Image to Thumbhash

Thumbhash Generator: Create Placeholder Images Instantly

Use this free online tool to generate a Thumbhash from any image directly in your browser. Get a compact, beautiful placeholder for your images to improve loading performance and user experience. The entire process is done locally on your device, so your images are never uploaded.

What is a Thumbhash?

A Thumbhash is a very compact, binary representation of a placeholder for an image. It is designed to be stored directly in a database or included in an initial API response, allowing a UI to render a beautiful, blurry version of an image before the full-resolution image has loaded.

How can I generate a Thumbhash from an image?

You can generate a Thumbhash by using the giga.tools Thumbhash Generator. Simply upload your image file, and the tool will instantly process it in your browser. It automatically produces the Thumbhash string either in base64 or hex and shows you a live preview of the resulting placeholder thumbnail.

How does the giga.tools Thumbhash generator work?

This tool uses a client-side JavaScript implementation of the Thumbhash algorithm. When you select an image, the browser reads the file locally and analyzes its color and composition to compute the hash. The generated hash and a visual preview are then displayed on the page.

Can I generate a Thumbhash in the browser?

Absolutely. This tool is specifically designed to generate Thumbhashes entirely within your browser. Because the processing is done client-side, your image files are never sent to a server, ensuring the privacy and security of your data.

What does a Thumbhash example look like?

A Thumbhash is a short string of characters representing the binary hash data. For example, a Base64-encoded Thumbhash might look like ZZcJbwKUaIh/iXdheKeFl5iDdwi3dUgP. Our tool provides this string and also renders a visual example of the blurry placeholder image it represents.

How do I get the Thumbhash hash value?

You can select between Base64 and Hex encoding formats, after you upload an image, our generator instantly displays the Thumbhash hash value in a text field. Use the copy button to save the hash to your clipboard.

What is the difference between Base64 and Hex Thumbhash output?

Base64 and Hex are two different encoding schemes for the same underlying binary hash data. Base64 produces a shorter, more compact string, which is often more efficient for storage and transmission. Hex is less compact. This tool lets you choose whichever format you need.

Are my images uploaded to a server?

No, your images are never uploaded to any server. All the processing happens locally on your computer using JavaScript in your browser. This makes the tool fast and guarantees your privacy.

Why use Thumbhash over a low-quality image placeholder (LQIP)?

A Thumbhash string is typically under 100 bytes, whereas even a tiny, heavily compressed LQIP JPEG is often several kilobytes. This drastic size reduction makes Thumbhash much faster to deliver, improving your website's initial load time and Core Web Vitals.

What are the main benefits of using Thumbhash?

The primary benefits of Thumbhash are improved performance and a better user experience. By showing a color-matched, aesthetically pleasing placeholder, you reduce perceived loading times and prevent content layout shifts as the full-resolution images load in.

Thumbhash vs Blurhash

Thumbhash and Blurhash are both excellent solutions for creating compact image placeholders, but they differ in their approach and results. Thumbhash often produces a smaller hash size and is designed to preserve the image's aspect ratio within the hash itself. It prioritizes representing the most important features and colors, which can result in a more detailed, sometimes "blocky," placeholder. Blurhash, on the other hand, uses a different algorithm that typically creates a smoother, more aesthetically pleasing blur, but its hash does not contain aspect ratio information, which you must store separately. Use our BlurHash Generator Tool to compare both.