Batch Optimizing a 20GB WordPress Uploads Folder

I inherited a WooCommerce site 4 years ago and ported it to a centminmod vps 10 months ago.
When I tranferred it, the entire site was around 5 GB as it depended on HD images to showcase the products (niche collector items).

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Gave the client instructions on the ideal format to use for upload images... Cut to a week ago when I did a quick check and I find the uploads folder is already 20GB. Apparently they've been uploading uncompressed images for the better part of 6 months.

Client never complained about any slow loading of images during that time. 3MB photos loaded with decent times and if you're on a modern internet connection, it loaded in a second or 2. Which I think is thanks to the centminmod configuration.

Since the VPS had an 80GB size, it was not an urgent problem but I really wanted to compress the images.

I learned about the optimise-images extension tool after searching this site and started off with using it on the smallest uploads folder (2016) at 2.3 GB.

I was happy that the optimization of the script did not affect the perceptible image quality at all. And it dropped the 2.3 GB folder to 970 MB.

I'm spacing out the batch jobs during the low traffic times of the site just to be safe but so far I've already reduced the uploads folder size by 8GB.


Thanks eva2000!