Feb 9, 2026
Why Image Optimization Matters for Your Framer Website
Images are usually the heaviest elements on any website. A single unoptimized photo can weigh more than your entire page's HTML, CSS, and JavaScript combined. When visitors land on your Framer site, slow-loading images create a poor first impression — they see blank spaces, layout shifts, and spinning loaders instead of your carefully designed content.
Beyond user experience, image optimization directly affects your search rankings. Google's Core Web Vitals — the performance metrics that influence where your site appears in search results — are heavily impacted by image loading. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), which measures how quickly your main content becomes visible, is often determined by your hero image. If that image takes three seconds to load, your LCP score suffers and Google takes notice.
The good news is that Framer handles some image optimization automatically, but there's a lot you can do to ensure your images are as fast as possible. This guide covers everything from choosing the right file format to advanced techniques for delivering perfect images on every device.
How Framer Handles Images
Before diving into optimization techniques, it's worth understanding what Framer does with your images behind the scenes. When you upload an image to Framer, it doesn't simply serve the original file to visitors. Framer's built-in image pipeline processes your uploads automatically.
Framer converts images to WebP format when serving them to browsers that support it (which is virtually all modern browsers in 2026). WebP typically produces files 25-35% smaller than equivalent JPEG files at the same visual quality. Framer also generates multiple sizes of each image and serves the appropriate size based on the visitor's viewport and the image's display dimensions.
This automatic optimization means Framer sites start with a solid baseline. But the pipeline can only do so much — if you upload a 6000x4000 pixel photo straight from your camera, Framer still has to process and store that massive file, and the initial upload and processing adds overhead. Optimizing before you upload gives you much better results than relying on automatic processing alone.
Choosing the Right Image Format
Different image formats serve different purposes. Using the wrong format can mean unnecessarily large files or visible quality loss.
JPEG is the standard for photographs and complex images with many colors and gradients. It uses lossy compression, meaning it discards some visual data to reduce file size. At quality settings between 75-85%, most people can't distinguish a compressed JPEG from the original. Use JPEG for hero images, team photos, product photography, and any image with photographic content.
PNG is designed for images that need transparency or have sharp edges and flat colors — logos, icons, screenshots, illustrations with text, and graphics with transparent backgrounds. PNG uses lossless compression, so files are larger than JPEG but perfectly sharp. Never use PNG for photographs — a photo saved as PNG can be five to ten times larger than the same image as JPEG with no visible quality improvement.
WebP combines the best of both formats — it supports both lossy and lossless compression, handles transparency, and produces smaller files than either JPEG or PNG. If you're pre-optimizing images before uploading to Framer, exporting as WebP gives you the smallest file sizes. Since Framer converts to WebP during delivery anyway, uploading WebP files simply reduces the processing needed.
SVG is the right choice for icons, logos, and simple illustrations that are made of geometric shapes and paths rather than pixels. SVGs are vector-based, meaning they scale to any size without losing quality and are typically tiny in file size. In Framer, you can paste SVG code directly or upload SVG files.
Image Sizing: The Most Common Mistake
The single biggest image optimization mistake is uploading images that are far larger than they'll ever be displayed. If your hero section displays an image at 1440 pixels wide, uploading a 5000-pixel-wide image wastes bandwidth and slows your site — even after Framer's automatic resizing.
Here's a practical sizing guide for common Framer website elements:
Hero images: 1920 pixels wide is sufficient for full-width heroes on large desktop monitors. For contained-width heroes (those within a max-width container), 1440 pixels wide is typically enough. There's no benefit to going larger — even 4K monitors render websites at logical resolutions that rarely exceed 1920 pixels wide.
Blog featured images: Match the maximum display width of your blog post layout. If your blog content column is 720 pixels wide, a featured image at 1440 pixels (2x for retina displays) is ideal.
Card thumbnails: If your feature cards display images at 400 pixels wide, upload images at 800 pixels wide (2x for retina). Anything larger is wasted data.
Team headshots: These are typically displayed at small sizes — 200-300 pixels. Upload at 400-600 pixels wide and let Framer handle the rest.
Logos and icons: Use SVG whenever possible. If you must use raster formats, keep them small — a logo displayed at 200 pixels wide doesn't need to be 1000 pixels.
The 2x rule is a good general practice: upload images at twice the maximum display size to ensure they look sharp on retina displays (which have twice the pixel density of standard screens). Going beyond 2x provides no visible benefit and only increases file size.
Compression: Finding the Right Balance
Compression reduces file size by removing visual data that's either redundant or imperceptible to the human eye. The goal is to find the sweet spot where the file is as small as possible without visible quality loss.
For JPEG images, a quality setting of 80% is the sweet spot for most web images. At this level, file sizes drop dramatically compared to 100% quality, but the visual difference is virtually undetectable. Going below 70% usually introduces visible artifacts — blurring, banding in gradients, and blocky patterns in areas of subtle color variation.
