neo Optimize – Resize and cache images – the original remains untouched

FAQ

Features of neo Optimize

Which features are included in the plugin?

The main features of the Image Optimizer plugin are:

• ✅ Maximize the SEO ranking of your images 🎉
• ✅ Original images and database remain untouched
• ✅ Resizing on your own server
• ✅ Free AVIF and WebP support for served images
• ✅ Optimization of neoDraw SVG graphics
• ✅ Image scaling based on the display size in the frontend

In short

What is neoOptimize?

The neoOptimize plugin is a WordPress image optimization plugin. It automatically reduces images to the actually required display size and converts image files to the efficient AVIF format. This makes images load faster and your website more performant, which positively affects SEO ranking.

What makes neoOptimize special is that the original images remain unchanged and the optimized versions are stored in a separate cache directory. The plugin also works without credit packages because it optimizes images for free on your own server.

Local optimization

Are my images sent to external servers?

The neoOptimize plugin processes your images directly on your own server. Local server functions such as Imagick or PHP GD are used for image optimization. This means you do not need credit packages for external image services or any additional cloud processing.

This makes the optimization free, privacy-friendly and independent from external providers.

Original images remain intact

Does neoOptimize change my original images?

Your original images and database remain fully intact. The neoOptimize plugin only creates optimized copies in the cache and serves those in the frontend. The original files in your media library are not overwritten.

Your WordPress database also remains untouched. When the site loads, only the image URL in the frontend is replaced with the optimized cache version.

If you deactivate or uninstall neoOptimize, everything returns to the way it was.

WebP and image quality

What image quality should I set?

For most websites we recommend an AVIF quality of 75%. The AVIF format is very efficient, so even lower quality settings often still look very good and produce significantly smaller files. You can also switch to the more widely supported WebP format for maximum compatibility.

In the neoOptimize settings you can conveniently select the quality and directly evaluate it via a preview with file size. This helps you quickly find the right balance between high image quality and fast loading times.

Retina factor

What does the retina factor do?

The retina factor controls the pixel density at which images are displayed for high-resolution screens. A higher value makes images appear sharper on retina displays but also increases file size.

The neoOptimize plugin uses a default retina factor of 1.5x to improve the rendering of small text, icons and image details on retina displays. In the Pro version you can set the retina factor individually and compare it directly in the preview.

Clear cache

When should I clear the neoOptimize cache?

Under normal operation it is not necessary to clear the neoOptimize cache. The clear cache button can be useful if you want to remove old image variants after many tests or clean up after major changes to image sizes in a page builder. Afterwards the optimized images are automatically regenerated when they are needed again in the frontend.

If you change image quality, the retina factor or other optimization settings, neoOptimize automatically creates new optimized images. When an image is deleted from the WordPress media library the associated cache files are automatically removed. Even optimized images that were renamed with neoRename are cleaned up automatically.

The Clear cache button is therefore mainly intended as a reset and cleanup function.

Page Builder

Does neoOptimize work with my page builder?

Yes, neoOptimize works with all common page builders. These include Bricks, Elementor, Divi, Beaver, Oxygen, Breakdance and Gutenberg.

neoOptimize can automatically read the configured image sizes and use them as the basis for optimization. This ensures the image is adapted as closely as possible to the actual display size and cached for fast delivery.

Override image sizes

Can I set image size and quality per image manually?

Yes. You can override the automatically detected optimization per image using HTML attributes. This is especially useful when an image is displayed differently in a page builder than it can be detected automatically. Examples:

<img data-neo-optimize--width="320px" src="...">  

<img data-neo-optimize--height="180px" src="...">  

<img data-neo-optimize--quality="75" src="...">

With the Pro version you can additionally control the retina factor and the algorithm used per image:

<img data-neo-optimize--retina="150" src="...">  

<img data-neo-optimize--algorithm="imagick" src="...">

Supported formats

Which image formats does neoOptimize support?

The image optimization in neoOptimize supports many common raster formats, including JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, AVIF, BMP, HEIC, HEIF, TIFF and many other formats if they can be processed on your server by Imagick or PHP GD.

Raster images are optimized, scaled and stored as AVIF files in the cache. In addition, neoOptimize can also optimize special neoDraw SVG graphics for frontend output.

neoDraw SVGs optimize

How does neoOptimize optimize drawings from neoDraw?

If an image was created with neoDraw, neoOptimize can automatically optimize it when serving it in the frontend. Unnecessary editor data is removed for display and embedded raster images are converted to the efficient AVIF format.

The original neoDraw file remains fully intact and editable. Visitors get a slimmer, faster version in the frontend while you can still work with the editable original drawing in the backend.

Neo universe

What is the neoUniverse?

The neoUniverse is more than just a plugin collection. It is your complete toolbox for all media challenges in WordPress. It currently includes ten specialized plugins: neoLibrary, neoRename, neoReplace, neoDuplicate, neoOptimize, neoLazy, neoDraw, neoAnimate and neoMotion. They work seamlessly together, are perfectly matched and cover all areas around media management, SEO and performance. Whether renaming images, replacing files, optimizing SEO, enabling lazy load or drawing and animating content. The neoUniverse makes your media workflow noticeably simpler and more efficient. And the best part: the neoUniverse keeps growing. New tools and features make your WordPress everyday life even better.

Download with Safari

Why is only a folder shown when downloading?

If you use Safari, your Mac may automatically extract the ZIP file. Instead of the ZIP file you then only get the extracted folder. You cannot upload this directly to WordPress.

Solution: Open Safari preferences and disable the option ”Open safe files after downloading”. After that the ZIP file will remain as you need it.

The video titled ”How to disable Safari auto extract for ZIP files when downloading WordPress plugins” on YouTube shows you exact details.

More questions

I have more questions. Can you help me?

Sure! You can ask us your questions any time via our support page. We will answer shortly.