Smally now decides how to save each file in a single step instead of trying several ways first. JPEG photos up to 40 megapixels, PNG pictures (transparent ones too), WebP, AVIF, PDF and video finish up to 10 times sooner. How much sooner depends on the file, and your own files will differ.
Use Smally in Spanish
When your Mac's language is Spanish, Smally's window, menus, messages and tooltips appear in Spanish, with the same wording as meetsmally.com/es. Any other language keeps Smally in English.
Get lighter copies of photographic PNGs
A PNG photo that cannot be shrunk by reducing its colours the usual way now gets one more try: Smally rounds its colours a little more and keeps that copy only if it is lighter and still looks the same. Pictures with transparency are never changed this way.
Smally 0.15.1 (build 34)
Install a waiting update with one click
When Smally has already found an update, the Update button installs it and reopens Smally, without a dialog asking first. If copies are waiting to be saved, Smally still shows its usual update dialog before it reopens.
Get lighter copies of more JPEG photos
Smally now tries one more way of saving each JPEG and keeps the lighter result, within the same quality limit. Some photos come out lighter than in 0.15.0 and none come out heavier. Your own photos will differ, and many will not change.
And a few smaller things
JPEG photos can take noticeably longer to compress, because Smally tries that extra way of saving them.
Smally 0.15.0 (build 33)
Make lighter copies of phone-size JPEG photos
Smally can now check JPEG photos up to about 14.6 megapixels, including typical 12-megapixel phone photos. It offers a lighter copy only when the full photo meets its quality rule; otherwise it keeps the original and explains why.
Keep JPEG copies within the quality limit
Every lossy JPEG candidate must pass the full-photo quality checks before Smally offers it. When one candidate fails, Smally can try another encoder without changing the quality limit.
Recognize damaged JPEGs at every size
A damaged JPEG is now reported as damaged, including large photos, so the row explains what went wrong instead of reporting an unfinished quality check.
Smally 0.14.0 (build 32)
Compare a video before you save it
Play the original and the lighter copy together, move the divider or put them side by side, and step through one frame at a time. Choose which soundtrack to hear.
Finish batches sooner
On Macs with enough memory and temporary space, Smally processes two images or small PDFs together. Videos and large PDFs keep their own turn.
See how your batch is getting along
The batch progress now follows the work as it happens. Videos count encoded frames, and PDFs count completed steps. Cancel stops active work and keeps every original safe.
And a few smaller things
The video preview shows the original and copy’s size, frame rate, picture size and sound details. If a file cannot be opened, it explains how to recover.
Smally 0.13.0 (build 31)
Shrink PDFs Smally used to turn away
PDFs with bookmarks, links, form fields or accessibility tags now get a lighter copy too, and Smally checks that everything else in the file is exactly as it was. Photos inside a PDF get lighter without looking different. On our public set of 79 PDFs, 46 now come out smaller instead of 9, and the total saving went from 0.24 % to 3.06 %. Your own files will differ.
Turn a video into a lighter copy for chat and social
Drop an MP4, MOV or M4V and get a lighter copy, up to 1080p, that plays almost anywhere. HDR videos are converted so the colours look right on any screen. The copy is made with x264, a separate program that ships inside Smally, and we offer its source code on our download site. Your original is never touched.
Update Smally in one click
When an update is ready, click the update button and Smally installs it and reopens, with a single progress bar that only moves forward. You will see it from the update after this one.
And a few smaller things
Signed, encrypted and archival PDFs are still left exactly as they are.
A video Smally cannot convert safely, such as slow motion or Dolby Vision, is turned away with the reason, and a copy is kept only when it is at least a tenth lighter.
Smally 0.12.0 (build 30)
Get one lighter copy, with nothing to choose
Every file now gets a single copy, made to look the same as the original. Drop your files, check the copy against the original and save. As WebP and As JPEG are still one click away.
Send lighter photos that still look the same
JPEG photos come out about a tenth lighter than in the last version, and Smally checks each one against the original before it offers it.
And a few smaller things
Scanned PDFs no longer get the stronger Smaller copy. A better way to shrink PDFs is on its way.
