To compress Figma exports, drop the exported PNGs, the portfolio PDF or the prototype recording into Smol, choose the output format and a quality, and read the result before you send it. Figma itself has no size cap on image exports; the caps you hit are downstream, such as 10 MB on a Dribbble image or 25 MB in Gmail.
| What you are sending | The limit you hit | The Smol setting |
|---|---|---|
| PNG exports at 2x or 3x for handoff | Large files in a repo, a ticket or Slack; PNG is much larger than JPG, per Figma | Compress, output WebP, quality 80, maximum dimension raised above 2000 if the export is wider |
| Photo-heavy mockups and hero images | Page weight once a developer ships them | Compress, output AVIF or WebP, quality 65 to 75 |
| UX portfolio PDF | 25 MB in Gmail; portals set their own caps | PDF preset Medium, then Small if it is still too big |
| Prototype or flow recording | 20 MB for a Dribbble video; 25 MB in Gmail | MP4, quality Web (CRF 28), reduce resolution, remove audio |
| SVG icons and logos | None from Smol | Not supported. Leave SVG out of the batch |
Why is my Figma export file size so big?
Figma export file size is driven by format and scale. PNG is lossless and, in Figma’s own words, produces a much larger file than JPG. Scale multiplies pixels: a 1440 px frame at 2x is 2880 px wide, and 2x and 3x exports are tagged 144 and 216 DPI.
| Where | The figure | What it means for you | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Figma export | PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF. SVG and PDF at 1x only. JPG defaults to High quality, PDF to Medium | PDF exports are 1x only; PNG and JPG size grows with the scale you choose | Figma export |
| Figma image upload | Longer than 4096 px is resized to 4096 or fewer; some metadata may be lost | Importing a huge export back into Figma gains nothing past 4096 px | Figma upload |
| Figma video export (plugin API) | MP4, GIF or WEBM, capped at 3840 × 2160 | Scripted frame animation exports are bounded at 4K | Plugin API |
| Dribbble | Image (png, jpg, gif) 10 MB; video (mov, mp4) 20 MB; 1600 px minimum width recommended | Check PNG exports of long screens against the 10 MB image cap | Dribbble |
| Gmail | 25 MB for personal accounts | A portfolio PDF with full-bleed mockups crosses this first | Gmail |
| Jira Cloud and Slack | Jira default 1 GB per file; Slack files up to 1 GB | Roomy, but a large recording still slows everyone who downloads it | Jira, Slack |
The first lever is cheap and inside Figma: export photographic frames as JPG and keep PNG for flat UI with sharp edges or transparency. The second is to compress the files after export, which is where Smol comes in. Check each portfolio platform’s own upload rules before you size a case study.
What are the best settings to compress Figma exports?
Compress to WebP at quality 80 for flat UI and 70 to 75 for photos, then raise the maximum dimension if your export is wider than 2000 px. These are starting points we picked, not measured thresholds. Look at one output at 100% zoom before you run the folder.
| Deliverable | Operation and format | Quality or preset | Size and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat UI PNG for handoff | Compress, WebP | 80 (a starting point) | Keep the 1x, 2x, 3x folders separate; names get a _compressed suffix |
| Mockup with photos | Compress, AVIF or WebP | 65 to 75 | Check gradients and thin text for banding |
| Asset that must stay PNG | Compress, PNG | 75 (the default) | There is no lossless mode, so check edges and any transparency |
| Portfolio PDF | Compress, PDF | Medium first, then Small | Presets are pixel caps of 1200 and 900 px on the long edge |
| Prototype recording | Compress, MP4 | Web (CRF 28), audio removed | Reduce resolution if it is still big; check playback |
| SVG | Not supported | None | Smol does not handle SVG at all |
Metadata stripping is on by default for images, so exports lose EXIF, GPS, IPTC and XMP, including any copyright field. Switch it off if you rely on one. Smol sets quality and pixel size, not output bytes, so a file is never guaranteed to land under a cap. Sort the output by size and rerun the stragglers at a lower quality.
How do I compress a folder of Figma exports on a Mac?
Export from Figma with a clean naming scheme
Add one export setting per scale (1x, 2x, 3x) and give each a suffix, so files do not collide on disk. Studios with several designers can share the same naming rules; see Smol for design studios.
Drop the folder into Smol
Drag the whole export folder in. Mixed types are fine, so PNG, a PDF and a recording can share one batch.
Choose Compress, then the format
Set output to WebP, quality 80, and raise the maximum dimension if your frames are wide.
Run it and open two outputs
Originals are untouched by default; copies land beside them. Check text edges and a transparent asset at 100%.
Save the settings as a preset
Presets live on that Mac only. A team that wants the same output writes the settings down and recreates the preset on each Mac.
Is PNG to WebP safe for design handoff?
Usually yes for web and app-web handoff, because Figma itself accepts WebP uploads, but confirm the target platform. Native iOS asset catalogs and some email clients are the places to check first. Hand the developer both the WebP and the original PNG when in doubt. Agencies shipping these assets to clients will find more in image optimization for web agencies.
