JPrompt's Pixengine – Image Converter & Optimizer

Description

Make your WordPress site blazing fast with Pixengine – The intelligent image converter and optimizer.

Pixengine automatically converts all uploaded images to WebP and AVIF formats with intelligent optimization, reducing file sizes by 40-70% while maintaining visual quality. Perfect for improving page speed, SEO rankings, and user experience.

Key Features

Automatic Conversion
* Auto-convert JPG and PNG uploads to WebP or AVIF
* Choose WebP only, AVIF only, or both formats
* Smart resizing for images over configurable width
* Maintains aspect ratio automatically
* Preserves transparency for PNG images
* Converts all WordPress thumbnail sizes

AVIF Support (New in 1.1.0)
* Next-generation AVIF format with superior compression
* Up to 50% smaller files than WebP
* Automatic browser detection and fallback
* Requires PHP 8.1+ or Imagick with AVIF support

Superior Compression
* Uses Imagick (when available) for best compression
* Strips unnecessary metadata (EXIF, profiles)
* Optimized settings for 40-70% file size reduction
* Fallback to GD library with optimization
* Separate quality controls for WebP and AVIF

Lazy Loading (New in 1.1.0)
* Native browser lazy loading support
* Exclude first N images (above-the-fold)
* Improves initial page load performance
* Works with post content, thumbnails, and attachments

Responsive Images (New in 1.1.0)
* Automatic srcset optimization
* Optional picture element wrapping
* Format fallback: AVIF > WebP > Original

Caching Integration (New in 1.1.0)
* Configurable cache headers via .htaccess
* Browser caching for repeat visits
* Immutable cache-control for static images

Bulk Conversion
* Convert existing media library images
* Keeps original files for compatibility
* Automatic .htaccess configuration
* Browser-based optimized image delivery
* Progress tracking with detailed logging

Perfect For

  • E-commerce – Faster product page loading
  • Photographers – Portfolio optimization
  • Bloggers – Quick page loads, better SEO
  • News Sites – Handle high-volume image uploads
  • Agencies – Client site optimization
  • Developers – Performance-first development

Performance Benefits

  • 40-70% smaller file sizes compared to JPG/PNG
  • Faster page load times – Better Core Web Vitals
  • Improved SEO rankings – Page speed is a ranking factor
  • Reduced bandwidth costs – Smaller files = less data
  • Better mobile experience – Faster loads on slow connections
  • Green hosting – Lower carbon footprint

How It Works

New Uploads (Automatic):
1. Upload JPG or PNG image
2. Plugin resizes if width > 1920px (configurable)
3. Converts to WebP with optimized compression
4. Strips metadata for smaller files
5. Original deleted (saves storage)
6. All thumbnails converted to WebP

Existing Images (Bulk):
1. Click “Start Bulk Conversion”
2. Converts all JPG/PNG in media library
3. Keeps originals for compatibility
4. Updates .htaccess for automatic WebP delivery
5. Browsers that support WebP get optimized images
6. Older browsers get original JPG/PNG

Technical Details

Compression Methods:
* Primary: Imagick with method 6 (best compression)
* Fallback: GD with alpha channel preservation
* Automatic metadata stripping
* Configurable quality settings (1-100)
* Smart resizing with LANCZOS filtering

WebP Options (Imagick):
* Method 6 compression (highest quality)
* Lossy compression for better file sizes
* Alpha quality 100 (perfect transparency)
* Auto-filter optimization
* Lossless option available

Browser Compatibility:
* Automatic .htaccess rules for serving WebP
* Fallback to original JPG/PNG for older browsers
* Supports Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari 14+, Opera
* Mobile browsers fully supported

Privacy & Performance

  • No external API calls
  • All processing done on your server
  • No data collection or tracking
  • Minimal performance impact
  • Asynchronous bulk conversion
  • Progress tracking without page reload

Technical Specifications

Supported Formats

  • Input: JPEG, JPG, PNG
  • Output: WebP, AVIF

Compression Details

  • Imagick: Method 6, lossy, auto-filter (WebP and AVIF)
  • GD: Alpha blending, transparency preservation
  • AVIF: Requires PHP 8.1+ or Imagick with AVIF support
  • Metadata stripping: EXIF, color profiles, thumbnails
  • Quality range: 1-100 (WebP: 70-80, AVIF: 60-70 recommended)

File Size Reductions

  • WebP from JPEG: 40-60% reduction
  • WebP from PNG: 50-70% reduction
  • AVIF from JPEG: 50-70% reduction
  • AVIF from PNG: 60-80% reduction
  • Large images (>1920px): 60-85% reduction

Browser Support

  • Chrome/Edge: Full WebP and AVIF support
  • Firefox: Full WebP and AVIF support
  • Safari: WebP 14+, AVIF 16+ (macOS Ventura, iOS 16)
  • Opera: Full support
  • IE/Legacy: Automatic fallback to JPG/PNG

Privacy Policy

This plugin does not:
* Collect any personal data
* Send images to external servers
* Use cookies
* Track users
* Make any external API calls

Support

Community support via WordPress.org forums.