Smally 0.11.0 (build 26)
Drop a big pile and let it run
Big batches of scans or photos now finish: when Smally runs short of room, the next files wait their turn instead of failing, and the progress line tells you about how long is left.
Know what happened, in plain words
When a file can't be made lighter, Smally says why: your disk is full, it's an alias, the photo is damaged, or it ran out of time. Your original is always safe.
A livelier Pip
Pip perks up when you drag files over the window, reacts to how the whole batch went, peeks into What's New and takes a nap when Smally sits idle.
And a few smaller things
Files locked in Finder now compress like any other.
Temporary copies left behind by a crash are cleaned up the next time Smally opens.
For PNG photos, Smaller is always at least as light as Balanced.
With more than 10 files, Smaller waits until you open the preview, so big batches finish sooner.
Files Smally leaves untouched now say "Left as is".
Smally 0.10.0 (build 24)
Keep the glow in iPhone HDR photos
Lighter copies of HDR photos keep their bright highlights, As JPEG included, so they look the same on an iPhone or a recent Mac. An As JPEG copy of an HDR photo can come out noticeably larger than the original, and when a copy can't keep the glow, its line says so.
And a few smaller things
What's new shows once, right after an update, instead of also in the update alert.
The bottom of the window now says plainly that everything stays on your Mac.
Smally 0.9.0 (build 23)
Send iPhone photos to anyone
Choose As JPEG on a HEIC photo and you get a copy that opens on any computer, phone or website. It can come out larger than the original.
Save to any drive
Save now works on SD cards and drives shared with Windows, and Save All asks for a folder only once for the whole batch.
See what changed after an update
After Smally updates, it shows what's new in plain words. You can open it again any time from Help.
And a few smaller things
When a copy would save almost nothing, Smally keeps your original and says it's already small.
The summary tells you how many copies are ready to save, and how many files were left as they are.
More PDFs go through, including many made by Chrome and Illustrator.
A damaged HEIC photo is turned away instead of coming out with gaps.
Smally now tells you when a HEIC copy was made by macOS instead of checked by Smally.
Feedback never includes the names of your files.
Smally 0.8.0 (build 22)
Your photos keep looking the same
Balanced now checks every WebP, AVIF and PNG photo so the lighter copy looks like the original. Some of those copies are a little larger than in 0.7.0.
Drag a copy straight into an email
Drag a finished file out of its row and drop it into Mail, a chat or a folder. Your original stays where it is.
Compress right from Finder
Select images or PDFs in Finder, right-click, and choose Compress with Smally under Services.
And a few smaller things
Scanned PDFs with many pages are accepted.
Very tall screenshots, like full-page captures, are accepted.
Smaller also checks each image, so the smallest copy still looks right.
When a file is skipped, Smally says why in plainer words.
You can use Smally with VoiceOver or with the keyboard alone.
If you leave Smally open, it still finds out about new versions.
Smally 0.7.0 (build 21)
Save next to the original, in one click
Save puts the smaller copy beside the original with -smally in its name, and never replaces a file. Save To… still lets you pick a folder.
Look closely before you keep a copy
In the preview, double-click a spot to see it at full size, and page through every page of a PDF.
Compress photos straight from your iPhone
Rotated photos and photos in wide color now go through instead of being turned away. The copy comes out upright, and very vivid colors can be slightly toned down.
And a few smaller things
Every file gets both sizes: Balanced first, then Smaller, so you can pick without asking.
Smaller now shrinks scanned PDFs much more.
Illustrator files offer Keep Illustrator editing, for when you still need to edit the copy.
Opening files with Smally from Finder, or dropping them on its Dock icon, adds them to the list.
The list shows how far along it is, and sums up how much space you saved.
The Feedback button sends us a note without leaving the app.
Smally 0.6.1 (build 20)
Try a smaller copy, or WebP, from the row
When a file could go further, its row offers Smaller or As WebP. Pick one and compare it in the preview before you save.
Share Illustrator PDFs without the hidden editing data
Balanced now makes a sharing copy that leaves out Illustrator's editing data, which is often most of the file. Your original keeps it.
