Guide
How to Compress a PDF on Mac (4 Free Methods)
Reduce PDF size on your Mac without an upload. Preview's Quartz filter, a custom ColorSync filter, an Automator batch action, Ghostscript, and a batch app.
Picmal Blog
How to convert, compress and edit files on a Mac without sending them anywhere. Once a month, a note on what I changed in Picmal.
Guide
How to Convert WAV to MP3 on Mac (3 Free Methods)
Turn a WAV into an MP3 on your Mac with the Music app, ffmpeg or Audacity, plus a batch app for a whole folder. No upload, no website. Tested on macOS 27.
Guide
How to Convert HEIC to PDF on Mac (5 Free Ways)
How to convert HEIC to PDF on your Mac, free, using Quick Actions or Preview. Covers making one PDF from a set of photos and one PDF per photo, plus the Terminal command.
Newsletter
Picmal in August 2026: PDF compression that keeps your text, Slideshow, and one output format
August's Picmal releases: rebuilt PDF compression, the Slideshow tool, a single default output format, working SVG conversion, and a seat-ladder price.
Guide
How to Convert FLAC to ALAC on Mac (4 Free Methods)
Apple Music won't import FLAC. Convert a lossless library to ALAC on your Mac with XLD, the Music app, afconvert, ffmpeg, or a batch app. Tags and album art kept. Tested on macOS 27.
Guide
How to Extract Audio From a Video on Mac (4 Free Methods)
Pull the audio out of an MP4, MOV or MKV on your Mac and save it as MP3, M4A or WAV. QuickTime, a Finder Quick Action, VLC, ffmpeg, and a batch app. Tested on macOS 27.
Guide
How to Compress Video with HandBrake (The Settings That Actually Matter)
A practical guide to HandBrake's compression settings: what RF really does, which encoder to pick, why your file sometimes gets bigger instead of smaller, and the four controls that change the size.
Guide
4 Free Ways to Open and Convert Sony ARW Files on a Mac
Preview, Finder's Quick Action, the sips Terminal command and Photos all handle Sony ARW files on a Mac with nothing extra installed. What each one does well, what it gets wrong, and when a batch tool earns its place.
Guide
How to Convert Video with VLC on Mac (and Why the Output Looks Bad)
VLC can convert video on a Mac, and it is free. Here is the exact menu path, the one setting that stops the output looking worse than the original, and how to tell when it has finished.
Guide
PNG to Mac Icon: How to Make an .icns File (3 Free Ways)
Turn a PNG into a macOS .icns icon without uploading it anywhere: the built-in sips and iconutil commands, the Get Info paste trick, and Xcode's single-size app icon. Plus which one you actually need.
Guide
QuickTime to GIF on Mac: 3 Free Methods (2026)
Turn a QuickTime .mov screen recording into an animated GIF on a Mac, without uploading it anywhere: the built-in Shortcuts action, ffmpeg with a proper palette, and gifski. Plus why a GIF is often the wrong answer.
Guide
The Best Video Converter for Mac in 2026 (7 Tools Compared)
The best video converter for Mac in 2026, compared. Picmal, HandBrake, ffWorks, Permute, VLC, QuickTime and Compressor on price, formats, batch conversion and how hard each one is to use.
Newsletter
Picmal in July 2026: Raycast, Vectorize, Remove Background, and app icons
July's Picmal releases: the Raycast extension, Vectorize and Remove Background, app icon export, audiobook chapters, Combine Videos, and video resolution caps.
Guide
How to Convert Audio on Mac (M4A, FLAC, WAV, and More)
Convert audio files on your Mac: M4A, FLAC, WAV, AAC, OGG to MP3 and back. Four methods with Picmal, the Music app, VLC, and FFmpeg. Batch a folder, no upload.
Guide
How to Convert AVI to MP4 on Mac (Free and Paid)
AVI won't play on your Mac? Convert AVI to MP4 with Picmal, HandBrake, VLC, or FFmpeg. Batch a whole folder, keep the quality, no upload. Step-by-step.
Guide
How to Convert HEVC to MP4 on Mac (2026 Guide)
Convert HEVC (H.265) video to a widely compatible MP4 on your Mac. Four methods compared: Picmal, HandBrake, VLC, and FFmpeg, with quality and batch tips.
Guide
How to Convert MKV to MP4 on Mac (Keep Subtitles and Audio Tracks)
MKV won't play on your Mac? Convert MKV to MP4 with Picmal, HandBrake, VLC, or FFmpeg. Handle multiple audio and subtitle tracks, batch a folder, no upload.
Guide
How to Convert MOV to MP4 on Mac: 3 Free Ways (2026)
Convert MOV to MP4 on a Mac for free with iMovie, VLC or ffmpeg, and see why QuickTime can't do it. Often a lossless remux that takes seconds. Tested on macOS 27.
Guide
How to Convert RAW to JPG on Mac (Every Camera Brand)
Convert camera RAW files (ARW, CR2, CR3, NEF, RAF, ORF, RW2, PEF) to JPG on your Mac. Batch-convert a whole shoot with correct colors, no subscription, no upload.
Guide
How to Compress a Video on Mac (5 Ways, Free and Paid)
Compress video on your Mac to email or upload it: Picmal, HandBrake, iMovie, QuickTime, and FFmpeg. Shrink MP4, MOV, and MKV by 50-80% without visible quality loss.
Newsletter
Picmal in June 2026: a new sidebar, PDF tools, and metadata you control
June's Picmal releases: a new sidebar with Images to PDF and Combine PDFs, copyright stamping, a Custom metadata mode, faster video, and 17 new formats.
Newsletter
Picmal in May 2026: scheduled batches, custom presets, and space saved
May's Picmal releases: schedule a batch for later, save your own compression presets, per-file priority, output subfolders, embedded album art, and ALAC output.
