A small set of image tools, built the way we wanted to use them

Why in-browser processing

Browsers have been able to read, decode, redraw and re-encode images locally since the File and Canvas APIs landed over a decade ago. Despite that, most online image tools still upload your file, process it on rented hardware, hold it for some undisclosed period and send a link back. That design adds latency, adds cost, and asks you to trust a privacy policy you did not write.

Every tool here does the work on your own machine instead. The practical differences are immediate: previews update while you drag a slider, there is no queue at peak times, there is no file-size ceiling imposed by an upload limit, and there is no copy of your photo anywhere but your own disk.

What we optimise for

Correctness first. A resizer that aliases fine texture, a compressor that hides the file size until after you download, or a metadata remover that quietly re-compresses your photograph are all technically functional and practically useless. Each tool here shows its numbers as you work and explains the trade-off it is making.

Honesty second. Enlarging cannot invent detail. JPEG cannot store transparency. Stripping EXIF does not make a photograph anonymous if your front door is in the frame. Those limits are written on the tool pages rather than buried, because a tool that overstates what it does wastes more of your time than one that does less.

How the site is built

Pixelsmith is a Next.js application written in TypeScript, styled with Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui. The image work uses only standard web platform features: the File API to read your selection, HTML5 Canvas to redraw and re-encode, and direct byte manipulation for the metadata tool, which rewrites the file container without decoding the pixels at all.

There is no analytics script tracking what you process, no account system, and no server-side image endpoint — because there is no server-side image handling to endpoint.

How this is funded

The tools are free and we intend to keep them that way. Running costs are low precisely because the heavy lifting happens on your device rather than on ours; the site may carry advertising to cover hosting. Ads, if present, are clearly separated from the tool interface and never interfere with processing your image. We do not sell, share or have access to the files you work with, because we never receive them.