Understanding compression modes: default, lossless, lossy

Dropmatico offers three compression modes. Each one is a trade-off between file size and visual fidelity. This article covers what they do and when to pick which.

Default mode (balanced)

The default applies a balanced compression profile that preserves most visual fidelity while keeping file sizes reasonable. It's the right pick when you don't have a specific reason to optimize one axis over the other. If you aren't sure which mode to use, start here.

Lossless mode

Lossless compression preserves 100% of the original resolution and visual clarity with zero generational quality loss. File sizes are larger than default or lossy, but the pixels are byte-identical to what you see on the canvas. Use this for portfolio archival, print-adjacent work, case-study galleries, or any asset where quality cannot drift.

Lossy mode

Lossy compression maximizes file-size savings at the cost of controlled quality trade-offs. Fine detail and gradients may show mild artifacts at high compression levels, but photography and web imagery typically look indistinguishable from the original at normal viewing distance. Use this for landing pages, blog headers, paid-social creative, and any surface where page speed or upload size matters.

Quick picker by use case

Three decisions that cover 90% of real workflows:

  • Client handoff or portfolio piece → lossless
  • Landing page hero or blog header → lossy
  • Social feed post or generic share → default

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