How To Use Every SAFIX Tool

Use this guide when you need to make an image lighter without losing more detail than the job requires. The compressor is built around two different goals: preserving visual quality while reducing weight, or working toward a file-size limit. The useful choice is not simply "more compression"; it is choosing the least destructive workflow for the destination you have in mind.

Start by identifying the real requirement

Before processing a file, check what the destination actually requires. Some upload forms care only that a file stays below a maximum size. Others also impose image-dimension or format requirements. Keeping those rules in mind helps you avoid making a file smaller than necessary.

• For general optimization: use Best Quality when your priority is a smaller file with strong visual fidelity.
• For a hard upload limit: use Target Size when the destination gives you a concrete KB or MB ceiling.
• For scans and signatures: treat readability as the primary requirement; an extremely small file is not useful if text or fine strokes become difficult to read.

Output formats after compression

Compression controls how much file weight you trade for visual fidelity, while the output format determines how the image data is encoded. After choosing your compression goal, select a format that fits the destination instead of assuming that the smallest file is always the best result.

Output format	Best suited for	What to keep in mind
JPG	Photographs, product images, and widely compatible uploads	Good for continuous-tone photos and usually produces compact files; it does not preserve transparency.
WebP	Modern websites, mixed photo/graphic content, and web delivery	Useful when the destination supports WebP and you want a strong size-to-quality balance; transparency is supported.
PNG	Screenshots, text-heavy graphics, logos, and images needing transparency	Good at keeping sharp edges and transparency, but it may remain relatively large for photographs.
AVIF	Modern web assets where advanced compression is supported	Can achieve very small files at useful quality, but destination support should be checked before relying on it.
BMP	Older software or workflows that explicitly require bitmap files	Generally not a space-saving choice, so it is usually selected for compatibility rather than compression efficiency.
ICO	Favicon and small application/browser icon workflows	Choose it when an icon container is specifically required; it is not a general-purpose photo format.

How to judge the result

File size alone is not a quality test. After processing, compare the important areas of the image: small text, thin lines, faces, edges, and high-contrast details. The before/after preview is most useful when you inspect the parts that matter rather than judging only the overall thumbnail.

For ordinary photographs, look for natural textures and clean edges. For documents, concentrate on letters, signatures, numbers, stamps, and other fine marks that can become soft when the file is pushed too far.

Best Quality: when fidelity matters more than an exact number

Best Quality is the better workflow when you know the file should become lighter but you do not have to hit a specific byte count. The quality setting lets you control how much visual compromise is acceptable. A higher ceiling favors detail; a lower ceiling gives the encoder more room to trade detail for size.

Use the preview to make the final call. A result that saves a little more space but makes text or important edges visibly softer is usually a worse fit than a slightly larger file that remains clean.

Target Size: when the destination gives you a limit

Target Size is designed for situations such as forms, portals, applications, and other upload fields that specify a maximum file size. Preset targets are useful for common limits, while a custom value is helpful when the destination uses an unusual threshold.

Very aggressive targets can force a trade-off between file weight, image dimensions, and visual detail. When the requested size is extremely low, review the output carefully instead of assuming that reaching the number means the result is acceptable.

Batch work: keep the workflow consistent

When several images belong to the same project, use the same objective across the batch whenever possible. For a gallery, consistency in visual quality is usually more important than making every file identical in bytes. For forms or uploads with a hard limit, the size ceiling is the common constraint that should guide the batch.

Before downloading a large batch, inspect a few representative results first. Photos, screenshots, scans, and graphics can respond very differently to the same compression goal.

Common situations and what to watch

Situation	Main concern	What to check
Website image	Page weight vs. appearance	Edges, textures, and overall visual cleanliness
Application upload	Maximum file size	File size, accepted format, and readability
Document scan	Text legibility	Small characters, numbers, signatures, and stamps
Large photo batch	Consistency	A few sample outputs before processing the whole set

Questions people commonly ask

Open Image Compressor

Use this guide when the destination expects a different image format. Conversion is primarily about compatibility and file characteristics: transparency support, browser delivery, legacy software, favicon requirements, and the format accepted by the service you are sending the file to.

Choose the format from the destination backwards

The safest approach is to start with the platform or application you are preparing the file for. If it names a required format, follow that requirement first. When no format is specified, choose according to the image's purpose rather than simply picking the newest option.

