Formats
Modern formats.
Real control.
PicSquish reads the image, SVG, HEIC/HEIF, RAW, and video sources the app supports today, then writes 9 practical output formats with quality, metadata, and compression controls.
Output
Modern formats
Next-generation codecs with dramatically better compression, exposed through the same conversion pipeline as the classic formats.
AVIF
The most efficient lossy format available today. Up to 50% smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality. Supported in Chrome, Firefox, Safari 16+, and Edge. PicSquish uses hardware acceleration on macOS 26+ and a bundled encoder on earlier versions.
- Quality 0–100
- Speed 0–8
- 8/10-bit depth
WebP
Google's modern format with excellent browser support (97%+ globally). Consistently 25–35% smaller than JPEG. PicSquish uses a bundled libwebp encoder for consistent results across all macOS versions.
- Quality 0–100
- Lossless option
- Compression method 0–6
HEIC
Excellent quality at small file sizes, with hardware-accelerated encoding where available.
- Quality 0–100
- Lossless option
Output
Classic formats
The universal standards, with direct control over the encoding options PicSquish exposes today.
JPEG
The universal format. Progressive encoding with configurable chroma subsampling for the best quality-to-compatibility ratio.
- Quality 0–100
- Progressive encoding
- Chroma subsampling (4:2:0, 4:2:2, 4:4:4)
PNG
Lossless with transparency support and configurable compression level.
- Compression level 0–9
- Alpha-channel support
TIFF
The archival standard, with multiple compression choices and selectable bit depth.
- LZW, Deflate, JPEG, or no compression
- 1/2/4/8-bit depth
GIF
Animated or still, with palette size control from 2 to 256 colours and dithering options.
- Palette size 2–256
- Dithering control
More
GIF, ICO, and PDF are available as output targets for animation, icon, and document-style workflows.
Input
Supported formats in
PicSquish imports the app's supported web, desktop, vector, HEIC/HEIF, RAW, and video source formats.
Standard Image Formats
JPEG, PNG, TIFF, GIF, BMP, WebP, HEIF/HEIC, AVIF, SVG, and ICO
Camera RAW
PicSquish imports the major RAW extensions listed below by extracting an embedded preview where available, then runs that image through the standard conversion pipeline.
| Manufacturer | Formats |
|---|---|
| Canon | CR2, CR3, CRW |
| Nikon | NEF, NRW |
| Sony | ARW |
| Fujifilm | RAF |
| Olympus | ORF |
| Panasonic | RW2 |
| Pentax / Ricoh | PEF |
| Leica | DNG, RWL |
| Hasselblad | 3FR, FFF |
| Phase One | IIQ |
| Samsung | SRW |
| Sigma | X3F |
| Adobe | DNG |
Guide
When to use what
Not sure which format to pick? Here's a quick recommendation guide.
| What you're doing | Recommended format |
|---|---|
| Web — maximum compression | AVIF |
| Web — broadest compatibility | WebP |
| Web — responsive sets | AVIF + WebP + JPEG (fallback) |
| Apple ecosystem | HEIC |
| Photography delivery | JPEG (progressive, Q95) |
| Archival or print | TIFF (16-bit, LZW) |
| Images with transparency | PNG or WebP (lossless) |
| App icons | PNG (exact pixel sizes) |
| Favicons | ICO + PNG (multiple sizes) |
| Social media sharing | JPEG or WebP |
| Email attachments | JPEG (smaller file sizes) |
Under the hood
Runtime codec detection
PicSquish uses native or bundled encoders where available, including a dedicated HEIC path and Sharp-backed encoders for the core raster formats.
Detect
The app resolves the encoder path for formats that need a separate native tool, such as HEIC.
Accelerate
On supported macOS systems, PicSquish can use its native HEIC helper for fast local encoding.
Fall back
When native support is unavailable, PicSquish falls back to bundled or configured encoders where the app includes that path.
The formats that matter. The control you need.
Convert supported inputs to modern web, archive, icon, and document outputs with quality and metadata control.
Download PicSquish