Compress an image to 15 KB
Room for a recognisable face or a clear signature, under a strict limit.
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How it works
Add your images
Drag and drop, paste, or pick files. They upload over an encrypted connection.
Pick a quality or a target size
Use the quality slider, or tell it exactly how many KB or MB you need.
Download
Save each file, or grab them all at once as a ZIP.
15 KB is where a small portrait starts to look acceptable. It is still a tight limit, so the tool lowers quality first and then reduces the pixel size only as far as needed to fit.
Forms for entrance tests, licences and registrations often name 15 KB for the photo and a smaller figure for the signature. If your form lists both, run them as two separate jobs with two different targets.
A tight crop does more than any slider. A face that fills the frame gives the compressor fewer wasted pixels to encode, so the same 15 KB shows more of what matters.
How big a picture 15 KB allows
Fifteen kilobytes is 120,000 bits, which is about 120,000 pixels at one bit each. That is roughly 340 by 350, or a portrait of 300 by 400. Plain backgrounds help, and a photo taken against a wall will fare better than one taken in a market.
Lighting and background before you shoot
If you are about to take the photo, even light and a plain wall save more bytes than any setting. Harsh shadows and patterned shirts create detail that costs file size. A soft window light and a solid backdrop produce a file that compresses cleanly at 15 KB.
Choosing the format
Leave the format on automatic for photographs and the tool will choose JPEG. For a scan of a certificate with sharp text, pick WebP or PNG in the Format menu, because JPEG smears the edges of letters at this size.
Splitting the budget between photo and text
Some pages ask for a single image holding a face and a printed name. Fifteen kilobytes is tight for that, because text needs sharp edges and a face needs smooth gradients, and the two pull the compressor in opposite directions. If the form allows it, upload the name as typed text and keep the image for the face alone.
When you must combine them, make the name large and black on a white strip under the photo. Large letters survive compression far better than small print.
Mobile photos and orientation
A phone held sideways records the image rotated and stores a note saying so. This tool reads that note, turns the picture the right way up, and then compresses it, so your portrait does not arrive lying on its side.
Comparing before you download
Open the original and the result side by side and judge them at the size a reviewer will see. If any difference only appears when you zoom far in, the result is good. Forms rarely show a photo larger than a small window of a few hundred pixels.
When to raise the target
If the result looks too weak, check whether the form truly demands exactly 15 KB or only a maximum of it. When 20 KB is acceptable, enter a higher figure under Custom and the picture will come out visibly better.
Frequently asked questions
Is 15 KB enough for a clear face?
Usually, when the face fills most of the frame and the background is plain. A full-length photo will be too soft.
Can the tool reach exactly 15 KB?
It aims for just under 15,000 bytes. The result may land a little below, never above.
What about a photo and a signature on one sheet?
Compress each as its own file. Joining them first wastes bytes on the white space between them.
Does it keep the same shape?
Yes. The width and height keep their ratio unless you change them in Resize.
Why does my 15 KB photo look blocky on the cheeks?
Smooth gradients are the hardest thing for a small file to keep. Lower the pixel size a little and run it again for a cleaner result.
Is there a watermark on the output?
No. The file you download is your picture, only smaller.