Destination or task	Format to choose	Why it fits
General photo sharing or a portal with broad compatibility	JPG	Widely recognized and well suited to photographs without transparent backgrounds.
Transparent logo, overlay, or graphic	PNG or WebP	Both can retain transparency when the receiving system supports it.
Modern website asset	WebP or AVIF	Designed for modern image delivery and can reduce transfer weight compared with older choices.
Browser or software icon package	ICO	Use when the destination specifically expects an icon container.
Older application that explicitly requests a bitmap	BMP	Selected for compatibility with a legacy workflow rather than for compact web delivery.

What each conversion is best for

Use the destination requirement to choose the conversion direction. The source format only tells you what you have; the target format should reflect what you need next.

• JPG → PNG: useful when a PNG workflow is required for graphics or transparency handling. It cannot restore detail that was already lost in the JPG source.
• PNG → JPG: useful when a receiving system requires JPG and the image does not need transparency. Transparent areas need a chosen background.
• JPG/PNG → WebP: useful for modern web delivery when WebP is accepted.
• JPG/PNG → AVIF: useful for modern web delivery when AVIF is accepted by the destination.
• Image → ICO: useful when the destination specifically needs a favicon or icon file. SAFIX creates a single 64 × 64 icon with the original proportions kept, so a square source works best, and transparent areas stay transparent unless you tick Add solid white background.

Transparency: decide before you convert

PNG and other transparency-capable formats can contain areas with no visible background. JPG and BMP do not preserve transparency, so a transparent source needs a deliberate background choice before conversion. A solid white background is useful when the destination expects a conventional photo-like image.

This is especially relevant for logos, signatures, graphics, and screenshots that were originally designed with transparent edges. Check the result against a plain background before downloading it for use elsewhere.

Think about where the converted file will be used

For websites, the practical trade-off is usually visual quality versus transfer weight. For office or portal workflows, compatibility may matter more than a few extra kilobytes. For favicons and application assets, the required file type can be the deciding factor.

Do not assume that the format with the smallest theoretical file size is always the best destination format. Compatibility is part of the requirement.

Batch conversion: one destination at a time

Batch processing works best when all selected files share the same destination format. For a mixed-format project, plan the batches by destination so each group can be reviewed consistently before download.

When the source images differ greatly, check representative outputs from each group. A logo, photograph, screenshot, and scan can have very different results after the same conversion.

Quick troubleshooting guide

• Transparent area looks wrong: verify whether the destination format supports transparency and choose a background when it does not.
• The WebP or AVIF button is greyed out: your browser cannot create that format locally, and SAFIX disables the button rather than producing a wrongly labeled file. Use another supported format or try a newer browser.
• File is still too large: conversion alone does not guarantee a smaller file; use the compressor when size reduction is the actual requirement.
• Different formats are needed: process separate batches for each destination format.

Questions people commonly ask

Open Image Converter

Use this guide when an image has the wrong dimensions for the place it is going. Resizing changes the width and height of an image in pixels. It is a different job from compressing (making the file lighter) and from converting (changing the file format), although the three often work together. The SAFIX Image Resizer lets you type exact dimensions or scale an image proportionally, decide what should happen when the new shape differs from the original, and export the result in a format that suits the destination.

Resize, compress or convert: which one do you need?

Many upload problems come from using the wrong kind of change. Start by naming what the destination is actually complaining about.

What the destination says	What has to change	Tool to use
"Image must be 1080 × 1080" or "image is too wide for the layout"	Pixel dimensions (width × height)	Image Resizer
"File must be under 200 KB"	File size in KB or MB	Image Compressor
"Only JPG files are accepted"	File format	Image Converter
A very large photo that must be both smaller in size and under a limit	Dimensions first, then file size	Resizer, then Compressor

Understand pixels, dimensions and aspect ratio

A digital image is a grid of pixels. A photo that is 4000 × 3000 contains 12 million of them. The aspect ratio is the relationship between width and height; 4000 × 3000 is a 4:3 image. If you change only one side and let the other follow the same ratio, the picture keeps its natural shape. Resizing that photo to a width of 1200 pixels gives a height of 900 pixels, because 1200 × 3000 ÷ 4000 = 900.

Trouble starts when the target has a different ratio from the original, for example turning a 4:3 photo into a 1080 × 1080 square. Something has to give: the image can be distorted, cropped, or surrounded by empty space. The Fit, Fill and Stretch options described below exist to let you choose which of those trade-offs you want.

