How To Create Image Thumbnails In cPanel?
Every single detail is important when managing a website — especially, how fast your pages load! One of the most important (but often overlooked) factors when measuring site performance is the size of your images. Large, high-resolution images can greatly impact the page load times of your site, which can frustrate your visitors, resulting in reduced visitor times and higher bounce rates. This is where image thumbnails come into play!
Thumbnails are smaller, optimized image size that will load faster but still allow you to put visual content on your site. Within cPanel hosting, there are tools available to create image thumbnails for you. As a result, manual resizing, or using external software, will not be necessary.
In this article we will show you how to create image thumbnails in cPanel – step-by-step, so you can optimize the pages of your site! Whether you have a large portfolio of clients, or a gallery or something in between or just want your website to load faster, this tutorial will make doing it easier! Let’s do it!
Why Create Image Thumbnails?
A thumbnail is a smaller preview of your image. Thumbnails are a great way to showcase image galleries or lists of images. Here are a few reasons why you should you use image thumbnails:
Faster Page Loading
Loading images directly onto your webpages can significantly increase the load time of your web pages and hinders the user experience. Thumbnails reduce the file size that the user has to wait for, helping your page load quicker and more smoothly.
Better User Experience
Thumbnails provide users with previews of your images that will allow them to browse your content more effectively. When a user clicks on the thumbnail, it loads the full-size image on demand and keeps the user experience seamless, smooth, and efficient.
Visually Appealing Website
When you present images to users in an orderly or a similar size, it enhances the look of your webpage. Thumbnails improve the overall organized look of your content, which is beneficial for online retailers and portfolios.
Prerequisites Before Creating Thumbnails
Before creating your thumbnails, ensure you have:
Access to your cPanel account.
Uploaded images to your server.
A general understanding of cPanel’s layout
Detailed Guide on Creating Image Thumbnails
Let’s navigate through the detailed guide on image thumbnails creation!
Step 1: Log in to cPanel
To create image thumbnails, you will first need to log into your cPanel account.
You should typically find the login URL at https://yourdomain.com/cpanel or https://yourdomain.com:2083/.
Once you arrive at the login screen, enter your username and password. Once you have entered the login screen, you should be viewing the main dashboard of your account.
Step 2: Find File Manager
After you have logged into cPanel, after you click into cPanel, look for the option titled, “File Manager”.
File Manager will be under the headers of Files. When you click on “File Manager”, you will open up your files and folders from your website.
Step 3: Go to the Images Directory
When inside your File Manager, locate your folder where your images are: The images you wish to create thumbnails for are likely located within the folder titled “public_html”, or potentially, a folder located directly inside.
Step 4: Select Images Tool
Once you have located the folder you wish to use for the images, scroll down towards a section labeled Advanced, then, click on the “Images” icon.
You will be provided with three options: Thumbnailer, Scaler, and Converter.
Click on the option Thumbnailer and again proceed.
Step 5: Choose the Directory
A new window will pop up to allow you to browse the directory tree. Find and select the folder that contains the images you want to create thumbnails for, and click Thumbnail images after you have chosen it.
Step 6: Thumbnail Settings
This is where you can determine how the thumbnails will be generated! You can determine the following:
Select the scaling percentage (e.g., 25% of original size).
Choose if you want to keep the aspect ratio.
Preview the dimensions of the thumbnail before you continue to hit. Click “Thumbnail Images” to start the process.
cPanel will now make thumbnails using the parameters you provided!
Step 7: Check Your Thumbnails
Now that the process has completed, you can go back to your selected directory to view your new thumbnails. Thumbnails will usually be created in the subfolder thumbnails within the original directory!
Best Practices When Creating Thumbnails
Use Optimal Sizes to Avoid Inefficiency
If your thumbnails are too big, they lose their purpose! Most galleries use around 150×150 pixels.
Maintain Aspect Ratio
You should always use the option that maintains aspect ratio, so your images do not become distorted.
Have a Backup of Your Images
You should always back up your original files before making any bulk changes, so you have the option to revert if anything goes wrong!
Maintain Consistency
Having asymmetric images does not look professional, so consider keeping similar sizes across your website. It looks good and creates visual harmony.
Resolving Common Issues
Thumbnails Not Appearing
If expected thumbnails are not being generated or displayed properly, check the following:
File permissions for the directory.
Compatibility of the image file types.
Sufficient disk space on your hosting account.
Distorted Thumbnails
If thumbnails are displaying vertically elongated or horizontally compressed, that indicates the aspect ratio was not kept intact in the process. Please repeat the process with the aspect ratio option turned on.
Error Message
Sometimes, cPanel may show errors regarding file access or directory. Please verify your folder paths are correct and your folder permissions are sufficient.
Conclusion
Creating image thumbnails in cPanel is an effective way to optimize your website’s performance and share a better experience for your user. If you follow the steps provided in this guide, you will be able to manage your images better and enhance the visual presentation of your site. As with anything, take your time as you are setting your thumbnails up and managing them, and you’ll be impressed at how your site appears and operates for visitors.
Be sure to incorporate best practices to improve the process such as using sizes that are consistent for all images and creating backups often. We hope this guide has provided you everything you need to know about creating image thumbnails in cPanel. If you have any questions or run into some problems, leave a comment, or search for more cPanel tutorials. Enjoy the optimization!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to resize thumbnails that have been created?
Yes! You can delete the thumbnails that have been generated and regenerate the thumbnails after adjusting their settings.
Where are the created thumbnails located?
Thumbnails will be located in a subdirectory called thumbnails, within the original image directory.
Is there an option to have thumbnails generated automatically?
There isn’t a method to do this through cPanel, although if you write a script, or use a plugin this is possible.
What if the thumbnails are blurry?
You can increase the scaling percentage to maintain better quality, or you can use original images with better resolution.
Can I create thumbnails for several directories at the same time?
No, you must create thumbnails for one directory at a time. Although you can repeat the process for each folder as you complete the previous folder.
