The browser has quietly become a capable image editor

For most everyday image tasks you no longer need to install anything. Thanks to the Canvas and WebAssembly APIs, the browser can do the heavy lifting itself — and the best part: with the right tools the image never leaves your device. No upload, no account, no waiting.

What works well in the browser

  • Compress — JPG, PNG and WebP at your chosen quality, with a live size preview.
  • Convert — between JPG, PNG, WebP and more.
  • Resize and crop — to exact pixel dimensions and aspect ratios.
  • Rotate and flip.
  • Read and remove metadata — check and strip EXIF/GPS data.
  • Generate favicons and PWA icons — a whole icon set from one source.
  • Extract color palettes — the dominant colors of an image.
  • Add watermarks.

That covers the vast majority of what people actually mean by "editing an image" day to day. Explore them under Tools.

Why browser-local is often the better choice

  • Privacy: the image isn't uploaded, so it can't be intercepted, stored or leaked. Crucial for IDs, contracts and unpublished work.
  • Speed: no upload step — often the upload is slower than the actual processing.
  • No limits: because your device does the computing, there are no "20 images max" caps.
  • Works offline once loaded.

The honest limits

Browser editing isn't a full replacement for Photoshop or GIMP. What it doesn't do:

  • Deep retouching and compositing — healing, layers, masks, channels. That's a pixel-lab job for a desktop editor.
  • Some encodings — the browser's Canvas can output JPG, PNG and WebP, but not every exotic format (e.g. AVIF encoding is limited, HEIC decoding only in Safari).
  • Very large files — a 100-megapixel panorama can strain memory on an older phone.
  • Advanced color management — browsers work mostly in sRGB; print workflows with ICC profiles still need a desktop app.

The right tool for the job

Think of it as a two-tool setup: a desktop editor (or a free option like Photopea/GIMP) for creative work — retouching, layers, compositing — and browser tools for the everyday craft: compress, convert, resize, crop, favicons, metadata. For those tasks the browser is not the cheap alternative but the right tool — like reaching for a screwdriver instead of opening the whole workshop for one screw.