Process

Image Conversion

Template-based format conversion with 6 outputs and watermarking

Overview

Image Conversion converts images from a template, with 6 output formats (JPEG, PNG, TIFF, HEIC, AVIF, and JPEG XL — AVIF and JPEG XL require macOS 15.0 or later), 6 sizing modes, 5 color spaces, and 6 metadata-handling options. Pick a built-in template (Web Optimized, Print Ready, Social Media, Archive, Thumbnail, Apple Ecosystem, or Lossless Web) or build your own, with control over quality, DPI (1-1200), dimensions, and color profiles (sRGB, Adobe RGB, Display P3, ProPhoto RGB). You can add text and image watermarks with metadata variables, preserve 16-bit color depth for TIFF and PNG, name files from a pattern of variables ({original}, {width}, {date}, {seq}, and more), and convert a whole batch at once with automatic conflict resolution.

When to Use

Reach for Image Conversion when files need to be a different format, a smaller size, or a specific quality for where they are going — lightweight JPEGs for the web or social platforms, wide-gamut high-DPI files for print, lossless masters for an archive, or quick thumbnails for previews. It fits delivering a set sized and formatted to a client's or platform's requirements, and applying that recipe to a whole collection in one pass instead of exporting files individually. Reach for it too when you want to mark ownership with a watermark, or strip location data from images before sharing them publicly.

Requirements

  • Select a template from the template menu (built-in or custom)
  • Source images in a supported input format (each template sets which it accepts: JPEG, TIFF, PNG, HEIC, BMP, GIF, WebP, PDF, AVIF, JPEG XL, or RAW)
  • A destination folder with write permission
  • Output format: JPEG, PNG, TIFF, HEIC, AVIF, or JPEG XL (AVIF and JPEG XL require macOS 15.0 or later)
  • For watermarking: text content if a text watermark is on, or an existing image file if an image watermark is on
  • Enough free space for the converted files (TIFF and PNG can be larger than JPEG or HEIC)
  • Cloud files must be downloaded and accessible locally before conversion
  • Video files in the selection are skipped automatically, with a note in the log

How to Use

  1. Select the image files you want to convert
  2. Select 'Image Conversion' from the process bar (it opens the destination folder picker)
  3. Choose a destination folder and click 'Select Folder'
  4. Choose a template from the template menu (Web Optimized, Print Ready, and others), or open 'Manage Templates...' to build or edit one — the template sets the output format, sizing, quality, DPI, color space, metadata handling, watermark, and filename pattern
  5. Click 'Start' to convert the batch
  6. Watch the log for each file's conversion status
  7. Find the converted files in the destination folder, named from your pattern

Tips & Important Notes

  • Conversion writes new files and leaves your originals unchanged, so there is nothing to undo on the source files
  • Built-in templates cover common needs: Web Optimized (JPEG 85%, 2048px, sRGB), Print Ready (TIFF, 300 DPI, Adobe RGB), Social Media (JPEG 90%, 1080px, GPS stripped), Archive (TIFF, original), and Thumbnail (JPEG 75%, 300px)
  • Match the output format to the use: JPEG for web and sharing, PNG for lossless images with transparency, TIFF for archives and printing, HEIC for Apple devices, and AVIF or JPEG XL for newer, more efficient compression (macOS 15.0+)
  • 'Longest Edge' constrains the longest side; 'Fit Within Box' keeps both dimensions inside a box
  • JPEG, HEIC, AVIF, and JPEG XL use a 0-100% quality setting; PNG and TIFF are lossless and have no quality setting
  • Choose a color space to suit the destination: sRGB for web, Adobe RGB for print, Display P3 for Apple displays, ProPhoto RGB for wide-gamut work
  • 'Strip GPS Only' removes location data while keeping the rest of the metadata
  • Turn on 'Preserve 16-bit color depth' for TIFF or PNG output to keep the full color depth from the source
  • Text watermarks accept metadata variables such as {copyright}, {artist}, and {year}, and you can place a watermark in any of 9 positions with an opacity you set
  • Filename variables include {original} (source name), {width}x{height} (dimensions), {date} (current date), and {seq:4} (a 4-digit number that keeps names unique)
  • Video files in the selection are skipped automatically
  • Duplicate a template to make a variant — for example, 'Web Optimized (Large)' from the built-in Web Optimized