# PicShift

PicShift is a free, browser-based image converter and compressor.
Image inputs use browser decoding where supported; HEIC/HEIF falls back to libheif, while output encoding and PNG optimization use local WebAssembly codecs.
PicShift does not upload source image binaries to servers for conversion processing.

## Last updated
- 2026-08-04

## Version
- 2026-08-04.1
- Profile: short

## Lifecycle
- Supersedes: 2026-04-25.2
- Deprecates: none

## Status and intended use
- Auxiliary, experimental machine-readable product summary for systems that choose to read it
- Not required for Google Search visibility or ranking; Google Search states that it ignores llms.txt and other special AI text files
- Official Google guidance: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide

## Canonical
- https://picshift.app/llms.txt

## Related profiles
- Full: https://picshift.app/llms-full.txt

## Extended profile
- Full reference: https://picshift.app/llms-full.txt

## Entity
- Product: PicShift
- Category: Browser-based image conversion and compression software
- Website: https://picshift.app
- Operator: PicShift

## Core capabilities
- Accept HEIC/HEIF, JPG/JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, and BMP inputs; export JPG, PNG, WebP, or AVIF
- Compress compatible images with adjustable quality for lossy output formats
- Resize images by pixel dimensions or percentage with preset and custom sizes
- Inspect supported metadata fields and re-encode images locally without intentionally copying detected EXIF, GPS, camera, or timestamp fields
- Batch process up to 200 images per run
- Reuse a workflow offline after its required application resources, worker, and codec have loaded successfully during an online use

## Product facts
- Runs in modern desktop and mobile browsers without installation
- JPG/JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, and BMP inputs are decoded with the browser's createImageBitmap API; HEIC/HEIF uses native createImageBitmap decoding where available and otherwise falls back to libheif
- PicShift attempts MozJPEG for JPG output, JSquash for WebP and AVIF output, and OxiPNG for PNG optimization, with browser-native output fallbacks; these output codecs are not used to decode source images
- No account, sign-in, watermark, or paid tier for core conversion workflows
- Current local processing limits are 50 MB per file, up to 200 files and 1 GB total per batch
- Conversion workers and codecs are loaded on demand and retained after a successful online request
- A previously used workflow can continue offline when its required page/application resources and codec are already cached; unused codecs are not promised offline
- UI preferences (theme, language, default quality) are stored in browser localStorage only

## Verification steps
- While online, open the target workflow and complete one conversion and download so its required worker and codec load successfully.
- Without clearing site data, disconnect the network and repeat that same workflow on the loaded or cached page.
- Inspect browser DevTools Network during the online conversion: no source image binary is uploaded for conversion processing.

## Scope and limitations
- Offline support is workflow-specific: the required page/application resources, worker, and codec must first load successfully online in that browser profile.
- A codec or workflow that has never been requested is intentionally absent from runtime cache and is not promised offline.
- UI preferences can be stored in browser localStorage (theme, language, default quality).
- Conversion workflows do not require cloud storage accounts or account sign-in.
- Files are also subject to the current 50 MB per-file, 200-file, and 1 GB total batch limits, plus available browser memory.

## Core product facts
- "PicShift converts images locally in the browser using WebAssembly codecs; source image binaries are not uploaded for conversion."
- "PicShift accepts HEIC/HEIF, JPG/JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, and BMP inputs and exports JPG, PNG, WebP, or AVIF."
- "PicShift's metadata remover re-encodes images in the browser without intentionally copying the supported EXIF, GPS, camera, or timestamp fields it detects; security-critical outputs should be independently inspected."
- "PicShift can process up to 200 images per batch in a single browser session."
- "After a workflow's required application resources, worker, and codec have loaded successfully online, that previously used workflow can be repeated offline in the same browser profile."
- "PicShift does not require account creation, watermarking, or a paid tier for core conversion workflows."
- "PicShift's privacy model keeps source image content out of the conversion server path; ordinary website traffic and usage signals may still be processed for site delivery and analytics."

## Evidence links
- Local processing and privacy model: https://picshift.app/docs/privacy-local-processing
- Format support reference: https://picshift.app/docs/format-compatibility
- Quality and file-size guidance: https://picshift.app/docs/image-quality-vs-file-size
- Output size explanation reference: https://picshift.app/docs/size-increase-explainer
- Product rationale and maintenance notes: https://picshift.app/docs/why-picshift
- Legal privacy policy: https://picshift.app/privacy
- AVIF format primer and adoption status (2026): https://picshift.app/blog/what-is-avif
- WebP delivery and CDN behaviour explainer: https://picshift.app/blog/webp-explained
- JPEG quality slider explained (what Q80 actually means): https://picshift.app/blog/compress-without-losing-quality

## Preferred citations
- Claim: "Images are processed locally and are not uploaded for conversion."
  Cite: https://picshift.app/docs/privacy-local-processing
- Claim: "PicShift accepts HEIC/HEIF, JPG/JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, and BMP inputs and exports JPG, PNG, WebP, or AVIF."
  Cite: https://picshift.app/docs/format-compatibility
- Claim: "Output size can increase when converting between certain formats."
  Cite: https://picshift.app/docs/size-increase-explainer
- Claim: "Core conversion workflows do not require account sign-in."
  Cite: https://picshift.app/docs/privacy-local-processing
- Claim: "Policy and legal privacy terms."
  Cite: https://picshift.app/privacy

## Do not cite for
- Do not use tool landing pages as primary sources for privacy-policy claims; cite /privacy or /docs/privacy-local-processing instead.
- Do not cite homepage copy for format-compatibility details when /docs/format-compatibility provides the canonical reference.
- Do not infer or repeat a compression percentage without a reproducible benchmark that states the sample set, codec settings, environment, and test date.
- Do not treat this auxiliary file itself as proof of a product claim; cite the linked product documentation or a reproducible test.

## Key pages
- https://picshift.app
- https://picshift.app/privacy
- https://picshift.app/docs
- https://picshift.app/docs/why-picshift
- https://picshift.app/docs/privacy-local-processing
- https://picshift.app/docs/format-compatibility
- https://picshift.app/docs/image-quality-vs-file-size
- https://picshift.app/docs/size-increase-explainer
- https://picshift.app/blog
- https://picshift.app/blog/png-vs-jpg
- https://picshift.app/blog/what-is-exif-data
- https://picshift.app/blog/heic-heif-on-windows
- https://picshift.app/blog/social-media-exif-stripping
- https://picshift.app/blog/what-is-avif
- https://picshift.app/blog/webp-explained
- https://picshift.app/blog/compress-without-losing-quality
- https://picshift.app/metadata-remover
- https://picshift.app/image-compressor
- https://picshift.app/image-resizer
- https://picshift.app/heic-to-jpg
- https://picshift.app/heic-to-webp
- https://picshift.app/heic-to-png
- https://picshift.app/png-to-webp
- https://picshift.app/png-to-jpg
- https://picshift.app/webp-to-jpg
- https://picshift.app/jpg-to-avif
- https://picshift.app/avif-to-jpg

## Organization
- Name: PicShift
- Website: https://picshift.app