You can enter sizes in pixels, inches, centimeters or millimeters. For physical units the tool converts them into pixels using the DPI you choose (300 is a common choice for printing) and saves that DPI value inside JPG and PNG files. The image itself is still defined by its pixel dimensions.

Step by step: resizing an image with SAFIX

1. Add your image or images. Tap the upload box, drag files onto it, or import from Google Drive or Dropbox. JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, BMP, SVG and ICO files are accepted, up to 50 MB each.
2. Look at the starting size. The Width and Height boxes are filled with the original dimensions, so you can see what you are working from.
3. Choose a method and enter the size. Under By Size, type a width or height in pixels, inches, centimeters or millimeters; while Lock Aspect Ratio is on, the other box updates automatically. Under As Percentage, drag the slider. Under Social Media, pick a platform and a preset type.
4. Or use a quick preset. Open More options and tap a Quick Preset if you need a common social or web shape.
5. Choose how to save it. Original keeps each image in its own format, or pick JPG, WEBP, PNG, AVIF, BMP or ICO. For JPG, WEBP and AVIF a quality slider appears, and you can also set a Target File Size in KB or MB.
6. Decide how a different shape is handled. In More options, choose Fit, Fill or Stretch if your new width and height do not match the original ratio.
7. Check the preview. The before/after slider and the stats box (original and new dimensions, original and resized file size) update after you change a setting.
8. Resize and download. Press Resize Image. The same button then becomes Download Image, or Download All for a batch, which delivers a ZIP file.

Lock Aspect Ratio and As Percentage

Lock Aspect Ratio is switched on by default. With it on, typing in either box recalculates the other from the original image's proportions, so the picture cannot end up squashed or stretched by accident. Switch it off when you need a deliberate custom shape, such as an exact square, and then use Fit or Fill to control what happens to the picture inside it.

The As Percentage tab is the quickest way to resize proportionally. Drag the slider to make each image a chosen percentage of its own original size; the line above it shows the result, for example "1200 × 900 px". The slider runs from 1% to 200%, and Prevent Upscaling does not limit it, so you can enlarge an image here without changing any other setting.

Fit, Fill or Stretch: what happens when the shape changes

Mode	What it does	Best for	What to watch
Fit	Keeps the whole image visible, scaled to sit inside the requested size. Any leftover space becomes padding.	Product photos, logos, anything that must not be cropped	Padding is transparent in PNG and WebP, and solid white in JPG, AVIF, BMP and ICO.
Fill	Scales the image to cover the whole requested size and crops the excess evenly from the edges.	Profile pictures, thumbnails, banners	Edges are cut off, so keep the subject near the center of the picture.
Stretch	Forces the image into the exact width and height with no cropping and no padding.	Abstract backgrounds or textures where distortion does not matter	Faces, circles and text will look distorted.

If the new size has the same ratio as the original, all three modes produce the same picture. The choice only matters when the shapes differ.

Prevent Upscaling: why it is on by default

Making an image larger cannot add detail that the original never contained. Enlarging mostly produces a softer, blurrier picture at a bigger size. With Prevent Upscaling on, the output width and height never exceed those of the original image.

This limit applies to the By Size tab and is checked on each side separately. If you ask for a size that is larger than the original on one side, that side is held at the original value. The As Percentage and Social Media tabs are not limited by it. When you genuinely need a larger result, for example because a layout demands a minimum width, drag As Percentage above 100%, or untick the setting in More options to enlarge in By Size. Expect some softness, and treat enlargement as a last resort rather than a quality improvement.

Quick presets and when to use them

Preset	Shape	Typical use
1920 × 1080	16:9 landscape	Presentations, video thumbnails, widescreen banners
1080 × 1080	1:1 square	Square social posts, marketplace listings, avatars
1080 × 1350	4:5 portrait	Portrait feed posts
1080 × 1920	9:16 vertical	Story and short-video cover images
1200 × 630	About 1.9:1 landscape	Link preview and sharing images
800 × 800	1:1 square	Product thumbnails, small profile images, web graphics

The Social Media tab does the same for specific platforms: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, WhatsApp and TikTok. Choose a platform and a preset type and the width and height are filled in. Social presets always produce the exact size, so Prevent Upscaling does not limit them. Turn on Background Fill to keep the whole image and fill the empty space with a colour you choose, instead of cropping it.

