Title: PixelDial Image Optimizer
Author: Martin B.
Published: <strong>November 7, 2026</strong>
Last modified: November 7, 2026

---

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# PixelDial Image Optimizer

 By [Martin B.](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mbimdev/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/pixeldial-image-optimizer.1.4.10.zip)

 * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pixeldial-image-optimizer/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pixeldial-image-optimizer/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pixeldial-image-optimizer/#installation)
 * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pixeldial-image-optimizer/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pixeldial-image-optimizer/)

## Description

PixelDial helps you make images on your WordPress website smaller. You see a real
preview before you approve a change, so you can compare the result and choose the
settings that suit each image.

No subscription, API key or external image-processing service is required. Images
are processed locally on your WordPress server.

#### Three ways to work

 * One image: select a picture, compare Original and Proposal, adjust the quality
   or format, and approve only when you are satisfied.
 * Multiple images: prepare and review proposals for several selected images.
 * Optimize all: choose a profile, try a four-image sample, and start a managed 
   batch when you are ready. Progress can be paused and resumed.

#### What PixelDial does

 * Shows actual encoded previews and measured before/after file sizes.
 * Offers JPEG, PNG, WebP and AVIF processing when your server supports the format.
 * Lets you change quality, set a maximum width and include existing WordPress image
   sizes and crops.
 * Provides conservative, optional quality recommendations and keeps images when
   a proposal is not suitable.
 * Keeps the original image files and WordPress attachment metadata. You can restore
   an image or temporarily display originals across the site.
 * Preserves protected EXIF, ICC and XMP data when supported. If it cannot verify
   preservation, it keeps the original file instead of approving a lossy-metadata
   conversion.
 * Recognizes verified Polylang media translations that share one physical image,
   while protecting ambiguous duplicates.
 * Maintains saved profiles, batch progress and approximate savings statistics.

PixelDial does not promise a fixed percentage of savings or identical visual quality.
Check each preview before approving it. The savings estimate compares current approved
files with original file sizes. It is not a measurement of server disk space or 
page traffic.

#### Scope and compatibility

PixelDial works with supported local still images in the WordPress Media Library.
Existing WordPress image sizes are reviewed individually. GIF animations, SVG, HEIC,
external images and media managed entirely by third-party scripts are not optimized.
Support for WebP and AVIF depends on your hosting server.

Approved files are served in supported WordPress page markup. Images in external
CSS, remote services, or custom JavaScript integrations may need additional integration.
Private-media plugins require their own integration to avoid exposing protected 
images. Full-template HTML enhancement requires WordPress 6.9 or newer.

For a step-by-step guide, see the included `docs/GUIDE-EN.md` or visit https://pixeldial.
mbim.ca/. The plugin does not contact the project website automatically.

## Screenshots

[⌊One image: compare the original with a real WebP preview, fine-tune the quality
and check estimated file-size savings before applying changes.⌉⌊One image: compare
the original with a real WebP preview, fine-tune the quality and check estimated
file-size savings before applying changes.⌉[

One image: compare the original with a real WebP preview, fine-tune the quality 
and check estimated file-size savings before applying changes.

[⌊Multiple images: compare several pictures and adjust formats and quality settings
for each image.⌉⌊Multiple images: compare several pictures and adjust formats and
quality settings for each image.⌉[

Multiple images: compare several pictures and adjust formats and quality settings
for each image.

[⌊Optimize all: choose a profile, review the completed batch and see the available
undo option.⌉⌊Optimize all: choose a profile, review the completed batch and see
the available undo option.⌉[

Optimize all: choose a profile, review the completed batch and see the available
undo option.

## Installation

 1. In WordPress, go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin and install PixelDial. Activate
    the plugin.
 2. In the admin menu, open PixelDial (or Media > PixelDial).
 3. Click Refresh inventory.
 4. Open One image, review the side-by-side preview, adjust the settings, and click
    Apply these settings only if the result is right for you.
 5. For multiple images or batches, select the relevant PixelDial menu. Review the 
    proposed changes before approving them.
 6. After applying changes, clear any website/CDN cache and check the public page.

Requirements: WordPress 6.5+, PHP 8.1+, GD or Imagick, codec support for the desired
format, OpenSSL AES-256-GCM, and writable WordPress uploads and temporary storage.

