Getting Started

Install

1. Download Picmal
2. Open the DMG file
3. Drag Picmal to your Applications folder
4. Launch Picmal

Check the changelog for the latest version and release notes.

Your first conversion

1. Launch Picmal — you start in Convert mode
2. Drop one or more files into the window (or click Add Files)
3. Pick your output format from the dropdown
4. Adjust settings if you want (compression, metadata, resize)
5. Click Convert — your new files appear alongside the originals

Your first compression

1. Switch to the Compress tab
2. Drop your files in
3. Pick a preset (e.g., Balanced, Web optimized) or configure custom settings
4. Click Compress — compressed files are saved with a _compressed suffix by default

Batch processing

Drop multiple files or entire folders at once, up to 10,000 files. Picmal processes them all in one go — images, audio, and video. While a batch runs you can set per-file priority, pause and resume, or cancel; see managing the queue.

From the terminal

Picmal ships with picmal-cli, a command-line companion that uses the same conversion engine as the app. Install it from the menu bar via Picmal → Install Command Line Tool… and you can run conversions, compressions, and apply saved presets from any terminal. See Command line (CLI) for the full reference.

What’s next

• Converting Files — Learn about format conversion options
• Compressing Files — Explore compression presets
• Watched Folders — Set up automatic processing
• Command line (CLI) — Drive Picmal from the terminal