Settings

Settings: Conversion Templates

Configure image conversion with formats, sizing, quality, and watermarking

Overview

Conversion Templates are reusable presets for the Image Conversion process. Each stores an output format and the sizing, quality, colour, metadata, filename, and watermark rules applied when converting images.

This tab lists your presets — built-ins plus any you create. Selecting one shows what it produces.

When to Use

Set up Conversion Templates when the same export keeps coming up and you would rather save the recipe than rebuild it each time. A template bundles every decision behind a conversion — format, size, quality, colour, what happens to metadata, and any watermark — so the Image Conversion process can apply one consistent treatment to a whole collection in a single pass. The convention to save is usually the destination: client deliverables sized and watermarked the way you hand them over, lightweight files for the web, platform-sized exports for social with location data removed, high-resolution wide-gamut files for print, or lossless masters for an archive. Capture each destination once and a shoot can be converted for it the same way every time. The cards below cover the individual choices, and the Managing Templates section covers starting a new preset from a built-in one.

Requirements

  • Template name must be 3-40 characters, unique (case-insensitive), and non-empty
  • At least one template must exist in the library
  • Built-in templates cannot be edited or deleted directly - duplicate them first
  • AVIF and JPEG XL output require macOS 15.0 or later
  • Sizing dimensions must be 1-30,000 pixels
  • Scale percentage must be 1-500%
  • DPI must be 1-1200
  • Quality settings: JPEG/HEIC/AVIF/JPEG XL 0-100%; PNG and TIFF are lossless (no quality setting)
  • Text watermark requires non-empty text when enabled
  • Image watermark requires valid file path when enabled
  • Watermark opacity must be 0.0-1.0, size percentage must be 1-100%

Template Fields

Each field in the template editor, and how it shapes what the template produces.

Name & DescriptionName 3–40 characters · description optional, up to 200

The template's name in the Templates list and an optional note describing what it produces.

Example“Web JPEG — 2048px” with a one-line description of its delivery target.
Output FormatMenu · JPEG / TIFF / PNG / HEIC / AVIF / JPEG XL

The format converted images are written in. JPEG, HEIC, AVIF, and JPEG XL are compressed; PNG and TIFF are lossless.

When to useChoose JPEG for broad-compatibility web delivery and HEIC, AVIF, or JPEG XL for smaller modern files; choose TIFF or PNG for archival or lossless masters.
ExampleJPEG for a client web gallery; TIFF for the preservation copy of the same shoot.

AVIF and JPEG XL output requires macOS 15 or later.

Accepted Input FormatsSet · leave as All Formats to accept everything

Restricts which input formats this template will convert. Leave it on All Formats to accept any supported image.

When to useNarrow it when one template should only ever touch certain originals in a mixed batch — the rest are passed over untouched.
ExampleLimit a RAW-master template to CR3 and NEF so it ignores the JPEGs sitting in the same folder.
SizingMenu · Original Size / Longest Edge / Fixed Width / Fixed Height / Percentage / Fit Within Box

How output dimensions are derived, with the pixel or percentage value the chosen mode needs. Original Size leaves dimensions unchanged.

ExampleLongest Edge 2048 px scales every image so its longest side is 2048 pixels, regardless of orientation.
Quality & ColorQuality % (lossy formats) · colour space · DPI 1–1200 · bit depth

Compression quality, colour space, output DPI, and whether to preserve 16-bit depth. Quality is a percentage and applies only to the compressed formats (JPEG, HEIC, AVIF, JPEG XL); PNG and TIFF are lossless and have no quality control. Colour-space options are Preserve Original, sRGB, Adobe RGB (1998), Display P3, and ProPhoto RGB.

ExamplesRGB at quality 80 and 72 DPI gives predictable, lightweight web files.

16-bit depth preservation applies only to TIFF or PNG output from a 16-bit source.