## FAQ

### Does PixelDial overwrite my originals?

No. It stores approved optimized copies separately and can stop serving them or 
restore an image’s original behavior. Deactivating the plugin stops its page rewrites.
Full uninstall is different from deactivation and can remove stored plugin data.
Keep a backup before major changes.

### Does this free disk space?

No. Original images remain available and optimized copies use extra space. The displayed
savings estimate is a file-weight comparison, not actual disk-space savings.

### What if an image becomes blurry or a format is not supported?

Review the actual preview and choose a higher quality or keep the original. Unsupported
formats and images whose important metadata cannot be preserved are kept unchanged.
Automatic quality recommendations are guides, not guarantees.

### Does it work with Polylang?

PixelDial recognizes verified, reciprocally linked Polylang media entries sharing
the same physical files and WordPress crop paths. An approved shared optimization
applies to the group, and changes from any language entry require confirmation. 
Titles, captions and alt text are not rewritten. Unverified shared files remain 
blocked for safety. Polylang is not required for normal operation.

### Can I use it in my language?

English is the source language. Choose Follow WordPress to use approved WordPress.
org language packs when available, or English in PixelDial’s settings. Community
translations are handled through translate.wordpress.org; the plugin does not translate
images or posts.

### Are my pictures uploaded to a third-party service?

No. Image processing is local to your WordPress installation. PixelDial does not
require an external account, paid image-processing API or telemetry service.

### I used an older PixelDial build with another plugin folder. How do I upgrade?

Older test versions used `pixeldial-wp-image-optimizer`. Back up the database and
uploads, then deactivate the old build without deleting it before installing the
current slug `pixeldial-image-optimizer`. Do not activate both at once or delete
the old build before checking the migration: the old uninstall procedure can remove
shared saved data. See `docs/GUIDE-EN.md` for details.

### Where is the source code?

All PHP and CSS are human readable. The unminified JavaScript is included at `src/
admin.js`; the deployed `assets/admin.js` is an identical copy. No npm or webpack
build is required. The plugin is distributed under GPLv2 or later.

## Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

## Contributors & Developers

“PixelDial Image Optimizer” is open source software. The following people have contributed
to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ Martin B. ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mbimdev/)

“PixelDial Image Optimizer” has been translated into 2 locales. Thank you to [the translators](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/pixeldial-image-optimizer/contributors)
for their contributions.

[Translate “PixelDial Image Optimizer” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/pixeldial-image-optimizer)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pixeldial-image-optimizer/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/pixeldial-image-optimizer/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/pixeldial-image-optimizer/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/pixeldial-image-optimizer/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Changelog

#### 1.4.10

 * Improve verification of JPEG-to-WebP EXIF, ICC and XMP metadata; reject proposals
   if protected data cannot be retained.
 * Keep originals, metadata and verified shared-media protections in place.
 * Correct a translation comment identified during Plugin Check review.

#### 1.4.6

 * Use the WordPress-managed template output enhancement on compatible WordPress
   versions; remove process-wide error reporting adjustments.

#### 1.4.5

 * Add verified Polylang shared-media handling with safety checks and batch deduplication.

#### 1.4.4

 * Prepare WordPress.org name, slug, translatable English source and readable JavaScript
   source.

## Meta

 *  Version **1.4.10**
 *  Last updated **12 hours ago**
 *  Active installations **Fewer than 10**
 *  WordPress version ** 6.5 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **7.1.4**
 *  PHP version ** 8.1 or higher **
 *  Languages
 * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pixeldial-image-optimizer/), [French (Canada)](https://fr-ca.wordpress.org/plugins/pixeldial-image-optimizer/),
   and [Russian](https://ru.wordpress.org/plugins/pixeldial-image-optimizer/).
 *  [Translate into your language](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/pixeldial-image-optimizer)
 * Tags
 * [AVIF](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/avif/)[image compression](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/image-compression/)
   [image optimization](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/image-optimization/)[media library](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/media-library/)
   [webp](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/webp/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pixeldial-image-optimizer/advanced/)

## Ratings

No reviews have been submitted yet.

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pixeldial-image-optimizer/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pixeldial-image-optimizer/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ Martin B. ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mbimdev/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pixeldial-image-optimizer/)