Linux Applications

Install Pngquant – Lossy PNG compression app on Ubuntu

Many users complain that they always want to compress their png files without compromising their quality. So if you are one of them, then don’t worry because Pngquant is here for you. Pngquant is a command-line utility. The image generated by Pngquant is compatible with all operating systems and almost every web browser.

It includes fast real-time processing speed. It is easy to integrate with the shell scripts. It offers an excellent dithering algorithm that can add less noise to an image compared with standard Floyd-Steinberg. Pngquant uses an advanced version of the Median cut quantization algorithm. It has a high-quality palette generation. We will provide brief details on the methods to install the Pngquant – Lossy PNG compression app on Ubuntu.

How to Install Pngquant – Lossy PNG Compression App on Ubuntu

We have divided this section into different parts to give you appropriate information on installing Pngquant.

Install Pngquant from Official Website

First, visit the official website of Pngquant and download the latest release of it.

Once you download the file, then go to the Downloads folder and extract that particular file. Now open that extract file, and right-click and then select the “Open terminal here” option.

After that, type in the following command to begin the installation of Pngquant in your system:

sudo ./install.sh

Pngquant is installed on your machine now. You can check from the application menu.

Install Pngquant from the Git Repository

Open terminal by pressing CTRL, ALT, and T buttons altogether and execute the following command to install repositories for Pngquant:

apt-get install git libpng16-dev
git clone --recursive https://github.com/pornel/pngquant.git

Now execute the below command to install Pngquant on your system:

sudo snap install pngquant

How to Use Pngquant pngquant on Ubuntu

If you want to compress an image, then execute the following command:

cd <directory name>
pngquant <filename.png>

In the above command, “<filename.png>” is the name of that particular image, and is the location of the file.

If you want to see the whole list of the available options, then run this command:

pngquant -h

In a Nutshell

Pngquant is a great and powerful tool for compressing png files. The multiplatform support makes it more impressive. If you deal with compressing files in your day-to-day routine, then you should indeed consider Pngquant. If this tutorial proved helpful to you, please visit our website for more such informative stuff.

About the author

Prateek Jangid

A passionate Linux user for personal and professional reasons, always exploring what is new in the world of Linux and sharing with my readers.