Melt tips & how-to guides
Short, focused walk-throughs — each one solves a single task in Melt, so you can land on a question and leave with an answer.
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Receive iPhone photos as JPG via AirDrop (not HEIC) Read ›
AirDropping photos from iPhone keeps landing them as HEIC files on your Mac. Here's how to get them as JPG instead.
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AVIF on Mac — opening and converting AVIF images Read ›
AVIF is the next-gen image format that's even smaller than WebP. Here's how to open and convert AVIF files on macOS.
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How to batch compress a folder of photos on Mac Read ›
Compressing 200 photos one at a time is its own form of suffering. Here's how to batch compress images on macOS.
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What's the best image format for the web (and how to export it on Mac)? Read ›
JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, SVG — they each have a job. Here's how to pick the right one for the web and export it from your Mac.
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Convert a BMP to PNG on Mac Read ›
BMP files are huge and rarely useful. Here's how to convert them to PNG on macOS — natively and in batches.
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Change an image's file format on Mac Read ›
Need to switch a PNG to JPG, a HEIC to PNG, or anything in between? Here's the general guide to converting image formats on macOS.
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Compress an image from the command line on Mac (sips + ImageMagick + pngquant) Read ›
Three command-line tools, three flavours of image compression on macOS. Here's what each one is good at.
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Compress an image right from Finder on Mac Read ›
Right-click → compress. macOS sort of supports this. Here's what works, what doesn't, and the faster way.
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Compress an image for email on Mac (under 25 MB / 10 MB) Read ›
Gmail caps attachments at 25 MB. Outlook at 20 MB. iCloud Mail at 20 MB. Here's how to fit your image under the line on Mac.
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Resize an image for Slack on Mac Read ›
Slack accepts files up to 1 GB but mangles previews above 5 MB. Here's how to ship images that actually preview properly.
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Compress an image on Mac without visible quality loss Read ›
There's a sweet spot where image compression saves enormous space but stays visually identical. Here's where it is on macOS.
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Compress a JPEG on Mac without Photoshop Read ›
You don't need a $20/month Adobe subscription to shrink a JPEG. Here are the real options on macOS.
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Optimise photos for a website on Mac Read ›
Heavy images are the single biggest reason websites feel slow. Here's how to optimise photos for the web on Mac.
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How to compress a PNG on Mac Read ›
PNGs can balloon to 5–10 MB fast. Here's how to shrink a PNG on macOS — the native ways and a smarter one.
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Compress a PNG without losing image quality (Mac) Read ›
Yes, you can shrink a PNG dramatically and have it look identical. Here's how on macOS.
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Compress a Mac screenshot before sharing it Read ›
Mac screenshots default to PNG, which makes them huge. Here's how to compress them before they hit Slack or email.
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Convert Canon CR2 raw photos to JPG on Mac Read ›
A photographer sent you 200 .cr2 files and your apps don't open them. Here's how to convert Canon raw to JPG on macOS.
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Convert an animated GIF to JPG (or PNG) on Mac Read ›
Need a still image from an animated GIF? Here's how to grab the first frame as a JPG or PNG on macOS.
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Convert a folder of HEIC photos to JPG on Mac Read ›
You've got hundreds of HEIC files from your iPhone and need them all as JPG. Here's how to bulk convert on macOS.
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How to convert a HEIC photo to JPG on Mac Read ›
iPhone photos land on your Mac as HEIC files that some apps refuse to open. Here's how to convert HEIC to JPG on macOS — natively and faster.
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Convert an image to PDF on Mac Read ›
Need to turn one or more images into a PDF? Here's how to do it on macOS without paying for Acrobat.
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Convert an image to WebP on Mac Read ›
WebP is the modern web image format — smaller than JPEG, with transparency. Here's how to convert your images to WebP on macOS.
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How to convert images from PNG to JPEG in bulk on Mac Read ›
A folder of screenshots is eating your disk because PNGs are huge. Here's how to bulk-convert PNG to JPEG on macOS.
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Convert PNG to SVG on Mac (and when not to) Read ›
PNG to SVG isn't as simple as it sounds — here's what's actually possible on macOS, and when you should just stick with PNG.
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Convert RAW photos to JPG on Mac Read ›
RAW photos from any camera need to become JPGs to share or upload. Here's how to convert RAW to JPG on macOS.
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Convert a TIFF to JPG on Mac Read ›
TIFF files are huge and not every app opens them. Here's how to convert a TIFF to JPG on macOS, natively or in bulk.
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HEIC not supported by an app — convert it on your Mac Read ›
An app on your Mac is refusing to open a HEIC file. Here's how to convert it to a format the app understands.
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HEIC vs JPG on Mac — which should you use? Read ›
iPhones save photos as HEIC by default, but JPG is what the rest of the world expects. Here's when to use each, and how to switch on macOS.
