brokenlibrarian

SimpleRecentThumbs is a widget plugin that shows a list of thumbnails from recent posts with featured images, optionally filtered by a category. Other than setting up the widget details, no configuration is required.
The thumbnails are in a widget-standard unordered list. The widget CSS class is widget_recent_thumbs and the thumbnail links are class post_thumb.
Leaving the category field empty will have the widget use thumbnails from all posts; posts without featured images will not be listed. Without a category specified, the “more” button option will do nothing.
Thumbnail size is as specified in the Media settings for WordPress.
SimpleRecentThumbs has no extra requirements and has been tested with the twentyten through twentyfourteen themes.
Development on this plugin has halted. Other developers should feel free to use the Apache-licensed code for their own projects.
http://brokenlibrarian.org/tinyplugins/ 
brokenlibrarian@gmail.com 
09/28/14
<h3>License</h3>
Copyright 2014 Christian Wagner
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the “License”); 
 you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. 
 You may obtain a copy of the License at
<pre><code> http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
</code></pre>
Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software 
 distributed under the License is distributed on an “AS IS” BASIS, 
 WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. 
 See the License for the specific language governing permissions and 
 limitations under the License.

SimpleRecentThumbs

SimpleRecentThumbs is a widget plugin that shows a list of thumbnails from recent posts with featured images, optionally filtered by a category.

aiwatech

Every time you upload an image, WordPress doesn’t just store your file — it generates a separate cropped copy for every registered image size. A fresh install already creates three (thumbnail, medium, and large) on top of the original, so a single upload becomes four files on your server.
Themes and plugins add many more. A typical site might register hero, slider, product thumbnail, team member, and testimonial sizes — and WooCommerce adds several of its own. With six registered sizes, one upload turns into seven files, even when the page only ever displays one of them. The rest sit on disk doing nothing but consuming space.
Multiply that across hundreds of posts, pages, and products and the waste adds up fast: bloated storage, slower backups, and longer upload processing. It’s especially painful on WooCommerce sites, where uploading a single banner or hero image also generates the full set of product thumbnail sizes you’ll never use for that image.
WP Image Sizes fixes this by letting you decide which sizes WordPress is allowed to create.
<ul>
<li>Per post type control — Assign the exact image sizes that matter to each post type from a simple settings page. A slider post type might only need one large size; testimonials might only need a thumbnail.</li>
<li>Choose sizes at upload time — When you add media, the uploader shows the available sizes so you can pick what gets generated for that specific upload.</li>
<li>Disable thumbnails entirely — Skip generating any additional sizes for a post type or a single upload when you only need the original.</li>
<li>No lock-in — WP Image Sizes never caches or alters your files. Any images already generated stay intact, even if you deactivate or remove the plugin.</li>
</ul>
The result is a leaner media library, less wasted disk space, and a faster, lighter WordPress site.
<h3>PRO</h3>
The free plugin controls which sizes get generated on new uploads. WP Image Sizes Pro extends this to your existing media and adds automation:
<ul>
<li>Bulk Create Image Sizes — Generate selected image sizes for all existing images of a chosen post type. Perfect after registering a new size or switching themes.</li>
<li>Bulk Delete Image Sizes — Remove unwanted image size files from existing media to reclaim server space in one click.</li>
<li>Create Images on Runtime — Automatically generate a missing image size the moment it is first requested on the front end, instead of pre-creating every size.</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://aiwatech.com/product/wp-image-sizes-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Get WP Image Sizes Pro</a>

WP Image Sizes

Take control of the image sizes WordPress generates. Pick only the sizes you actually use, per post type, and reclaim wasted server space.

SimpleRecentThumbs vs WP Image Sizes