For scale: on 24 small Kodak test photographs (not UI), Smol at default settings made the PNG versions 69.2% smaller, and compressing the same PNGs to AVIF at quality 65 saved 92.1%. Flat interface screens behave differently from photographs, so test your own files. The conditions are on the benchmark page. The step-by-step is in converting PNG to WebP on Mac, and the dev side is covered in image optimization for web developers.
Remember that quality applies to Compress, not Convert. To get a small WebP from a PNG, use Compress with the output format set to WebP.
How do I cut a UX portfolio PDF size?
Export the portfolio at the size you need, then run it through the Medium preset, check the pages, and drop to Small only if the file is still over the limit. A UX portfolio PDF size of under 25 MB clears Gmail, but an application portal may set a lower cap, so read its rules.
- Figma exports PDF at 1x only and at Medium quality by default, so the PDF will not get sharper by exporting again.
- Smol’s presets are long-edge pixel caps, not DPI targets: 600, 900, 1200, 1800 and 2400 px for Tiny to Original. Original is not lossless.
- PDFs exported from design tools tend to compress well. Read why design-tool PDFs are huge and what each preset does.
- For email, aim comfortably under the cap. See getting a PDF under Gmail’s limit.
Smol does not edit, merge or split PDFs, so finish page order in your layout tool first.
What if my prototype video is too large?
Compress the recording to MP4 at the Web quality (CRF 28), lower the resolution, and remove audio if the clip is silent. Then check the size against the place it is going: 20 MB for a Dribbble video, 25 MB for Gmail.
Smol has no “make this 20 MB” control for video, so the loop is encode, look at the size, adjust. H.265 is the default codec; choose H.264 if you are unsure the viewer’s player handles H.265, and play the result once. Screen-capture tips are in compressing a Mac screen recording and the general method is in how to compress a video on Mac.
What do designers use today to compress exports?
Start with what is free: change the export format in Figma, then try a browser tool or Preview. Each has a trade-off.
| Option | Cost | Strength | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Figma: JPG instead of PNG | Free | Biggest single saving for photographic frames | No transparency; lossy |
| Figma export quality setting for JPG and PDF | Free | Built in; JPG defaults to High, PDF to Medium | Only applies at export time |
| Preview export and Reduce File Size | Free | Already installed | Results on PDFs vary; see the linked post |
| Browser-based compressors | Free | No install | Check each tool’s file limits and whether it uploads your files |
| Smol | $29 once | Batch, mixed types, offline, WebP and AVIF output | macOS only; no SVG; no lossless mode |
Related reading: why Preview’s Reduce File Size can hurt PDFs and the Squoosh comparison.
When Smol is the wrong tool
- You export SVG. Smol does not support SVG, so icon sets need an SVG-specific tool.
- You need pixel-identical PNGs. Smol always re-encodes images, so a lossless optimizer such as ImageOptim is the answer. See the head-to-head test.
- You work on Windows or Linux, or a Linux CI job optimizes images at build time. Smol is macOS only; for a pipeline, see the Smol API.
- You need a PDF to land under an exact byte cap. Smol sets presets, not byte targets; check the output.
Do I need a license per designer?
Solo is $29 once for one Mac. A studio can buy Team at $49 for three Macs, or Enterprise at $20 per seat for 5 to 500 seats. See pricing. There is no free trial.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compress Figma exports without losing quality?
Export photographic frames as JPG, keep PNG for flat UI, then compress to WebP at quality 80 in Smol. Smol always re-encodes, so it has no lossless mode. Open one output at 100% zoom and look at text edges before you run the whole folder.
Why is my Figma export file size so large?
PNG is lossless and Figma says a PNG export is much larger than a JPG. Scale compounds it: a 1440 px frame at 2x is 2880 px wide. Export JPG for photos, drop to 1x where you can, then compress the rest after export.
What size should a UX portfolio PDF be?
Under 25 MB clears Gmail for personal accounts, but an application portal may set a lower cap, so read its rules. Run the PDF through the Medium preset, check the pages, and use Small only if it is still too big. Smol sets presets, not exact bytes.
Is converting PNG to WebP fine for design handoff?
For web handoff usually yes, since Figma itself accepts WebP uploads. Check native iOS asset catalogs and email first, and send the original PNG alongside when unsure. In Smol, use Compress with the output set to WebP, because quality applies to Compress, not Convert.
How do I fix a prototype video that is too large?
Compress the recording to MP4 at the Web quality (CRF 28), reduce the resolution and remove audio if the clip is silent. Smol has no target-size control for video, so check the result against the cap, such as 20 MB for a Dribbble video.
Can Smol compress SVG files from Figma?
No. Smol does not support SVG, so keep SVG icons and logos out of the batch and use an SVG-specific tool for them. Smol handles PNG, JPG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC and GIF images, PDFs, video and audio, on macOS only.
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