Portable Network Graphics (PNG) is a widely used raster graphics file format that supports lossless data compression. It is commonly used for web images, digital photographs, and graphics with transparent backgrounds. For macOS users, working with PNG files is a common task, whether for web development, graphic design, or personal projects. This article will guide you through various methods to handle PNG files on macOS, including viewing, editing, and converting them using built-in tools and third-party applications.

Examples:

1. Viewing PNG Files:

   • Preview App: macOS comes with a built-in app called Preview that allows you to open and view PNG files.

     open -a Preview example.png

   • Quick Look: You can also use Quick Look to preview PNG files without opening an application. Simply select the file in Finder and press the spacebar.

2. Editing PNG Files:

   • Preview App: You can make basic edits to PNG files using the Preview app.
     • Open the PNG file in Preview.
     • Use the markup tools to annotate, crop, or adjust the image.
     • Save the changes by selecting File > Save or File > Export for different formats.
   • Third-Party Applications: For more advanced editing, consider using applications like Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, or Affinity Photo.

3. Converting PNG Files:

   • Using Preview:
     • Open the PNG file in Preview.
     • Go to File > Export.
     • Choose the desired format (e.g., JPEG, TIFF) and click Save.
   • Using Terminal with sips:
     • The sips (scriptable image processing system) command can be used to convert PNG files.

       sips -s format jpeg example.png --out example.jpg

   • Using ImageMagick:
     • ImageMagick is a powerful image manipulation tool that can be installed via Homebrew.

       brew install imagemagick
       convert example.png example.jpg

4. Batch Processing PNG Files:

   • Using Automator:
     • Open Automator and create a new workflow.
     • Add actions such as "Get Specified Finder Items" and "Change Type of Images".
     • Save the workflow as an application or service to process multiple files at once.