For PNG images, compression is lossless, so quality isn't a factor. Instead, focus on reducing the color palette when possible. A screenshot that uses 256 colors can be saved as an 8-bit PNG at a fraction of the size of a 24-bit PNG. Tools like TinyPNG and Squoosh are excellent at optimizing PNGs without visible quality loss.
For WebP images, a quality setting of 80-85% produces excellent results for photographic content. WebP's compression algorithm is more efficient than JPEG's, so you often get noticeably smaller files at the same perceptual quality.
Recommended Compression Tools
Squoosh (squoosh.app) is a free, browser-based tool built by the Google Chrome team. It lets you compare the original and compressed versions side by side, adjust quality settings in real time, and export in multiple formats including WebP and AVIF. It's the best tool for one-off image optimization.
TinyPNG (tinypng.com) handles both PNG and JPEG compression with excellent results. It's particularly good at reducing PNG file sizes — often by 60-80% — without perceptible quality loss. The free tier handles up to 20 images at a time.
ImageOptim (Mac only) is a desktop app that strips unnecessary metadata and applies optimal compression to batches of images. Drag a folder of images onto it and they're optimized in place. Ideal for processing multiple images before uploading to Framer.
ShortPixel and Kraken.io are web-based tools that handle bulk image optimization with API access for automated workflows. Useful if you're managing a large content site with frequent image uploads.
Responsive Images in Framer
Different devices need different image sizes. A hero image that fills a 27-inch desktop monitor would be overkill on a phone screen — the phone's smaller viewport and lower resolution mean a much smaller image would look identical while loading significantly faster.
Framer's image pipeline handles responsive delivery automatically by generating multiple image sizes and using the srcset attribute to let the browser choose the appropriate size. The browser evaluates the viewport width, pixel density, and the image's display size to request the optimal version.
To help Framer's responsive image system work effectively, follow these practices:
Set explicit image dimensions. When you place an image in Framer, give it defined width and height values or place it inside a container with defined dimensions. This tells Framer (and the browser) exactly how large the image will be displayed, which enables more accurate responsive image selection.
Use the fill property correctly. For images inside auto-layout containers, setting the image to fill its parent with object-fit: cover ensures the image scales proportionally and fills the container without distortion. This also helps Framer determine the correct responsive size to serve.
Avoid fixed pixel dimensions on mobile. An image set to exactly 800 pixels wide will overflow its container on a 390-pixel phone screen if the container doesn't constrain it. Use percentage-based or fill-based sizing inside responsive layouts so images adapt to every breakpoint. Our responsive design guide covers layout techniques that make this seamless.
Lazy Loading and Performance
Lazy loading defers the loading of off-screen images until the visitor scrolls near them. Instead of loading every image on the page at once (which slows the initial page load), the browser only loads the images that are currently visible or about to become visible.
Framer applies lazy loading to images by default, which means images below the fold don't block the initial page render. However, there's an important nuance: your hero image and any images visible in the first viewport should not be lazy loaded. These images are part of the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measurement, and lazy loading them actually hurts performance by delaying their display.
Framer handles this automatically for most layouts, but if you notice your hero image loading with a visible delay, check that it's not being deferred unnecessarily. Images at the top of your page should load eagerly (immediately) while images further down the page benefit from lazy loading.
Image Optimization for CMS Content
If your Framer site uses the CMS — for a blog, portfolio, product catalog, or any dynamic content — image optimization becomes an ongoing concern. Every new CMS entry potentially includes images, and content editors who aren't thinking about performance will upload whatever images they have.
Set up guidelines for anyone adding CMS content:
Maximum file size: Establish a rule — no single image should exceed 500KB for blog featured images or 200KB for thumbnails and supporting images. This gives content editors a clear target to hit before uploading.
Recommended dimensions: Document the ideal image dimensions for each CMS image field. If your blog cards display featured images at 600x400 pixels, specify that uploads should be 1200x800 (2x for retina). This prevents content editors from uploading 4000-pixel-wide photos for a thumbnail.
Format guidance: Recommend WebP or JPEG for photographs and PNG only when transparency is needed. Many content editors default to PNG for everything, which leads to unnecessarily large files.
If you're building a site for a client, include these guidelines in your handoff documentation. Our client handoff guide covers how to create documentation that clients actually follow, including image specifications.
Background Images and Decorative Elements
Background images and decorative elements like gradients, patterns, and textures often get overlooked during optimization because they feel secondary to the main content. But a large background image can be one of the heaviest elements on your page.
Consider CSS alternatives. Many decorative effects that designers create as images can be replicated with CSS — gradients, simple patterns, shadows, and blurs. These render instantly and add zero download weight. In Framer, you can apply gradients and background effects directly to frames without using images at all.
Optimize aggressively. Decorative backgrounds that sit behind other content can tolerate much more compression than primary images. A background texture at 40% JPEG quality often looks perfectly fine because the foreground content draws the eye. Compress these harder than you would hero images or product photos.
Use appropriate sizes. A subtle dot pattern or noise texture doesn't need to be 1920 pixels wide — a small 200x200 tile set to repeat covers the same area at a fraction of the file size. Framer supports tiling background images, which is perfect for patterns.
