questions and limitations
If JPEG is smaller than PNG, is it always more suitable?
Not necessarily. Transparency, text clarity, and edge quality also matter. File size is one measure, but it cannot replace the intended use. If you need a transparent background, JPEG does not meet that requirement.
Why is another image much larger at the same quality setting?
Texture complexity, noise, color variation, and dimensions all affect compression. Simple flat colors and dense brushwork are different kinds of content; one sample cannot predict the file size of every artwork.
Can I repeatedly open, edit, and save a JPEG?
You can technically do this in suitable tools, but repeated lossy encoding may accumulate damage. For content that you will keep editing, retain the native file or a sufficiently high-quality source, then generate a final publishing copy.
The image is still blurry. Should I just raise the quality?
First check whether the original has enough pixels, whether the webpage enlarges it too much, and whether the artwork was soft to begin with. A quality setting cannot restore detail absent from the original or fix an unsuitable display ratio.
Sources and applicable version
Information checked on October 22, 2026, for Aquarell 1.0.5 (iOS / iPadOS 15.0 or later). See the official description and Apple release lookup; the interface may change with the version.