Compress images for Shopify
Image weight is the single biggest factor in Shopify store speed. A product page with 8 unoptimised photos can take 6 seconds to load on mobile. Drop that to 1.5 seconds with proper image compression and watch your conversion rate climb.
Product image weight directly impacts sales
Slow stores lose buyers
Studies consistently show conversion drops 7% per second of additional load time. A 5-second product page converts roughly half as well as a 2-second one.
Shopify CDN does not compress aggressively
Shopify serves images via its CDN with size variants but applies modest compression. Optimising the source images yields a much bigger gain than relying on Shopify alone.
WebP is widely supported in 2026
Every modern browser reads WebP. Switching from JPG to WebP at quality 80 typically cuts product image weight by 25-35% with no visible difference.
Recommended settings for Shopify
WebP is the safe default for product photos. Aim for 200-400 KB per high-resolution shot, 50-100 KB for thumbnails. Avoid letting Shopify auto-resize from 4 MB originals.
- FormatWebP (fallback JPG if needed)
- Quality80-85
- Target size200-400 KB per product photo
Optimise images before uploading to Shopify
Resize to your theme's max width
Most Shopify themes display product photos at 2000-2400 pixels wide. Anything larger gets downscaled by Shopify. Resize first to control quality.
Convert to WebP at quality 82
Use Morphix's JPG-to-WebP or PNG-to-WebP tool. Quality 82 is the sweet spot for product photography : sharp enough to look professional, light enough to load fast.
Upload to Shopify
Upload the optimised files via the product editor or bulk via the Shopify CSV import. Shopify will serve them via its CDN automatically.
Common questions
Why not let Shopify handle compression?
Will WebP work on iPhone Safari?
How does this affect SEO?
Ready to speed up your store?
Optimise your product images once, see the difference on your next page load.
Convert images for Shopify