Converting Files

Convert mode changes a file from one format to another. For example, HEIC to JPEG, WAV to MP3, or MOV to MP4.

How to use

1. Make sure you’re on the Convert tab
2. Drop files into the window or click Add Files
3. Select the output format
4. Click Convert

Optional compression during conversion

You can apply compression as part of the conversion. Enable Compress output in convert mode in Settings, then adjust the quality slider or pick a preset before converting. This lets you change format and reduce file size in one step.

Smart format memory

Picmal remembers the last output format you selected for each input type. Drop a new file and it automatically picks the same format you used last time, no need to reselect. For example, if you always convert HEIC to JPG, Picmal will default to JPG whenever you drop a HEIC file.

Before/after preview

After converting a file, click the screen icon on any processed file to open an interactive before/after slider. This lets you compare the original and converted versions side by side, useful for checking how a format change affects visual quality.

Same-format conversions

You can convert a file to the same format it’s already in. This is useful for resampling audio (for example, FLAC to FLAC at a different sample rate) without changing the codec. Same-format conversions follow your convert naming pattern (default {original}_converted), so the output lands beside the original instead of overwriting it. Adjust the pattern, prefix, or suffix in Settings → Output; see output and naming.

Apple icon files

Drop an .icns in and convert it to PNG, JPG, or any other image format. An icon file holds several sizes at once, so each one becomes its own file saved next to the original:

icon-1024x1024.png
icon-512x512.png
icon-256x256.png

Sizes stored twice inside the icon (a 256x256 and a 128x128@2x, say) come out once. An icon with only one size inside just converts normally, keeping your usual output name. This works from the command line too — picmal-cli convert -i icon.icns -f png.

Picmal reads .icns but doesn’t write it here. To make one from an image, use App Icons.

Format compatibility

Picmal converts within the same media type:

• Image → Image (e.g., PNG → JPEG, HEIC → WebP)
• Audio → Audio (e.g., WAV → MP3, FLAC → AAC)
• Video → Video (e.g., MOV → MP4, AVI → WebM)

You can also extract audio from video — for example, MP4 to MP3.

Metadata control

Choose how metadata is handled during conversion:

Mode	What It Does
Strip all	Smallest files, but removes the original’s camera, date, and copyright info
Keep essential	Keeps orientation, color profile, and copyright; drops location and serial numbers
Keep all	Preserves all original metadata

Picmal spells out this trade-off under the picker as you choose, so stripping never surprises you.

Copyright and ownership

Add your own ownership details to every image you export. Open Settings → General → Copyright & ownership and fill in any of these fields:

• Copyright notice — e.g. © 2026 Jane Doe
• Artist / Creator — the photographer or author
• Credit — attribution or photo credit
• Contact / URL — a website, email, or phone number

Picmal writes them into the standard EXIF, IPTC, and XMP fields, so other apps (Photos, Lightroom, Finder’s Get Info, stock libraries) read them back. Values you enter always overwrite whatever was on the original.

You only enter this once — Picmal saves it as your default profile and reuses it on every export. Use the Add my copyright to exported images switch to turn it on or off without clearing the fields.

This works in every metadata mode — including Strip all. Strip removes the camera, GPS, and other identifying data, then Picmal stamps your copyright back on, so the output carries only your ownership info and nothing else. To embed copyright on the command line, see the --copyright/--artist flags.

Inspecting metadata

Click the ⓘ button next to a file to see its metadata. Before converting it shows the original. Once a file finishes, the popover gains an Original / Result switch and opens on Result — the metadata actually written to the output — so you can confirm at a glance that your copyright landed and that camera and location data came off. The button appears even when the original had no metadata, so copyright you added is always verifiable.

RAW photos

Converting RAW photos (NEF, CR2, ARW, RAF, DNG) keeps your camera metadata. With Keep all, the output JPEG carries the make, model, lens, exposure, capture date, and GPS. Keep essential keeps the basics while dropping location and serial numbers. The metadata indicator reads RAW files too, so it shows what’s actually there instead of appearing empty.

See Supported formats for the full list of input and output formats.