Image Smith for Mac

When using photos taken from a digital camera, people sometimes find that the file size can make displaying and sending images problematic. Image Smith for Mac allows users to easily compress these photos for use on the Web or elsewhere.

Available as a free trial version, Image Smith for Mac has a 15-day usage limit. Unlocking the full version requires a payment of $15.95. The program's native installer worked well and the program was up and running quickly after we accepted a lengthy user agreement. Support is available and regular updates have come out to fix any bugs. No instructions were readily apparent, which would have been a good addition since the program's interface would be confusing for early Mac users. Images for conversion load into the program quickly. Users may alter the file size using a slider and can change other properties such as color and brightness, among others. A preview option, which is easy to locate in the menu, allows the user to see the effect the changes have on the image. Conversion of a single photo took place quickly. The ability to convert photographs in batches was a welcome addition to the program, especially for those with heavy conversion needs. Since this is not a full photo editor, complex changes cannot be made to images.

For users who need to alter the size of photo files for other uses, Image Smith for Mac is a simple, but effective option.

Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of Image Smith for Mac 1.2.9.

• New Feature: Can now preview images in the main window instead of separately.
• New Feature: File list now shown in main window with mini image previews.
• New Feature: Can now zoom in and out of preview or view at actual size.
• New Feature: GIFs and animated GIFs can now be cropped, rotated, and scaled without losing transparency and animation.
• New Feature: Rename files dynamically when processing with some useful variables.
• New Feature: Use web safe file names.
• New Feature: Add sharpness effect.
• New Feature: New icon!
• New Feature: Clicking the Dock icon when the main window is closed will now open it.
• New Feature: Add blur effect.
• New Feature: Scale by maximum pixels, percent and pixels.
• New Feature: Crop by percentage.
• New Feature: Threadedly loads files from drag and drop.
• New Feature: Can now drop files and folders onto the Dock icon.
• New Feature: Presets menu item to easily switch between different presets.
• New Feature: Crop by co-ordinates relative to left,right,top,bottom instead of top,left,width and height.
• New Feature: Now retains meta data for TIFF, JPEG and PNG.
• New Feature: Now retains colour profile data for TIFF, JPEG and PNG.
• Bug Fix: QuickTime image export works again.
• Bug Fix: Sepia now uses proper official sepia value.
• Bug Fix: Countless other small bug fixes.