Free Online Image Optimizer What it's for

Darken an image

Text can be hard to read over a bright photograph, and a larger font does not solve the lack of contrast. Drop in an image, adjust the slider until your headline is clear, then download the result.

How to darken an image

1

Drop in one picture

One at a time here, because choosing how dark is something you do by looking at it rather than by setting it once for twenty.

2

Adjust until the text is clear

The preview updates as you drag. Forty per cent black gives white text enough contrast on most photographs; a bright sky needs more, while a dusk shot needs much less.

3

Download it

One file, darkened and compressed in the same pass, ready to put a headline on.

Questions

Why would I darken a photo?

To keep text easy to read. White text often disappears against bright areas of a photograph. A dark overlay creates contrast that a heavier font weight cannot. Hero images, title slides and social cards commonly use this technique.

Does it have to be black?

No. Black is the default because darkening is the usual job. A white overlay lightens a picture behind dark text, while applying the same brand colour to a set of photographs gives a presentation a consistent look.

Does this happen on your servers?

No. The overlay is applied by your browser, on a canvas, before anything is uploaded -- the CDN that does the compressing cannot lay one image over another. The darkened copy is then sent for optimisation, just like every other image processed here.

Will it work on a transparent PNG?

Yes. The overlay affects only non-transparent pixels, not the whole rectangular canvas. A logo on a transparent background is tinted while its background remains transparent.

Can I darken twenty at once?

Not here. Choosing an opacity is a judgement about one photograph -- forty per cent is right for a beach and far too much for something shot at dusk -- and applying one setting to a batch could give poor results. The Compress images in bulk tool takes twenty at a time.

What happens to my picture?

The darkened copy is uploaded to be optimised, stored at a random unguessable address, and deleted automatically. Nothing reads the contents.