Documentation

Get the most out of ImageForge

Everything from your first drop to scripting batches from the terminal. Jump to a section, or read straight through.

Getting started Output modes Profiles Metadata & privacy Convert Automation CLI reference Shortcuts Troubleshooting

Getting started

Install ImageForge, then drop images or folders onto the window — or use ⌘O to choose files. Each file is rewritten smaller, losslessly by default, and you'll see exactly how much you saved. That's the whole loop.

# or install the cask
brew install --cask imageforge

Output modes

Decide what happens to your originals — set a default in Preferences or change it per-batch from the toolbar.

Overwrite in placeReplace originals directly, with an optional confirm before overwriting.

Keep a copy (-min)Write a compressed sibling with a -min suffix; originals untouched.

Output to folderSend all results to a folder you choose, preserving names.

Convert to formatRe-encode to a target format with clear naming.

Profiles & per-format settings

A profile bundles per-format settings under one name. Free ships three read-only presets — Lossless, Web light and Social. Pro unlocks the editor so you can tune PNG, JPEG, WebP, AVIF, GIF and SVG individually, then export the profile to share it.

Metadata & privacy

By default ImageForge strips EXIF and GPS to protect privacy and trim bytes, while preserving the color profile, orientation and copyright. Everything runs on-device — no image ever leaves your Mac.

Convert between formats

Switch the output mode to Convert, choose a target format, and ImageForge re-encodes the dropped set — clearly flagging when a conversion is lossy versus lossless.

Automation

Start a compression five ways: the window, the Dock icon, the Finder Services menu, the Pro menu-bar item, and the CLI. Pro watch folders compress files automatically the moment they're saved.

CLI reference

For power users, the standalone imageforge binary brings the whole engine to your scripts and CI. Install it via Homebrew (brew install imageforge) — it ships separately from the in-app purchase.

# usage
imageforge [paths…] [options]

# compress a folder with a profile, keep copies
imageforge ./assets --profile web-light --output copy

# convert to AVIF, recurse, show savings as JSON
imageforge ./img --convert avif --recursive --json

Options

Flag

What it does

--profile <name>

Apply a saved profile (e.g. lossless, web-light, social).

--convert <fmt>

Convert output to png | jpeg | webp | avif | heic.

--output <mode>

overwrite | copy | folder:<path> — how originals are handled.

--quality <n>

Lossy quality 0–100 (overrides the profile for this run).

--recursive

Descend into sub-folders.

--strip-metadata

Remove EXIF/GPS (on by default; use --keep-metadata to retain).

--json

Emit a machine-readable batch summary to stdout.

--dry-run

Report savings without writing any files.

Exit codes

0Success — all files processed (some may be "already optimal").

1Partial — completed, but one or more files errored.

2Usage error — invalid flag or path.

Keyboard shortcuts

Open files⌘O

Convert sheet⌘K

Open Preferences⌘,

Cancel batch⌘.

Show in Finder⌘R

Clear list⌘⌫

Troubleshooting

A file says "already optimal".

It was already as small as it can get losslessly — nothing was changed, which is the safe outcome.

A file errored with "unsupported color profile".

Some exotic ICC profiles can’t be re-embedded. Convert the profile, or turn off "preserve color profile" for that batch.

AVIF/HEIC output is greyed out.

Modern output formats are a Pro feature. Start the 7-day trial or unlock Pro to enable them.

Still stuck?

We're happy to help — reach out and we'll get you sorted.

Contact support