Metadata HandlingMenu · Preserve All / Strip All / Keep EXIF Only / Keep IPTC/XMP Only / Strip GPS Only / Strip User Data

What metadata the converted file carries — keep everything, strip everything, or keep or remove specific groups.

When to useStrip All or Strip GPS Only for public previews so location and camera details don't travel with the file; Preserve All for archival copies that should keep their full record.
ExampleStrip GPS Only on images posted publicly, keeping the copyright and caption while removing the shooting location.
Output FilenameVariables + literal text · default {original}

Names each converted file from variables and literal text. Available variables include {original}, {width}, {height}, {format}, {quality}, {dpi}, {colorspace}, {date}, and {seq} (zero-padded with {seq:N}).

Example{original}_{width}x{height} turns DSC_4821 into DSC_4821_2048x1365.jpg.
WatermarkOptional · text and/or image

An optional watermark on the output. A text watermark supports {copyright}, {artist}, {year}, {date}, and {filename}, with a position, font, size, colour, and opacity; an image watermark adds a logo with its own position, size percentage, and opacity.

ExampleA semi-transparent studio mark on preview JPEGs, switched off on the archival TIFF version of the same template family.

Managing Templates

Review an existing template

Select a template to see its output format, sizing, quality, and the rest of its configuration in the detail panel. A lock icon marks the built-in presets, which are read-only.

Create a new template

Click New, then build the preset from the fields above.

  1. Click New above the Templates list.
  2. Name the template and choose an output format.
  3. Set sizing, quality and colour, metadata handling, and the filename pattern.
  4. Add a watermark if needed, then save.
Edit, duplicate, and delete

Use the buttons beside the list. Edit changes a template you created; the built-in presets are locked, so Duplicate one to get an editable copy. Delete removes a template you no longer need; built-ins cannot be deleted.

Import and export

Export writes the selected template to a file you can share or back up; Import adds templates from a file. Imported templates arrive as new, editable copies, so importing never overwrites your existing presets.

Tips & Important Notes

  • The built-in templates cover common needs: Web Optimized (JPEG 85%, 2048px) is the general-purpose default, Print Ready (TIFF, 300 DPI) suits printing, Social Media (1080px, GPS stripped) protects location privacy, Apple Ecosystem outputs HEIC, and Lossless Web outputs PNG.
  • Match the output format to the use: JPEG for web and sharing (smallest files), TIFF for print and archive (lossless), PNG for transparency, HEIC for Apple devices, and AVIF or JPEG XL for newer, more efficient compression (macOS 15.0+).
  • JPEG 85% balances quality and size well. Use 90% or more for important images and 75% or less for thumbnails. PNG is lossless, so it has no quality setting to tune.
  • Among the sizing modes, Longest Edge constrains the longest side and keeps the aspect ratio, Fit Within Box keeps both sides inside limits, and Percentage scales proportionally.
  • Choose a color space for the destination: sRGB for web, Adobe RGB (1998) for print, Display P3 for Apple displays, ProPhoto RGB for archival, and Preserve Original when color accuracy is critical.
  • 'Strip GPS Only' removes location while keeping the rest - good for social sharing. Strip All maximizes privacy, and Preserve All suits archives.
  • 72 DPI is standard for screens and 300 DPI for print. Use higher values (600+) for fine-art printing or detailed reproductions.
  • 'Preserve 16-bit color depth' applies to TIFF and PNG output only. Turn it on when sources are 16-bit (professional cameras, scans) and you need the full color depth.
  • Text watermarks accept metadata variables like {copyright}, {artist}, and {year}. Place the watermark in a corner (bottom right is least intrusive) at 50-70% opacity.
  • For an image watermark, use a transparent PNG logo at 10-20% of the image width. Keep the position consistent and the opacity low (50-70%) so it does not distract.
  • In a filename pattern, {original} keeps the source name. Add {seq:4} for sequential numbering, and literal text like {original}_web to label the output.