PunyPNG For Image Compression

Optimizing an Ajax based application is not just based on effective coding. Developers also have to consider the weight of the online application. Applications with heavy data will only mean more resources from the user such as high bandwidth speed. With a lightweight application, developers will be able to launch the application in various browsers without any problem.

One of the forms of files that may cause the load the application is the image files. The importance of image files is relative to each website. Some are just using image files to improve the beauty of the application while others see their images as an essential part of the application. But for any purpose of images, they should be compressed so that they can be easily implemented in client side online applications such as those based in Ajax or JavaScript.

A good tool developers can consider for image compression in Ajax and JavaScript based application is PunyPNG. This tool was created by Ask.com's Conrad Chu. As the name of the tool suggests, this tool will help developers compress their image files so that it will not require resources before they will be launched in the application.

Key Features of PunyPNG:

• Providing the exact number of savings - The tool will allow developers know the exact savings they will have when they run through their images in this compressing tool. This feature will allow developers if the image compression is really worth it for their online application.

• Implementation of JPEG Compression - Although not necessarily a rare feature, this is a very impressive feature of the utility. Aside from compressing JPEG images, the utility will check if the uploaded image can be converted to PNG without making some changes in the general quality of the application. Generally, the trouble with JPEG is they might be slow when implemented in the online application. The PunyPNG addresses that concern by adding key functions such as "jpeg-tran" and "jpegoptim".

• Batch processing - Let the utility do its magic without having to manually work with each image. The utility will enable you to upload as much as 50 image files and allow the utility to work with the images at the same time. The output of the utility will come in two formats: the actual compressed file and the original file for those that cannot be compressed by the application. After batch processing, the files can be downloaded in one zip file.

Offline Features

The main advantage of PunyPNG is that it will allow developers to compress various images without having to use the internet. The offline capability of the utility will allow developers to improve their application even though they are not online.

But the current challenge for PunyPNG is that it does not allow developers to have a preview of the output. This means developers have to download the compressed image first before knowing if the compressed image is according to their preferences. But this might be a small inconvenience compared to its ability to compress batch images even in JPEG format.