Compress PNGs another tool already shrank
PNGs saved by TinyPNG and similar tools used to be turned away. Smally takes them now.
And a few smaller things
Big scanned PDFs no longer run out of time halfway through.
When an image is too large for a format, the message gives its size and the limit.
The window stays usable while Smally checks for updates.
Smally 0.6.1 (build 19)
And a few smaller things
About Smally shows Meet Smally's name instead of a developer label.
Your files come out exactly as they did in the previous build.
Smally 0.6.1 (build 18)
Close the window without quitting
Smally stays in the Dock with your list intact; click its icon to bring the window back. If something is still compressing or unsaved, closing asks first, like quitting.
And a few smaller things
If you ask for a HEIC photo as WebP or AVIF, Smally says plainly that it can't do that yet.
Smally 0.6.0 (build 17)
Turn a photo into WebP or AVIF for a much smaller file
Pick WebP or AVIF in the new Format menu. A photo saved as a PNG can lose most of its size. Nothing is converted unless you ask.
Know why a big image was turned away
The message gives the image's size in pixels and the limit for its format, so it no longer reads like a file-size limit.
Compress bigger iPhone photos
HEIC photos up to 120 megapixels are accepted. Other formats stay at 40.
Smally 0.5.3 (build 16)
Install an update in one step
Accepting an update installs it. Smally no longer asks a second time after the download.
Finish your list before updating
When a new version turns up while Smally is open, the window says so instead of interrupting, and restarting waits until your list is done.
Compare the original and the copy in one view
Preview shows both at full window size, with a divider you drag across them. It used to show two thumbnails too small to judge.
Smally 0.5.2 (build 15)
Keep more detail in WebP and AVIF copies
Balanced was losing more quality than Smally allows in both formats, and most copies now look right. They are larger than in 0.5.1: about 40% for WebP and 60% for AVIF.
Send AVIF copies that look like what you saw
AVIF copies are made from the image as browsers and other apps show it, not only as macOS shows it.
And a few smaller things
Smaller is unchanged, and so are JPEG and PNG copies.
Smally 0.5.1 (build 14)
Hear about new versions
Smally checks for updates when it opens. It still asks before installing.
And a few smaller things
Smaller explains that scanned PDFs keep their small text, so they shrink much less.
A copy that saves only a handful of bytes on a large file is no longer offered.
Smally 0.5.0 (build 13)
Get smaller JPEGs that look the same
Smally picks a quality for each photo instead of one for all, so JPEG copies are about 12% smaller than in 0.4.0.
Get smaller AVIF copies that all look right
AVIF copies are about 12% smaller than in 0.4.0, and every one of them meets Smally's quality bar.
Keep the small text in a scanned PDF readable
Smally refuses a copy that would blur a scan's small text, and says so. Scanned PDFs shrink much less than in 0.4.0 as a result.
And a few smaller things
Black-and-white JPEGs are judged the same way as color ones.
Quitting while files are compressing, or before copies are saved, asks first.
Smally 0.4.0 (build 11)
Open Smally without a security warning
Smally is signed and checked by Apple, so your Mac opens it like any other app.
Update from inside Smally
Check for Updates downloads the new version, installs it and reopens Smally.
Compress PDFs with layers
Supported PDFs with layers and document details now compress. Smaller can leave Illustrator's editing data out of a copy you share; your original keeps it.
And a few smaller things
Originals you can't change, like read-only files, now compress correctly.
Pip says hello, looks around while you wait, and reacts when your files are done.
Smally 0.4.0 (build 9)
Meet a livelier Pip
Pip is bigger, greets you, looks around, stretches and hops.
And a few smaller things
Pip rests 8 to 14 seconds between gestures.
Pip works along while your files compress, and hops twice when smaller copies are ready.
Smally 0.4.0 (build 7)
Install by dragging to Applications
Smally now downloads as a DMG: open it and drag Smally to Applications.
Smally 0.4.0 (build 6)
Make images and PDFs smaller on your Mac
Compress images and supported PDFs without uploading them anywhere. Your originals are never touched.
And a few smaller things
The first downloadable Alpha, packaged as a ZIP.
Looking for the download?
The version you can install today and its checksum are on the download page.
