You have just taken lots of beautiful pictures and you can't wait to share them with your friends but what about that file-size problem you had last time while you were uploading the photos to your favourite online photo service?

Now, we all know about JPEG and that files of this type usually have an acceptable size. However. it’s increasingly common nowadays to be faced with large, highly detailed images which can be difficult to share with friends without resorting to CD-ROMS. Image Compressor reduces the size of JPEG file (which is already a compressed format) by analysing every pixel in the image. With our test the file-size reduction from a standard JPEG was between 20% and 45%. After zooming in on the compressed image, we noticed that the quality was basically identical to its original.

The program also includes other features, like one to retouch photos with some Photoshop-style filters or the one that compares the technical properties of two images. I particularly liked the 3D web photo-album which creates a cool 3D scrolling effect for a selection of images (the rendering is better with no more than about 30 files). It's a shame though that the application doesn't provide an option to share the 3D presentation and if you simply copy and move or send the files, it doesn't work.

Image Compressor is a useful tool to have and it includes some impressive features. Recommended to anyone looking to reduce file-size but not compromise on quality.