Measuring Image Performance
You can't improve what you don't measure. Use these tools to audit your image performance and identify what needs attention.
Google PageSpeed Insights analyzes your published site and specifically calls out image-related issues — oversized images, images that could be served in next-gen formats, images that aren't properly sized for their display dimensions, and off-screen images that aren't lazy loaded. Run this after every major content update.
Chrome DevTools Network tab shows every image your page loads, along with file sizes, load times, and whether they were served from cache. Sort by size to find the heaviest images. Look for images over 500KB — these are your top optimization targets.
WebPageTest (webpagetest.org) provides a visual filmstrip of how your page loads, showing exactly when each image appears. This reveals whether your hero image loads quickly enough to provide a good first impression, or whether visitors stare at a blank space for several seconds.
For a complete performance audit process, our performance optimization guide covers all aspects of Framer site speed, not just images.
Advanced Techniques
Art Direction Across Breakpoints
Sometimes the same image doesn't work at every screen size. A wide panoramic hero image that looks stunning on desktop might show only a tiny, unrecognizable sliver on mobile. Instead of just shrinking the image, you can use different images at different breakpoints.
In Framer, you can swap image sources per breakpoint. Upload a wide landscape version for desktop and a taller, cropped version for mobile that focuses on the key subject. This is called art direction, and it ensures your images communicate effectively on every device rather than being awkwardly cropped by the browser.
Placeholder and Loading Strategies
While images load, visitors see empty space — which can cause layout shifts and a jarring experience. There are several strategies to handle this gracefully.
Aspect ratio containers: Wrap images in containers with a fixed aspect ratio. This reserves the correct amount of space in the layout before the image loads, preventing content from jumping around. In Framer, set a fixed aspect ratio on the image's parent frame.
Background color placeholders: Set the image container's background to a color that matches the image's dominant color. When the image loads, it transitions smoothly from the placeholder color to the full image rather than appearing from white or transparent space.
Low-quality image placeholders (LQIP): Load an extremely small, blurred version of the image first (just a few KB), then swap in the full-resolution version once it's loaded. This technique creates a progressive loading effect that feels faster to visitors even if the total load time is the same.
Common Image Optimization Mistakes
Using PNG for photographs. This is the most common and most impactful mistake. A photo saved as PNG can easily be 3-5MB. The same photo as an 80% quality JPEG might be 200KB with no visible difference. Reserve PNG for graphics that need transparency or have flat colors and sharp edges.
Not cropping before uploading. If your card component displays a 4:3 image, don't upload a 16:9 photo and rely on CSS cropping to fit. The browser still downloads the full image even though half of it gets cropped away. Crop images to the correct aspect ratio before uploading so no bandwidth is wasted on invisible pixels.
Forgetting about retina. Standard (1x) resolution images look blurry on retina displays, which are the majority of screens in 2026. Always upload at 2x the display size. But don't go to 3x or 4x — the file size increase is substantial and the visual improvement over 2x is negligible.
Ignoring image metadata. Photos from cameras and phones contain EXIF metadata — camera settings, GPS coordinates, timestamps, and sometimes thumbnail images embedded in the file. This data can add 50-100KB to every image and serves no purpose on the web. Strip metadata using your compression tool before uploading.
Using one image size everywhere. A hero image and a blog card thumbnail have very different size requirements. Don't reuse the same large image across both contexts. Create appropriately sized versions for each use case so smaller displays don't download more data than they need.
An Image Optimization Workflow
Putting it all together, here's a practical workflow for every image that goes on your Framer site:
Step 1: Source or create the image. Start with the highest quality version available. You can always compress down from high quality, but you can't recover quality that's already lost.
Step 2: Crop to the correct aspect ratio. Match the aspect ratio of the container where the image will display. Remove any unnecessary areas that will be hidden by CSS cropping.
Step 3: Resize to the target dimensions. Use the 2x rule — if the image displays at 600 pixels wide, resize to 1200 pixels wide. Don't go larger than 2x.
Step 4: Choose the right format. Photographs get JPEG or WebP. Graphics with transparency get PNG or WebP. Icons and logos get SVG when possible.
Step 5: Compress. Run the image through Squoosh, TinyPNG, or ImageOptim. Target 80% quality for JPEG and WebP. Verify the compressed version looks acceptable — check for artifacts in gradients, skin tones, and areas of subtle detail.
Step 6: Verify the file size. Your final file should generally be under 300KB for hero images, under 150KB for content images, and under 50KB for thumbnails. If it's significantly larger, repeat steps 3-5 with more aggressive settings.
Step 7: Upload to Framer. Add the optimized image to your page or CMS entry. Framer's pipeline will apply additional optimization on top of your pre-optimization, resulting in the fastest possible delivery.
This workflow adds a few minutes to each image but can reduce your total page weight by 50-80% compared to uploading raw images. Over an entire site with dozens or hundreds of images, the cumulative impact on load time — and on your visitors' experience — is substantial. Your Framer site deserves images that look great and load fast, and with the right workflow, you can have both.
