I'm trying to set image quality rules so photos don't look overcompressed, any suggestions?

Yes — a good way to avoid “overcompressed” photos is to set rules based on both file format and visual quality, rather than just a single file size limit.

Practical rules you can use

• Use JPEG quality around 80–90 for most photos
  • 80–85: usually a good balance
  • 90: safer if quality matters more than file size
• Avoid going below 70 unless the image is very small or low-importance
  • below that, artifacts and banding become much more noticeable
• Prefer original dimensions unless you need resizing
  • resizing often helps more than aggressive compression
• Keep a minimum resolution
  • for web photos, something like 1200 px wide minimum is often reasonable
  • for print, use much higher depending on size

If you want rules by use case

• Web thumbnails: smaller dimensions, JPEG quality 70–80
• General web photos: quality 80–85
• Portfolio / product photos: quality 85–92
• Archival/master copies: keep originals, or use lossless formats where possible

Signs the image is too compressed

• blocky patches in smooth areas like sky or skin
• blurry detail in hair, foliage, text, or edges
• ringing halos around high-contrast edges
• banding in gradients

A simple rule set

If you want something easy to enforce:

1. Don’t save below JPEG quality 80
2. Don’t resize below the display size needed
3. For important images, use 85–90
4. Keep originals in a lossless or high-quality master copy

If you tell me where you’re applying these rules — website uploads, photo library, CMS, printing, or AI-generated images — I can suggest more specific thresholds.