The MLS export for a luxury listing comes out at 80MB. The vendor wants to send it to her three best friends as a preview before launch. Gmail rejects it. You've spent three hours and the launch hasn't started.
Photo packs need different compression than ordinary listings. Here's how.
The compression sweet spot
For email and handouts: 5-10MB. For digital marketing: 10-20MB. For print brochures: keep originals. Most MLS exports far exceed what's needed for any of these channels. Compress PDF at medium setting hits the email sweet spot without visible degradation at screen scale.
Test on the right device
Look at the compressed PDF on a phone, the device most buyers will view it on. If the photos still look sharp and well-lit, you've compressed correctly. If they look muddy, dial back. Compressing once and never checking the output is how good listings get sent looking mediocre.
Keep originals for print
Never overwrite the original MLS export with the compressed version. Keep both — the original for any print or portal upload, the compressed for email and digital distribution. Name them clearly: `LuxListing_v1_HIRES.pdf` and `LuxListing_v1_EMAIL.pdf`.
Floor plans need different treatment
Compression that's fine for photos can blur a floor plan's dimension annotations. If your MLS export includes a floor plan page, split PDF to extract it, leave it uncompressed, compress the rest, then merge back. The extra step preserves the one page buyers actually print.
FAQ
Does compression affect MLS uploads?
Don't compress for MLS uploads — the portal handles its own optimisation. Upload originals.
What's the worst case for compression artefacts?
Photos with high colour saturation and gradient backgrounds (twilight shots, brand-coloured walls) show artefacts soonest. Test these specifically.
Can I batch-compress many MLS exports?
Yes — Flint handles individual compressions one at a time, but the workflow is the same for each.
How small is too small?
Below 3MB for a 30-photo pack starts to show visible quality loss. Stay above this for premium listings.
Send the right size for the channel. Compress in Flint and your luxury listings still look luxury at 5MB.