PixelSlim ⚡

Ultra-lightweight, blazing-fast native batch image optimizer and format converter for macOS.

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📑 Table of Contents

• Overview
• Privacy & Security
• Key Features
• Supported Formats
• Performance & Benchmark
• Installation
• Usage & Workflow
• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Developer Guide
• Architecture
• Contributing
• Feedback & Bug Reports
• License
• Author & Credits

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🚀 Overview

PixelSlim is a high-performance desktop image optimizer built with a native Rust (Tauri v2) backend and a zero-dependency web frontend. It replaces heavy multi-hundred megabyte Electron-based utilities with a razor-sharp lightweight Universal standalone DMG that runs natively with minimal system resources.

Drop single images, multiple files, entire folder hierarchies, or paste screenshots directly from your clipboard to instantly compress and convert to WebP, PNG, JPEG, or SVG without losing visual fidelity.

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🔒 Privacy & Security

• 100% Local & Offline: All compression and conversion algorithms execute strictly on your device using native Rust binaries.
• Zero Telemetry: No tracking, analytics, or background data collection.
• Zero Cloud Uploads: Your private photos, confidential designs, and screenshots never touch the internet.

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✨ Key Features

🚀 Pure Rust Image Processing Engines

• PNG Quantization: 8-bit adaptive palette quantization (imagequant / pngquant engine) with Floyd-Steinberg dithering + multi-threaded oxipng DEFLATE optimization (50% to 75% file size reduction).
• WebP Encoding: Native Google WebP encoder with lossy quality tuning and 100% lossless compression mode.
• JPEG Optimization: High-speed JPEG encoding with customizable quality scale.
• SVG Minification: Clean XML minification, stripping unnecessary metadata, comments, and whitespace.

🎯 Smart Calibration & Constraints

• Smart Preset: Balanced 82% sweet-spot calibration for optimal web delivery and crisp visuals.
• Target Size Limiter: Specify an exact maximum size constraint in KB or MB with automated binary-search calibration.
• Max Dimension Resizing: High-fidelity Lanczos3 downscaling (1920px, 2560px, 1280px, 800px) with aspect-ratio preservation.

📋 Seamless Workflow Integrations

• Clipboard Instant Paste: Press Cmd + V anywhere to grab an image from your macOS clipboard and queue it immediately.
• Batch & Recursive Folder Discovery: Drop full directory trees; PixelSlim automatically discovers and processes all nested images.
• Non-Destructive Output: Output files next to original (with custom suffix like -min) or route directly to a dedicated destination folder.
• Quick Actions: One-click Reveal in Finder and Copy Image to Clipboard.

🎨 Native macOS Experience

• Universal Architecture: One single installer runs natively on both Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) and Intel Macs.
• 3-Way Theme Switcher: Automatic system appearance following, light mode, and dark mode.
• Custom Native Titlebar: Smooth macOS window dragging, traffic light controls, and responsive UI scaling.
• Auto-Update Checker: Built-in update verification querying GitHub Releases directly with one-click .dmg downloads.

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🔄 Supported Formats

Input Format	Output Format Options	Optimization Highlights
PNG (.png)	WebP, PNG, JPEG, SVG	8-bit adaptive palette quantization, oxipng multi-thread
JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg)	WebP, JPEG, PNG, SVG	Chrominance sub-sampling & entropy coding
WebP (.webp)	WebP, PNG, JPEG, SVG	Lossy and 100% lossless conversion
SVG (.svg)	SVG (Minified)	Whitespace, comment, and metadata pruning
GIF (.gif)	WebP, PNG, JPEG	Frame optimization & static format conversion
AVIF (.avif)	WebP, PNG, JPEG	High-density conversion

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📊 Performance & Benchmark

Metric	Traditional Electron Apps	PixelSlim (Rust + Tauri v2)	Advantage
Installer Size (DMG)	~120 MB – 180 MB	Compact Universal DMG	Significantly smaller
Installed App Size	~350 MB – 500 MB	Minimal Disk Footprint	Zero bloat
Memory Footprint (RAM)	~250 MB – 450 MB	Minimal (~40 MB)	~85% less RAM
Cold Startup Time	~1.5s – 3.0s	< 250ms	Near Instant
Architecture Support	Separate DMGs or 250MB+ bundle	Single Universal Fat Binary	Native M1/M2/M3/M4 & Intel

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📥 Installation

Download from GitHub Releases

1. Download the latest PixelSlim_1.0.0_universal.dmg from Releases.
2. Double-click the .dmg file.
3. Drag PixelSlim into your Applications folder.
4. Open PixelSlim from Launchpad or Spotlight.

