Save Images as GIF and Other Image Formats Again in Preview for OS X
Preview is a great basic image editing app bundled with Mac OS X, but recent versions from OS X Lion onward have simplified the available image Export Format options down to JPEG, JPEG 2000, OpenEXR, PDF, PNG, and TIFF. Or at least that’s what you see on first glance, but it turns out you can still access all the traditional image format options from the Save, Save As, and Export screens just by holding down the Option key when clicking on the Format menu.
Holding the Option key when selecting Format reveals all possible image formats, including: JPEG, JPEG 2000, OpenEXR, PDF, PNG, TIFF, GIF, ICNS, BMP, Microsoft Icon, Photoshop PSD, SGI, and TGA.
You can use this to convert existing images to different formats, or to save the file as a less common format to begin with.
If you’re at all confused, watch the video below for a quick demonstration:
This works in OS X Lion and OS X Mountain Lion onward. Preview is a surprisingly powerful app, don’t miss some other great tips on things you can do with it.
Great little trick from MacWorld
Is there a way to set OSX to display these options by default (without holding down the option key)? I’m thinking there are other “optional” features hidden away in the menus, but you can’t use them if you don’t know about them. Would be a great daily tip.
Why do I get the feeling Apple are dumbing down everything in OS X…