jpegoptim

Optimise a set of JPEG images, retaining all associated data

$ jpegoptim [image1.jpeg image2.jpeg image3.jpeg ...]

$ jpegoptim [[-s|--strip-all]] [image1.jpeg image2.jpeg image3.jpeg ...]

$ jpegoptim --all-progressive [image1.jpeg image2.jpeg image3.jpeg ...]

$ jpegoptim [[-S|--size]] [250k] [image1.jpeg image2.jpeg image3.jpeg ...]

jpegoptim [OPTION ...] [FILE ...]

-h, --help
    Display help message and exit.

-V, --version
    Output version information and exit.

-o, --overwrite
    Replace input file with optimized version.

-n, --noaction
    Dry run: print actions without optimizing.

-q, --quiet
    Suppress progress indicators.

-v, --verbose
    Verbose output (repeat for more detail).

-s, --strip-all
    Strip all metadata (EXIF, IPTC, XMP, ICC, etc.).

--strip-com
    Strip only COM markers.

--strip-exif
    Strip only EXIF markers.

--strip-iptc
    Strip only IPTC markers.

--strip-icc
    Strip only ICC profiles.

-p, --preserve
    Preserve file modification timestamps.

-m<size>, --max=<size>
    Resize to max dimensions (e.g., -m1024 for 1024px longest side).

-t<threshold>, --threshold=<threshold>
    Quality threshold 1-100 (default 95); lower = more lossy.

-b<suffix>, --backup=<suffix>
    Backup originals with suffix (default none).

--stdin
    Read JPEG from stdin, write optimized to stdout.

jpegoptim is a powerful command-line tool for optimizing JPEG images on Linux systems. It reduces file sizes losslessly by recompressing the image data using advanced JPEG Huffman table optimization and removing superfluous metadata like EXIF, IPTC, XMP, ICC profiles, and comments. This results in smaller files without any perceptible quality loss, making it ideal for web graphics, backups, and storage optimization.

For more aggressive size reduction, it supports lossy modes via quality thresholds or image resizing. Key features include dry-run previews, backups, stdin/stdout processing, and preservation of timestamps. Widely used in batch scripts for directories of images, it processes files in parallel where possible and reports percentage savings. Typical savings range from 10-50% on unoptimized JPEGs from cameras or editors.

Unlike lossy tools, jpegoptim prioritizes reversibility, leveraging libjpeg for reliable decoding/encoding. It's lightweight, fast, and integrates seamlessly into workflows with tools like ImageMagick.

May not reduce size on already-optimized JPEGs. Lossy modes (-t<100, -m) alter image irreversibly. Use -n first and backups for irreplaceable files. Progressive JPEGs may lose that feature.

jpegoptim --strip-all --overwrite *.jpg
Optimizes all JPGs in current dir, strips metadata, overwrites originals.

Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install jpegoptim
Fedora: sudo dnf install jpegoptim
Arch: sudo pacman -S jpegoptim

Originally developed by Mads Aagesen (1991-1996), enhanced and maintained by Klaus Post since 2006. Latest release 1.5.5 (2023) adds better metadata stripping and libjpeg-turbo support. Popular in Linux distros for over 20 years.

jpegtran(1), cjpeg(1), optipng(1), pngcrush(1)