Pixelation from compression
Heavy JPG compression creates blocky patterns, especially in gradients or shadows. If you see this, increase quality or use WebP or AVIF for better compression. In many cases, a small reduction in compression solves the issue without large file growth.
Comparison table: causes and fixes
| Symptom |
Likely cause |
Best fix |
| Soft edges |
Upscaling or low resolution |
Resize to the correct size or upscale gently |
| Blocky pixels |
Over-compression |
Increase quality or switch format |
| Grainy noise |
High ISO or aggressive compression |
Apply light denoise and re-export |
| Jagged text |
Rasterized text |
Use vector or higher resolution |
Real-world use case: marketplace images
Product photos often look blurry because sellers upload small images that are stretched to fit large cards. The fix is to resize the layout to match the original size or ask for higher resolution originals. A gentle upscale can help, but it will not match a true high-res image.
Preventing blur on the web
Match image dimensions to the container, avoid multiple re-exports, and compress only once. Keep a high quality master file. If you must upscale, do it in one step and apply light sharpening rather than repeated edits.
How to evaluate sharpness correctly
Always judge sharpness at 100 percent zoom. If you zoom out, the browser will resample the image and it can look sharper or softer than it really is. If you zoom in too far, you will exaggerate artifacts. A quick test is to compare the original and edited versions side by side at the same zoom level.
A reliable fix pipeline
When an image looks bad, start by checking size. If it is being enlarged, resize the layout or upscale gently. Next, check compression. If you see blockiness, re-export at higher quality or switch to a modern format. Finally, apply light sharpening and noise reduction. This order prevents you from sharpening artifacts or making noise worse.
Workflow tips for teams and clients
If multiple people touch image assets, consistency matters. Create a small set of shared presets for size and quality, then document when to use them. This keeps a blog post, landing page, and product page visually consistent. It also reduces revision cycles because everyone follows the same playbook.
Avoid quality loss from repeated edits
Every time you re-export a lossy format, you lose a little detail. The best practice is to keep a master file and only export once for delivery. If you need a new size or format, go back to the master. This keeps compression artifacts from stacking up.
Accessibility and context still matter
Even perfect image quality is less valuable if the context is unclear. Use descriptive filenames and alt text for web images. Make sure important text is not baked into the image if it needs to be searchable or readable by screen readers. The technical optimizations work best when paired with clear context.
Detailed workflow example
A practical way to apply this topic is to work from a simple example. Start with a high quality original, decide the final destination, and then make one clean export. If the image is for a website, determine the largest display size, resize to that size, and pick the right format. If the image is for social, use the platform dimensions and keep enough margin for cropping. This approach is consistent and avoids the trial-and-error loop that often leads to quality loss.
Troubleshooting and quality review
If the result looks worse than expected, step back and review the order of operations. Check for accidental upscaling, verify the aspect ratio, and compare the original and final at the same zoom level. If artifacts appear, reduce compression or switch formats. If the image looks soft, confirm the target size and apply only light sharpening. Most issues are caused by one of these three steps, so fixing them usually brings the image back to a clean result.
Delivery checklist
- Confirm the output dimensions match the display size.
- Verify format and quality settings are correct for the content.
- Preview on at least one real device.
- Save a master file for future edits.
- Keep filenames descriptive and versioned.
This checklist is short, but it keeps your workflow reliable and makes results easy to reproduce.
Summary
Blurry and pixelated images come from different problems. Diagnose the cause, then fix it with the right step: resize for size, compress for weight, or enhance for clarity.
