EffortLess Simple Image Optimiser

Automatically optimise uploaded images using the PHP GD library — no external APIs, no account required.

Author:domclic (profile at wordpress.org)
WordPress version required:5.9
WordPress version tested:6.9.4
Plugin version:1.0.56
Added to WordPress repository:28-03-2026
Last updated:28-03-2026
Rating, %:0
Rated by:0
Plugin URI:
Total downloads:42
plugin download
Click to start download

Effortless Simple Image Optimiser hooks directly into the WordPress Media Library upload pipeline and compresses, resizes and (optionally) converts images the moment they are uploaded — all using the built-in PHP GD extension.

Features

  • JPEG compression — re-encodes JPEGs at a configurable quality level (default: 82). GD strips EXIF metadata automatically, further reducing file size.
  • PNG compression — applies lossless GD compression to PNG files.
  • PNG JPEG conversion — converts opaque (non-transparent) PNGs to JPEG for significant space savings. Transparent PNGs are always kept as PNG.
  • Image resizing — scales down images that exceed a configurable maximum width or height while maintaining the original aspect ratio.
  • WebP generation — optionally saves a .webp sidecar file alongside every optimised image (requires GD compiled with WebP support).
  • Zero external dependencies — no API keys, no third-party services, no composer packages.
  • Graceful degradation — if GD is not available the plugin skips processing and logs a notice; uploads are never blocked.

Settings

Navigate to Settings Image Optimiser to configure:

  • Enable / disable automatic optimisation on upload
  • JPEG quality (1–100, default 82)
  • Enable PNG JPEG conversion
  • Enable WebP sidecar generation + WebP quality
  • Enable / disable resizing
  • Maximum width in pixels (default 1920)
  • Maximum height in pixels (default 1920)

Requirements

  • PHP 7.4 or higher
  • PHP GD extension (enabled on virtually all shared hosting)
  • WordPress 5.9 or higher

FAQ
ChangeLog