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Google Chrome Labs has introduced an open-source web-based image editing app called Squoosh. The app shows how images can load faster with Google’s WebP image container format.

WebP was introduced by Google in 2010 under an open-source license. The format is a so called lossy compressed format, which means that when images are compressed, the quality deteriorates. As a result, a compression algorithm can produce a much smaller image than would otherwise be possible. WebP can often achieve 30 percent more compression than the popular JPEG standard, but with the same quality.

Squoosh allows developers to drag and drop an image onto a surface that is running in a web browser. They can then select the image format, scale the image, set the image quality and reduce the color palette. The app then lets developers compare the original and the optimized version side by side. The formats that can be selected include WebP, mozjpeg, BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, JPEG 2000 and PDF.

Native app

Squoosh is powered by Progressive Web Application technology, a web-based app design with features for rich user experiences similar to native apps. The app can run in any browser on both desktop and smartphones.

This allows Chrome OS and Windows 10 platforms with the latest version of Chrome Squoosh to use as a native app running in a browser. Smartphones, tablets, Chromebooks and Windows netbooks can use these and other apps of this type. The app also benefits from an extension of support for PWA’s, which Google has also announced.

Google indicates to extend the support based on what it has learned to Chrome for Windows and Linux. Support for Mac follows in Chrome 72.

This news article was automatically translated from Dutch to give Techzine.eu a head start. All news articles after September 1, 2019 are written in native English and NOT translated. All our background stories are written in native English as well. For more information read our launch article.