Jump to the size you need
If you already know your target, drop the photo into Sukat, type the KB or MB, and it finds the highest-quality version that fits.
When you need each size
Every band, the use cases behind it, and what to expect at that ceiling.
The 20 KB ceiling is unforgiving — expect visible artifacts and downscaling to roughly 400–600 px on the long edge. Use it only when a portal explicitly demands it, usually older systems with hardcoded legacy limits.
Common on legacy upload portals from when storage was expensive. Sukat downscales dimensions automatically if the image can't fit at quality 1, so you always end up under the limit.
100 KB is the single most-searched compression target — small enough for most upload limits, large enough for a recognisable face. Most professional headshots compress comfortably here with no visible loss.
The sweet spot for web performance. Loads fast on mobile, fits under most CMS limits, still sharp on retina at standard thumbnail sizes (around 600–800 px wide).
E-commerce platforms allow 1–2 MB but recommend 200–500 KB for page speed. At 500 KB you can serve a 1500-px-wide image with very little compression — good for zoomable product shots.
Past 500 KB you trade load speed for quality. Right for visual portfolios and photography blogs where image quality is the product. Below 1 MB still loads fast on broadband and most mobile.
Most providers allow 25 MB total per email, but recipients often have stricter inbox quotas. Under 2 MB per image means a typical 5–10 image gallery fits comfortably within most email limits.
The ceiling for typical web use. Above 5 MB should generally be reserved for print or download — at 2–5 MB you can serve a full 4K-width hero with minimal visible compression.
Use case reference
Exact targets for the platforms and documents people ask about most.
Passport & visa photos
- Philippines passport (DFA)
- 35×45 mm, white background, JPEG, typically under 300 KB. Same format as NBI, school IDs, OFW docs.
- United States passport
- 2×2 in (51×51 mm) at 300 DPI, JPG, typically under 240 KB online.
- Schengen visa (EU)
- 35×45 mm, usually under 500 KB across most embassy portals.
- UK passport (HMPO)
- At least 600×750 px, 50 KB–10 MB.
- Canada (IRCC)
- 35×45 mm, 60 KB–240 KB for most online forms.
- Australia (DFAT)
- 35×45 mm, 100 KB–1 MB.
- Japan visa
- 35×45 mm, typically under 240 KB for online consular submissions.
Social media
- LinkedIn profile
- 400×400 px, max 8 MB — compress to 200 KB for fastest load.
- X (Twitter) profile
- 400×400 px, max 2 MB — 100–200 KB for clean load.
- Twitter header
- 1500×500 px, max 5 MB.
- WhatsApp profile
- Pre-compress to 100 KB to avoid the app's lossy re-compression.
- Instagram post
- 1080×1080 / 1080×1350 / 1080×566, max 8 MB.
- Discord avatar
- 128×128 min, 8 MB max — keep under 1 MB to avoid preview lag.
- Facebook profile
- 320×320 recommended, max 4 MB.
E-commerce
- Shopify
- Up to 4472×4472, 20 MB max — recommended under 70 KB for page speed.
- Amazon Seller Central
- Min 1000×1000 for zoom, max 10 MB — 500 KB–1 MB recommended.
- eBay
- Up to 7 MB, but most listings perform better at 500 KB–1 MB.
- Etsy
- Up to 10 MB; display compresses to ~1500 px anyway.
Blogs, CMS & email
- WordPress
- Host-set limit (8–64 MB) — compress to 200–500 KB for performance.
- Medium
- Up to 25 MB but re-compresses — pre-compress to 500 KB to avoid double artifacts.
- Substack
- 4 MB/image — 200–500 KB for newsletter delivery weight.
- Ghost
- Host-dependent; typical ceiling 1 MB for featured images.
- Gmail / Outlook / Yahoo / iCloud
- 20–25 MB total per email — keep each image under 1–2 MB; ZIP large batches under 25 MB.
Format changes size more than you think
The format you pick has a bigger impact on file size than most people realise.
WEBP
Typically 25–35% smaller than JPEG at the same visible quality. Universally supported since 2020. Sukat's default — best for any web use case.
JPEG
Universally supported including older email clients and print services. Best when the destination explicitly requests JPG.
PNG
Only for transparency or pixel-perfect output (logos, screenshots, text). For photos it's 3–5× larger than JPEG with no visible gain.
HEIC / HEIF
What iPhones record by default. Smaller than JPEG but unsupported on Windows and most non-Apple platforms. Convert before sharing.
AVIF
Newer than WebP, slightly smaller at the same quality, but support is still spotty in older browsers. Use when you control the destination.
The rule
For the web, output WebP unless the destination demands otherwise. It's the single biggest free size win available.