Help, Browser Limits & FAQ

1. Browser Hardware Limits: 16,384px & 40MP

Because Image Studio operates entirely inside your client browser, processing capacity is governed by web standards and operating system memory constraints rather than arbitrary subscription tiers:

• Maximum Dimension per Edge: 16,384 pixels. Most modern browser graphics engines (Blink, Gecko, WebKit) enforce a hard limit of 16,384×16,384 pixels on HTML5 <canvas> allocations. Images exceeding this dimension cannot be safely rendered without crashing the tab.
• Total Megapixel Budget: 40 Megapixels (40,000,000 pixels). In-memory raw RGBA image buffers require 4 bytes of RAM per pixel. A 40MP image consumes 160 MB of RAM for the initial buffer alone, plus resampling buffers and compressed byte arrays.
• Safety Guardrail: If you attempt to load an image that violates either the 16,384px edge limit or the 40MP threshold, Image Studio safely rejects the file with a clear diagnostic notice, protecting your active browser session from out-of-memory termination.

2. Format Support: Browser vs. CLI (Why AVIF is CLI Only)

We are transparent about what standard browser APIs can and cannot do:

Why AVIF Export is Restricted to the CLI

While modern web browsers can display AVIF images on static web pages, standard browser APIs do not provide a performant, reliable in-canvas AVIF encoder (invoking canvas.toBlob(cb, 'image/avif') is unsupported or throws in major browsers), and pre-decode dimension checks are optimized for JPEG, PNG, and WebP.

To avoid unreliable polyfills that freeze the user interface for several seconds per image, AVIF processing is supported exclusively via our local command-line tool, which runs native Sharp (libvips) with compiled AV1 encoders:

node cli.js input.png -f avif -q 80 -o output.avif

3. Memory Management & Sequential Batch Processing

When processing batches of up to 20 images:

• Sequential Processing: Images are optimized one after another rather than simultaneously in parallel. This keeps peak RAM usage predictable and prevents mobile devices or budget laptops from running out of memory.
• Immediate Resource Reclamation: As soon as a file is encoded and added to the download queue, its internal Canvas memory buffer and object URL are explicitly released.
• Cancel Anytime: Clicking "Cancel Batch" immediately stops processing before the next file begins. Any files that completed successfully remain available for download.

4. Complete Offline Usage

Once you have visited Image Studio in your browser, the necessary JavaScript bundles and stylesheets are stored in your browser's HTTP cache. You can:

1. Disconnect your Wi-Fi or enable Airplane Mode.
2. Reload the Image Studio workstation.
3. Drag, optimize, resize, inspect, and export images with full functionality.

5. Publishing Readiness Score Explained

The readiness indicator evaluates five technical publishing criteria, each worth 20 points (0% to 100%):

• Verified Output (20%): The image was successfully encoded and verified for valid container dimensions and format.
• Descriptive Filename (20%): The filename is clean, lowercase, hyphenated, and avoids camera default names (like IMG_ or DSC_).
• Alt Choice (20%): Concise, contextual alt text is provided, or the asset is explicitly marked as decorative.
• File Size Checked (20%): The output size has been measured and meets the target byte budget (if one was specified).
• Publishing Code Ready (20%): An absolute production image URL is provided, allowing HTML and JSON-LD code generation.

Note: This score is a technical checklist audit of your asset preparation. It is NOT a Google search ranking guarantee.

6. Troubleshooting Common Issues

Why is my exported WebP larger than the original PNG or JPEG?

If an input PNG already uses an optimized indexed palette (such as 16 or 32 colors), converting it to a 24-bit lossy WebP or JPEG can sometimes increase byte size. Similarly, embedding detailed XMP licensing metadata adds a small amount of byte overhead. Always review the measured savings before replacing your production asset.

Why did my transparent background turn white when exported to JPEG?

The JPEG specification does not support alpha channel transparency. When Image Studio exports transparent PNG or WebP images to JPEG, transparent pixels are automatically composited onto a clean white background. If you need transparency, choose WebP or PNG as your output format.