Tip

macOS Gatekeeper Notice: Because PixelSlim is distributed directly as an independent open-source project via GitHub, on the very first launch macOS may show an unverified developer prompt. Simply right-click (or Control-click) PixelSlim.app, select Open, and click Open in the dialog.

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💡 Usage & Workflow

1. Choose Target Format: Select from Original, WebP, PNG, JPEG, or SVG in the top format bar.
2. Select Compression Mode:
   • Smart: Automatically balances size vs quality (recommended).
   • Target Size: Enter target KB or MB limit for strict file constraints.
   • Manual: Adjust custom quality slider (10% to 100%), lossless mode, and dimension caps.
3. Queue Images:
   • Drag and drop files or folders into the window.
   • Or press Cmd + O to open the native file dialog.
   • Or press Cmd + V to paste directly from your clipboard.
4. Process & Save: Click Compress Images to run batch processing at native Rust speed.

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⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Cmd + V	Paste image / screenshot from clipboard into staging queue
Cmd + O	Open native file chooser dialog
Cmd + Shift + O	Open native directory chooser dialog
Cmd + R	Reveal the latest processed file in macOS Finder
Cmd + K	Clear the completed queue
Cmd + ,	Open Preferences modal
Esc	Close Preferences modal

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🛠️ Developer Guide

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+)
• Rust Toolchain (2021 edition)
• macOS Xcode Command Line Tools:

  xcode-select --install

Development Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/zeospec/PixelSlim.git
cd PixelSlim

# Install frontend dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode with live reload
npm run dev

Production Build

Universal Release (Intel + Apple Silicon):

npm run build:universal

Build artifacts will be located in:

• DMG Installer: src-tauri/target/universal-apple-darwin/release/bundle/dmg/PixelSlim_1.0.0_universal.dmg
• Application Bundle: src-tauri/target/universal-apple-darwin/release/bundle/macos/PixelSlim.app

Architecture-Specific Release:

npm run build

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🏗️ Architecture

PixelSlim/
├── assets/                  # High-resolution brand assets & icon sets
│   ├── logo.png             # Application logo
│   ├── logo-original.png    # Master source logo
│   ├── icon.icns            # macOS multi-resolution icon bundle
│   └── icon.png             # Standalone 512x512 icon
├── src/                     # Frontend UI Layer (Vanilla JS & CSS)
│   ├── index.html           # Structure, modals, and settings
│   ├── js/
│   │   ├── app.js           # UI logic, state management, updater
│   │   └── tauri-bridge.js  # IPC bridge between WebKit and Rust
│   └── styles/
│       └── app.css          # Design system, themes & animations
└── src-tauri/               # Native Rust Backend Layer
    ├── Cargo.toml           # Rust dependencies & optimization profiles
    ├── tauri.conf.json      # Tauri application & window configuration
    └── src/
        ├── lib.rs           # IPC commands & OS integrations
        ├── main.rs          # Application entry point
        └── processor.rs     # Image processing engines (imagequant, oxipng, webp)

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions make the open-source community an inspiring place to learn, create, and build. Any contributions you make are greatly appreciated!

1. Fork the Project
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your Changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Please ensure code compiles cleanly (cargo check --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml and npm run dev) before opening a PR.

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🐛 Feedback & Bug Reports

Found a bug or have a feature idea?

• Open an issue on the GitHub Issues tracker.
• Check existing issues before opening duplicate requests.

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📄 License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for full details.

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👨‍💻 Author & Credits

Crafted with ⚡ by ZeoSpec and the AI Agents (ft. Gemini).

• Website: https://zeospec.com/
• GitHub: @zeospec
• Repository: https://github.com/zeospec/PixelSlim

_{If you find PixelSlim useful, please consider giving it a ⭐️ on GitHub!}