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How to send a photo without EXIF on Mac Read ›
About to send a photo and want to make sure no hidden data goes with it? Here's how to send EXIF-free on macOS.
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ImageOptim vs Melt on Mac — which should you use? Read ›
Both are drag-and-drop image compressors for Mac. Here's the actual difference and which makes sense for which job.
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iPhone photos won't open on Windows? Convert to JPG on your Mac Read ›
Sent some iPhone photos to a Windows user and they can't open the HEIC files? Convert them to JPG on your Mac first.
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Why is my JPEG too large — and how to shrink it on Mac Read ›
JPEGs from phones and DSLRs default to near-max quality. Here's why they're huge and how to fix it on macOS.
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JPG vs JPEG on Mac — is there a difference? Read ›
Some files are .jpg, others are .jpeg, and macOS seems to treat them differently. Here's what's actually going on.
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Lossless PNG compression on Mac Read ›
There are two flavours of lossless for PNG. Here's what each one means on macOS and how to use them.
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The best Mac image compressor app (and how it works) Read ›
What a good Mac image compressor actually does, and how to pick one that's not just a wrapper around someone else's servers.
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What metadata is stored in your Mac photos (and how to clean it) Read ›
Every photo on your Mac carries hidden metadata. Here's what's in there and how to remove it on macOS.
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Why are Mac screenshots so big — and how to fix it Read ›
macOS saves screenshots as massive PNGs by default. Here's why, and three ways to make them smaller.
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Make an image file size smaller on Mac Read ›
Four ways to reduce image file size on macOS, from a one-line Terminal command to a drag-and-drop app.
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Make a photo less than 5 MB on Mac Read ›
Specific size targets — under 5 MB, under 2 MB, under 1 MB. Here's how to hit them reliably on macOS.
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Photo too big to upload on Mac? Try this Read ›
Upload limits vary wildly — 5 MB, 10 MB, 25 MB. Here's how to fit any photo under any limit on macOS.
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Photoshop export too large? Use this Mac tool instead Read ›
Photoshop's Save for Web isn't what it used to be. Here's how to get smaller files on Mac without it.
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Why is my PNG so big — and how to make it smaller on Mac Read ›
PNGs balloon fast because they're lossless by default. Here's why it happens and how to shrink them on macOS.
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Run pngquant on Mac (the easy way) Read ›
pngquant is the tool every PNG optimiser uses under the hood. Here's how to use it on macOS — or skip the Terminal entirely.
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Reduce image file size on Mac (free + easy options) Read ›
Five free ways to shrink images on macOS, ranked by how little you have to install.
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How to reduce JPEG file size on Mac without losing quality Read ›
That 12 MB JPEG can usually drop to 1–2 MB with no visible difference. Here's how to shrink JPEGs on Mac — the built-in options and a faster one.
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Reduce PNG file size on Mac Read ›
PNGs are lossless by default — which makes them huge. Here's how to cut a PNG by 70-85% on macOS.
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Remove EXIF data from a photo on Mac Read ›
EXIF data inside your photos can include GPS, camera serial numbers, and timestamps. Here's how to strip it on macOS.
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Strip GPS location from a photo on Mac before sharing Read ›
Your photos carry GPS coordinates accurate to a few metres. Here's how to remove the location before you post or share.
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Strip metadata from a folder of photos on Mac Read ›
Got hundreds of photos that need EXIF removed before publishing? Here's how to batch-strip metadata on macOS.
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Batch resize images on Mac Read ›
Resizing 100 photos one at a time is its own punishment. Here's how to batch resize on macOS — three ways.
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How to resize an image on Mac without using Preview Read ›
Preview's resize tool is clunky for batches and tucked behind a menu. Here are faster ways to resize an image on macOS.
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Save Mac screenshots as JPG instead of PNG Read ›
Mac screenshots default to PNG, which makes huge files. Here's how to change the default to JPG, or convert after the fact.
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How to strip EXIF metadata from a photo on Mac Read ›
Photos carry GPS coordinates, device info, and timestamps you might not want to share. Here's how to remove EXIF data on macOS.
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TIFF vs PNG on Mac — which to keep, which to convert Read ›
TIFF and PNG are both lossless, but they're built for different jobs. Here's when to use each on macOS — and when to convert.
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A TinyPNG alternative that runs on your Mac (offline) Read ›
TinyPNG is great until you have to upload private screenshots to a third party. Here's a local alternative for Mac.
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How to open, view, and convert WebP files on Mac Read ›
Someone sent you a WebP file and Preview opens it but you can't edit it. Here's how to handle WebP on macOS.
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Keep photo quality when sending from Mac to WhatsApp Read ›
WhatsApp aggressively re-compresses photos. Here's how to send from Mac with the least quality loss.