Platforms change their recommended sizes from time to time, so check the current requirement of the service you are uploading to. A preset fills in both Width and Height at once, which means you should also pick Fit or Fill if your original has a different ratio. With Prevent Upscaling on, a Quick Preset can never make a small image larger than it already is.

After resizing: choose the right format and quality

The output format decides how the resized pixels are stored. For photographs, JPG is the broadly compatible choice and WebP or AVIF can give smaller files where the destination supports them. PNG suits screenshots, logos and graphics with sharp edges; because PNG is lossless, the quality slider does not change its size. BMP and ICO are for specific cases only, such as legacy software or icon files. The ICO export contains a single image at the size you chose.

Original is the default and keeps each image in its own format (SVG and ICO sources become PNG). To stay under a size limit, enter a Target File Size in KB or MB: for JPG, WebP and AVIF the tool lowers the quality just enough to fit, and it tells you when the limit cannot be reached at your dimensions. PNG, BMP and ICO output ignore this setting.

Where the source had transparency, JPG, AVIF, BMP and ICO outputs receive a solid white background, while PNG and WebP keep transparent areas. If you need help deciding between formats, the Image Converter guide compares them in detail. If the resized file is still above a size limit, continue with the Image Compressor guide.

Common situations and what to check

Situation	Suggested approach	What to check
Website or blog image	Resize to about the width the layout actually displays, then export WebP or JPG	Sharpness at display size and the resulting file weight
Social media post	Use the preset closest to the platform's current guidance; Fill for edge-to-edge, Fit to keep everything	Faces and text are not cut off
Profile picture	Square target with Fill	Subject is centered after cropping
Form or portal photo	Type the exact pixel size the portal states, with Lock Aspect Ratio off, and use Fit or Fill	Format and file-size limits are also met; set a Target File Size or use the compressor
Email or messaging	A moderate width is usually enough for screen viewing	Whether the recipient needs the full-resolution original
Favicon or small icon	Square target and the ICO format	The design still reads clearly at small size
Product listing	Square canvas with Fit, exported as JPG for a white border	The whole product remains visible

Batch resizing: one set of rules for many images

You can add several images and resize them in one pass. Every image receives the same width, height, resize mode and output format. In As Percentage mode each image is scaled by the same percentage of its own size, and with Original selected each image keeps its own format. Lock Aspect Ratio uses the proportions of the first image when it calculates the second box, and the preview and size estimate also reflect the first image.

When the images in a batch have different shapes, choose between Fit and Fill on purpose. Fit keeps every picture complete and adds padding where needed. Fill produces uniformly shaped results by cropping. The finished files download together as a ZIP, and if two files would end up with the same name, a number is added so that nothing is overwritten. Inspect a few results before sharing a large batch.

Checking the result before you download

Use the before/after slider to compare the original with the resized version. Look closely at edges, fine text, faces and thin lines, because these are the first places where detail is lost when pixels are reduced. The stats box shows the original and new dimensions along with the original and resized file sizes, so you can confirm that the dimensions match the destination's rule before you download.

Privacy: where your images go

Resizing is performed in your browser on your own device. The image you select is not uploaded to SAFIX in order to be resized. If you choose to import from Google Drive or Dropbox, the file is fetched from that service, and its own privacy and storage terms apply to that step.

Quick troubleshooting guide

• The result is smaller than the size I typed: Prevent Upscaling held the output at the original size. Untick it in More options if you really need a larger image.
• The other box keeps changing while I type: Lock Aspect Ratio is on. Untick it to enter width and height independently.
• Parts of the picture are missing: Fill crops the edges. Switch to Fit to keep the whole image.
• The picture looks squashed or stretched: Stretch is selected, or the shape was forced without Fit or Fill. Change the mode or turn the lock back on.
• Bars or empty borders appear: That is Fit padding. Use Fill if you want the target completely covered.
• A format such as AVIF cannot be selected: The browser may not support encoding it locally. Choose another supported format.
• An SVG will not load: The SVG needs a defined width and height. Add them to the file and try again.
• "Target not reached" appears under Target File Size: even the lowest quality is larger than your limit at these dimensions. Use smaller dimensions, a larger limit, or the compressor.
• The file is still too heavy: Dimensions alone may not reach a size limit. Set a Target File Size or run the result through the compressor.

Questions people commonly ask

Open Image Resizer