Newsletter
Picmal in April 2026: subtitles, watermarks, and EXIF filenames
April's Picmal releases: burn-in subtitles and playback speed for video, watermark presets, EXIF-based filename patterns, audio resampling, and a redesigned Settings.
Guide
Permute vs Picmal: Which Mac Media Converter Is Better?
Comparing Permute 3 and Picmal for image, video, and audio conversion on Mac. Features, pricing, format support, and which one fits your workflow.
Guide
How to Convert Images to WebP on Mac (3 Methods)
Convert JPEG, PNG, and other images to WebP on your Mac. Reduce file sizes by 25-50% for faster websites without visible quality loss.
Guide
How to Compress JPEG Files on Mac (4 Methods)
Compress JPEG images on Mac to reduce file size for email, web, or storage. Covers Preview, Terminal, and batch compression with quality comparisons.
Guide
How to Convert HEIC to PNG on Mac (4 Methods)
Convert HEIC photos to PNG on your Mac when you need lossless quality or transparency. Covers Preview, Terminal, and batch conversion.
Guide
Best Way to Compress Images for a Website on Mac
How to compress images for your website on a Mac, locally and in batch, without uploading to third-party tools. Covers WebP, AVIF, and the settings that actually matter.
Guide
How to Convert Images on Mac Without Uploading Them Online
Every way to convert images offline on your Mac, with no uploads and no third-party servers. Covers Preview, Quick Actions, Automator, and the command line.
Guide
How to Reduce Photo Library Size on Mac in 2026 (I Freed 46GB)
Five free ways to shrink a Photos library on a Mac: the built-in Duplicates album, iCloud storage settings, compressing screenshots, and archiving RAW. What I actually did to go from 74GB to 28GB.
Guide
How to Resize an Image on Mac (and Bulk Resize a Whole Folder)
Resize one image on your Mac in about ten seconds with Preview, or resize a whole folder at once with Automator, sips, or a batch resizer. Step by step for each, no upload needed.
Guide
Convert AVIF to JPG on Mac: 3 Ways, No Upload
Three offline ways to convert AVIF to JPG on your Mac. AVIF is the new web format most apps still can't open. Turn it into a JPG that works anywhere.
Guide
How to Convert WebP to PNG on Mac (4 Methods)
Convert WebP images to PNG on your Mac using Preview, Terminal, online tools, or a batch converter. Keep transparency and sharp edges intact.
Guide
How to Convert SVG to PNG on Mac: 4 Free Methods (2026)
Four free ways to convert SVG to PNG on a Mac, no upload required: Preview, the built-in qlmanage Terminal command, your browser, and rsvg-convert. Plus how to batch hundreds at a set size.
Guide
How to Reduce Image File Size on Mac (Without Losing Quality)
Five practical ways to reduce image file sizes on your Mac: resize, compress, convert to a modern format, or strip metadata. With actual before and after numbers.
Guide
How to Convert TIFF to JPG on Mac (4 Methods)
Convert TIFF files to JPG on your Mac using Preview, Terminal, or a batch converter. Step-by-step instructions for single files and entire folders.
Guide
How to Convert WEBP to JPG on Mac (5 Free Methods)
Convert WEBP to JPG on Mac with Finder Quick Actions, Preview, or Terminal. Free built-in methods plus batch conversion for whole folders.
Guide
Best Media Converter Apps for Mac in 2026 (8 Tools Compared)
Compare the 8 best media converter apps for Mac in 2026. I review Picmal, HandBrake, Permute, ffWorks, XnConvert, Kompressor, Compresto, and How To Convert on price, formats and batch handling.
Guide
Everything I found while researching license managers for my Mac app
A practical comparison of license management tools for indie Mac developers: Stripe, Creem, Polar, LicenseSeat, Amore, and Keygen. Includes the key distinction between purchase-linked and standalone licenses.
Guide
7 ImageOptim Alternatives for Mac, Tested in 2026
ImageOptim skips WebP, AVIF and HEIC, can't convert or resize, and has barely changed since 2016. Seven alternatives for Apple silicon, compared on price.
Guide
How to Enable Picmal's Finder Extensions
Learn how to activate Picmal's Services to add Convert and Compress options directly to your right-click context menu on Mac.
Guide
How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac: 6 Free Ways (2026)
How to convert (or change) a HEIC to JPG on your Mac or MacBook in seconds, free, using Quick Actions or Preview. Six methods compared, how to keep your EXIF data, and what to do with a whole folder.
Guide
Top 5 Batch Image Converter Software for Mac
Compare top batch image converter software for Mac. Review Picmal, BatchPhoto, XnConvert, Adapter and Kompressor to find the right tool for quickly and easily converting images privately.
Guide
Publish your macOS App outside the App Store
A practical guide to publishing your macOS app outside the App Store: notarization, code signing, Sparkle auto-updates, licensing, and distribution lessons from building Picmal.
Guide
How to Organize Digital Photos Like a Pro
Tired of digital chaos? Learn how to organize digital photos with this practical guide on building a system that lasts, from folders to secure backups.
Guide
What is Image File Format? Essential Guide Explained
Learn what is image file format, including types like JPEG & PNG, and how to choose the right one for your needs. Discover key details in this guide.
Guide
The 7 Best Image Formats for the Web in 2026, Compared
JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, SVG and more. Which image format to use for the web, when, and why, with clear picks for speed, quality, and file size.
Guide
Batch Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac: 5 Ways, No Upload
How to batch convert HEIC to JPG on your Mac, hundreds of files at once, offline and with no size limits. Covers Quick Actions, Preview, Automator, the sips command line, and when a batch converter is worth paying for.
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