TinyImage Compressor is a Figma plugin that shrinks PNG, JPG and WebP images before you export them. It works inside Figma, on images in your design file. If you need to compress images outside Figma, or a whole folder on your Mac, a local app like Picmal does that without any plugin.
I make Picmal, so I come at this from the other side of the desk. Still, the plugin does one job and does it where designers already work, and that is worth saying first.
What TinyImage Compressor is and what it does
TinyImage Compressor lives in Figma’s plugin list. You select images in your file, run the plugin, and it makes them smaller. The usual reason is handoff: a design full of heavy PNG and JPG assets makes slow pages, so you shrink them before a developer takes them.
If you searched for a Figma image compressor, that is the tool you want. For its exact options and current price, the plugin’s own page is the source, not me. I have not built a workflow around it, so I will not write a tutorial for it.
The limit: it stays inside Figma
A plugin only sees what Figma holds. Your camera photos sit in Finder. Screenshots land on the desktop. Images you download from a site, or receive from a client, never touch a Figma file.
For those, you need a tool that works on files on your disk. That is a different job, and a different kind of tool.
Compressing images on your Mac, without Figma
The alternative is a native app that runs on your Mac. You compress images on your Mac by dragging files in, choosing how small you want them, and clicking a button.
Picmal compresses PNG, JPG, WebP and more, and it keeps every file local. Nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and the originals stay as they were. It batch processes hundreds of files at once, so a full folder is one run, not a hundred clicks.
If you want a smaller PNG, you compress the PNG. If you want WebP, you can convert images to WebP in the same app.
How a local app fits next to Figma
They do different things, so you can use both.
- Figma plugin: you are in a design file and want lighter assets for handoff.
- Local Mac app: your images are in folders, on the desktop or in a download, and you want them small before you send, upload or archive them.
The local app also lives in Finder. Select files, right-click, run a Quick Action. No file has to go through a design tool first.
If you already use ImageOptim, the ImageOptim alternative page shows how the two compare. For bigger jobs, the guide to batch compress images shows how a whole folder runs in one pass.
Mistakes to avoid when you pick a compressor
- Assuming an online tool is your only option. Many web compressors need you to upload files. A local app does not.
- Not checking where your files are. A Figma plugin cannot touch a Finder folder. Pick the tool that matches where the images live.
- Skipping batch tools past a few files. Ten images by hand is fine. A hundred is an afternoon.
FAQ
Is TinyImage Compressor free?
I don’t run TinyImage, so I can’t promise its current pricing. It is listed as a Figma plugin, and plugin pages show the latest terms. Check the plugin page in the Figma Community before you rely on it. Picmal is a paid Mac app with a 7-day trial and a 14-day refund.
What image formats does TinyImage support?
TinyImage Compressor works on PNG, JPG and WebP images inside Figma. Those are the formats most design handoffs use. If your files are HEIC, AVIF, TIFF or something else, they sit outside the plugin, and a general converter on your Mac covers them. Picmal handles 100+ formats.
Can I use TinyImage Compressor outside of Figma?
No. It is a Figma plugin, so it only sees images that live in a Figma file. Photos in a Finder folder, screenshots on your desktop and downloads from the web are out of its reach. For those, use an app that works on files on your disk.
How do I compress images on a Mac without Figma?
Drag the files into a compression app, pick a preset or a quality level, and run it. Picmal does this locally, so nothing is uploaded. It also works from Finder Quick Actions: select files, right-click, and compress without opening the app. Your originals stay untouched.
What’s the best way to batch compress images on a Mac?
Use a tool that takes whole folders. Drop a folder of hundreds of images into Picmal and it compresses them in one pass, with presets so you do not set quality per file. For a few images, a plugin or a single export is fine. Past that, batch tools save the afternoon.
A local alternative when you leave Figma
When the images are not in a design file, I made Picmal for the job. It is a native Mac app that compresses and converts images, video, audio and PDFs on your own computer. You can try the full app for 7 days, and there is a 14-day refund if it does not suit you. I’m Alberto, I build it alone from Córdoba, and more about that is on the About page.
