Why did my Pixel Press preview disappear after choosing an image?

Choosing another file clears the current Pixel Press image and compressed result before the new file is validated. If the replacement is rejected, the old preview does not return. Choose your original file again to recover the input, then compress again if needed. Download a result you want to keep before selecting another image.

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A replacement clears the current workspace first

If you had an image and a finished result on screen, then chose another file and saw an empty preview with an error, the replacement sequence explains it. Pixel Press clears the current source and result as soon as it receives a new file. Only then does it check whether that file can be accepted. A rejected replacement therefore leaves an empty workspace.

This happens through both Choose image and dropping a file into the tray. The app keeps one source and one current result, with no queue of earlier pictures. The missing preview does not mean that your original file on disk was deleted. Start recovery by choosing that source again, or address the error for the replacement.

Choose the earlier source again to recover

To return to your earlier picture, use Choose image and select that original local file again. Once it loads successfully, its preview returns and the dimensions are filled from that source. The compressed result does not return with it: select Compress image again to create a new result.

There is no image history or undo control for replacement. If the lost result used particular dimensions, format and quality, check those controls before processing again. Width and height are reset when a source loads, so do not assume that your earlier resize is still applied. A previously downloaded result remains a separate file you can keep.

Resolve the replacement error before selecting it again

For the message asking for JPEG, PNG or WebP, prepare the replacement in one of those formats. The implementation checks the browser-reported file type against those three accepted types. GIF, SVG and other types are outside that list. Pixel Press has no import conversion step for an unsupported source; export a supported copy elsewhere before trying it.

For the file-size message, choose a source no larger than 25 MiB. For the megapixel message, reduce the source dimensions elsewhere: the limit is 40 million pixels, calculated as width times height. An 8000 by 6000 image has 48 million pixels and exceeds it even if its file uses fewer than 25 MiB. The in-app resize controls become available only after loading succeeds, so they cannot shrink a rejected input.

If the error says the file could not be read as an image, try a different supported image or export a fresh supported copy. Passing the type and byte checks alone does not guarantee that decoding will work; browser support and available memory still matter.

Save a useful result before testing another source

Before choosing a replacement, select Download image if you want to keep the current compressed version. Downloading is an explicit action; generating a preview does not save it automatically. Pixel Press requests a filename ending in -pixel-press.jpg or -pixel-press.webp, and your browser controls the save location.

Use this working order: finish one source, inspect the result, download the version you need, then choose the next source. Images live in tab memory, and replacing or removing them releases their preview URLs. There is no saved image history to return to after a replacement or after leaving the tab.

AI-assisted ForgeHub editorial. App capabilities were checked against its implementation; this guide is not an independent review.