Editor Feature
Built-in Asset Compression for Playable Ads
File-size limits are one of the most common hold-ups in playable ad production. Most networks cap HTML5 playables at around 5 MB and some DSPs go lower still. Chartboost publishes no hard cap (it recommends staying under 5 MB), but the exporter builds Chartboost files to a stricter 3 MB house target so a creative never lands on the edge. Getting a creative under the limit used to mean a separate loop: export the assets, run them through an image optimizer, re-import, re-export. That could cost a producer hours per variant. Here the whole process happens in the export window, so you can hit the target in one sitting.
The quality slider re-encodes JPEG and WebP assets at the chosen level during export, with a live file size estimate that updates as you drag the slider. You can see exactly how many kilobytes each quality step saves before you commit to a download. GIF assets used in the project are also recompressed during export. At quality 100 the system falls back to lossless PNG encoding, so you always have a lossless option for assets where any visible loss is unacceptable, whatever the size cost.
The compression system sits inside the same Export modal you use to select your target network and CTA URL, so there is no other tool to open. For teams running multiple creative variants the global quality slider applies instantly across all images in the project, and individual assets can be overridden if one image degrades faster than others at a given setting. Even with a dozen images, compressing a project takes under a minute.
How it works
Open the Export modal and review the size estimate
Click Export in the top bar to open the Export modal. Before touching any compression settings you will see a live file size estimate for the current project at its current quality setting. If the estimate is already under your target network's limit, you can export immediately. If it exceeds the limit, the estimate is displayed in a warning color to prompt action.
Adjust the global quality slider
Drag the Quality slider left to reduce image encoding quality. The live size estimate recalculates in real time as you drag, usually within a fraction of a second, so you can see the MB impact of each quality level without committing to an export. Most projects reach the 5 MB limit at quality 70–80, and the 3 MB target the exporter holds Chartboost builds to at quality 50–65, depending on the number and resolution of source assets.
Choose JPEG or WebP output per asset
The export modal allows you to set the output format (JPEG or WebP) at the global level. WebP typically delivers 25–35% smaller files at equivalent perceived quality and has near-universal support in the WebView environments where playable ads run. JPEG remains available as a fallback for networks whose validators flag WebP MIME types. GIF assets in the project are also recompressed during export regardless of the image format setting.
Export and confirm the size
Once the live estimate is at or below your target, click Download. The export re-encodes every image asset at the chosen quality level and format. The final HTML5 file size should be within a few percent of the pre-export estimate. If the network's upload validator still rejects the file, return to the modal and reduce quality by 5–10 points and re-export. The live estimate shows the effect of each change before you download.
Specifications
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Standard network target | < 5 MB |
| Chartboost | No published cap (Chartboost recommends under 5 MB); the exporter builds to < 3 MB |
| Output formats | JPEG, WebP, lossless PNG (at quality 100) |
| GIF compression | GIF assets recompressed during export |
| Live feedback | Real-time file size estimate in Export modal |
| Scope | Global slider + per-asset override |
Ad networks you can export to
Every export target has its own guide to that network's size limit, CTA wiring and upload steps:
- Unity Ads playable ads
- AppLovin MAX playable ads
- Google Ads / AdMob playable ads
- Meta (Facebook & Instagram) playable ads
- TikTok Ads playable ads
- Mintegral playable ads
- Vungle (Liftoff Monetize) playable ads
- Chartboost playable ads
- Moloco playable ads
- InMobi playable ads
- Liftoff (Accelerate) playable ads
- TikTok Ad Network (formerly Pangle) playable ads
Use cases
Chartboost campaign: building to the 3 MB house target
Chartboost publishes no hard size cap, only a recommendation to stay under 5 MB, but the exporter holds Chartboost builds to 3 MB so the file is never near the edge. Using the Chartboost network preset in the Export modal sets the size estimate target to 3 MB and highlights assets that are contributing most to the total. Dropping the global quality slider to 55–65 and switching to WebP output typically brings a standard end card creative under 3 MB without visible quality loss at mobile screen sizes.
Video playable: managing size with an embedded video
Video playables embed the source video as base64 inside the HTML5 file, which means the video itself is by far the largest contributor to file size. The image compression system operates on every non-video asset in parallel, so reducing image quality to 60 on a video playable with 8 overlay objects can recover 200–400 KB that gives more headroom for a higher-quality video encode. Giving up a little image quality to keep the video sharp usually looks best on a phone screen.
Game template with many tile assets: batch compression
A match-3 or onet game template can include 8–16 individual tile images in addition to background art and UI sprites. Without compression a project of this scale can exceed 5 MB even with modestly sized source images. The global quality slider compresses all assets in a single pass, and the live estimate shows the aggregate impact. For tile art where individual pixels matter less than overall color impression, quality 65–70 in WebP format delivers a clean result at a fraction of the uncompressed size.
Multi-network campaign: one project, different quality exports
When trafficking a playable across multiple networks simultaneously, the export modal makes it easy to produce network-specific builds at different compression levels from the same project. Export at quality 80 for Unity (5 MB limit), quality 60 for Chartboost (built to 3 MB), and quality 75 for AppLovin. Each export takes under a minute and the live estimate confirms compliance before you click download. You do not need duplicate projects or a manual resizing step.