Credits

Developed by JPrompt.

Screenshots

  • Main settings page with media library stats
  • Quality and max width configuration options
  • Bulk regenerate thumbnails in progress with real-time logging
  • Bulk conversion in progress with real-time logging
  • Media library showing converted WebP images

Installation

Automatic Installation

  1. Log in to your WordPress admin panel
  2. Go to Plugins > Add New
  3. Search for “Pixengine”
  4. Click “Install Now” and then “Activate”
  5. Go to Settings > Pixengine to configure

Manual Installation

  1. Download the plugin ZIP file
  2. Go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
  3. Select the ZIP file and click “Install Now”
  4. Activate the plugin
  5. Navigate to Settings > Pixengine

Configuration

  1. Go to Pixengine in your admin menu
  2. Set your preferred quality (recommended: 75)
  3. Set maximum width (default: 1920px)
  4. For existing images, click “Start Bulk Conversion”

System Requirements

  • PHP 7.4 or higher
  • GD library with WebP support OR Imagick extension
  • WordPress 5.8 or higher
  • Apache with mod_rewrite (for .htaccess rules)

FAQ

Will this work on my server?

The plugin requires either GD library with WebP support or Imagick extension. Most modern hosting providers have at least one of these. The plugin will show an admin notice if WebP is not supported.

What happens to my original images?

For new uploads, original JPG/PNG files are deleted and replaced with WebP versions (saves storage). For bulk conversion of existing images, originals are kept alongside WebP versions for browser compatibility.

Will this break my site for older browsers?

No! When you run bulk conversion, the plugin configures .htaccess to serve WebP to supporting browsers and original JPG/PNG to older browsers. It’s completely automatic.

How much smaller will my images be?

Typically 40-70% smaller than original JPG/PNG files while maintaining the same visual quality. Results vary based on image content and quality settings.

Can I convert images larger than 1920px?

Yes! Images wider than the max width setting are automatically resized while maintaining aspect ratio. You can adjust the max width in settings.

What quality setting should I use?

We recommend 75 for most sites. WebP quality 75 is roughly equivalent to JPEG quality 85-90. You can go as low as 70 for maximum compression or up to 80-85 for highest quality.

Does this work with CDN?

Yes! The WebP files are stored in your WordPress uploads directory and will be served by your CDN just like any other image.

Can I use this with other image optimization plugins?

It’s recommended to use Pixengine as your primary image optimizer. Disable other WebP conversion plugins to avoid conflicts.

Does this support PNG transparency?

Yes! PNG transparency is fully preserved in WebP conversion using alpha channels.

Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

Contributors & Developers

“JPrompt's Pixengine – Image Converter & Optimizer” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

Changelog

1.1.0 – 2026-02-05

  • NEW: AVIF format support with superior compression
  • NEW: Output format selection (WebP, AVIF, or Both)
  • NEW: Lazy loading integration with native browser support
  • NEW: Exclude first N images from lazy loading (above-the-fold)
  • NEW: Responsive image srcset optimization
  • NEW: Optional picture element wrapping for format fallback
  • NEW: Advanced caching headers via .htaccess
  • NEW: Configurable cache duration settings
  • NEW: Separate AVIF quality control
  • NEW: Newsletter subscription notice
  • IMPROVED: Bulk conversion now supports both WebP and AVIF
  • IMPROVED: .htaccess rules now include AVIF with priority over WebP
  • IMPROVED: Admin UI with new settings sections

1.0.0 – 2026-02-03

  • Initial release
  • Automatic WebP conversion for new uploads
  • Bulk converter for existing images
  • Intelligent resizing (configurable max width)
  • Imagick support for superior compression
  • GD library fallback with optimization
  • Metadata stripping for smaller files
  • .htaccess automatic configuration
  • Transparency preservation for PNG
  • Thumbnail regeneration tool
  • Real-time conversion progress tracking
  • Translation ready