Image preparation method
How exact-KB image compression works
Understand image byte limits, encoding tradeoffs, and how to verify a local image result before an upload.
Read guide →First-party practical guides
Aftermath Guides
Learn to compress images, prepare PDFs, check metadata, and export media locally. Follow worked examples, compare measurements, and open the matching tool.
12 practical guides
Image preparation
Pixels, orientation, composition, colour, print planning, layouts, and icon outputs.
Image measurement method
Why image pixels and DPI are different
Learn how image dimensions, PPI/DPI metadata, print size, and resampling affect what an image can actually contain.
Read guide →Image geometry decisions
Crop, fit, padding, and focal points: choose the least destructive image change
Choose an intentional image fit method, protect the subject, and understand what crop, padding, stretch, and scale-down actually change.
Read guide →Image encoding decisions
JPG, PNG or WebP: which format should you use?
Choose JPG for photos, PNG for sharp edges or transparency, and WebP when accepted. Compare real examples and check the actual file format.
Read guide →Image preparation
Image orientation, canvas direction, and EXIF: a safe preparation order
Why a phone image can look upright while its stored pixels are sideways, and how to preserve the intended direction in a new upload copy.
Read guide →Image composition
Aspect ratio and canvas planning before you resize an image
Plan crop, fit, padding, and focal-point choices from a destination ratio instead of trying to repair a distorted output afterward.
Read guide →Image colour review
Colour profiles, palette checks, and safer image exports
Learn why a reported colour, a profile tag, and the way an image appears on a screen are related but not interchangeable facts.
Read guide →Print planning
Print size, density, and physical output: what the math can tell you
Use pixels and an intended physical size to plan an image for print without mistaking a DPI label for newly created detail.
Read guide →Image layout
Image grids, stitching, and splitting: preserve the geometry you mean
Arrange several images into a new local canvas while checking seams, order, scaling, and the dimensions of the result.
Read guide →Icon preparation
Favicon and app-icon packs: start with one honest master image
Build a local icon pack from a suitable master asset, then inspect the generated variants instead of assuming every platform slot has identical rules.
Read guide →Screenshot workflow
Screenshot stitching and evidence review: show the sequence without overstating it
Create a stitched screenshot or comparison sheet while preserving order, context, and a clear boundary between a visual aid and original evidence.
Read guide →Image measurement
Measuring from a photo with a reference object: estimate honestly
Use a same-depth reference object to estimate a distance in an image while understanding the perspective and calibration limits of the calculation.
Read guide →3 practical guides
Privacy and file inspection
Metadata, QR and barcode payloads, SVG review, and other file-boundary checks.
Image privacy method
What EXIF and GPS removal does—and does not—remove
Understand image metadata, GPS tags, local re-encoding, and the visible information that metadata cleanup cannot hide.
Read guide →Scanner safety method
QR and barcode safety: decode a file without trusting its payload
Use a local scanner as a review tool, understand decoded QR payloads, and avoid treating a successful scan as proof that a link or code is safe.
Read guide →SVG safety boundary
Safe SVG inspection: why a preview should be bounded and sanitised
Inspect SVG files with a clear boundary around active content, external references, complexity, and export differences.
Read guide →9 practical guides
PDF workflows
Page geometry, safe document boundaries, review, and reproducible hand-offs.
PDF safety boundary
Why Aftermath rejects signed, encrypted, and interactive PDFs
Understand why a local PDF tool should reject complex documents rather than produce an unreliable copy.
Read guide →PDF privacy boundary
PDF metadata cleanup is not redaction
Understand what common PDF metadata cleanup can remove, what visible or embedded content may remain, and why redaction needs a different workflow.
Read guide →PDF workflow method
Merge, split, and reorder PDFs without losing track of the source
Use a deliberate local PDF workflow for order, page ranges, separate outputs, and review rather than treating a combined file as self-validating.
Read guide →Document composition method
Images to PDF: page geometry, order, and what a page canvas changes
Build an images-to-PDF workflow that makes source order, paper size, cropping, padding, and output review explicit.
Read guide →PDF inspection
PDF page boxes, rotation, and paper size: read the document before changing it
Understand MediaBox, CropBox, page rotation, and mixed paper sizes before attempting to normalize or repurpose a PDF.
Read guide →PDF conversion decision
Normalize PDF page size without surprising crops or scale changes
Choose pad, crop, or canvas-only handling intentionally when a PDF has mixed page dimensions or a recipient asks for a named paper size.
Read guide →PDF review method
Blank PDF page detection needs a human review before removal
Use a blank-page signal to find likely candidates, then inspect them for faint scans, hidden content, form fields, or intentional separators.
Read guide →PDF safety boundary
PDF overlays, annotations, and redaction: three very different actions
Know when adding a visible layer is useful, why it is not equivalent to editing source content, and why visual covering is not reliable redaction.
Read guide →PDF delivery method
PDF output review and reproducible hand-offs
Hand off a derived PDF with enough context to review its page order, geometry, limitations, and relationship to the original source.
Read guide →11 practical guides
Audio and video
Browser-supported media work, codecs, delivery copies, and output verification.
Local media method
How browser-local media processing works
Learn what browser-local video and audio processing can do, why codecs vary, and how to review an output safely.
Read guide →Audio output method
Audio loudness and file size: a practical local workflow
Understand gain, peak protection, average loudness, MP3 bitrate, WAV size, and why listening remains part of audio verification.
Read guide →Audio cleanup limits
Silence shortening and background-noise cleanup: what automated audio tools can change
Use local silence and noise tools with realistic expectations about thresholds, speech pauses, steady noise, artefacts, and review.
Read guide →Video compression method
Video compression: choose a quality target, then verify the result
Make practical video-compression decisions by separating quality targets, duration, dimensions, codecs, bytes, playback, and destination rules.
Read guide →Video framing method
Video crop, fit, and blurred backgrounds: preserve the right frame
Choose an intentional video frame treatment and verify that the preview, output dimensions, subject, text, and duration still match the intended use.
Read guide →Media diagnostics
Media codecs, containers, and browser support: diagnose before conversion
Why an MP4 or MOV filename does not reveal every stream inside it, and how browser support changes which local workflow is possible.
Read guide →Media editing
Trim audio or video without changing the question the media answers
Choose start and end points deliberately, then verify duration, transitions, and context before sharing a new media excerpt.
Read guide →Media extraction
Extract audio from video and verify what the new file contains
Prepare a separate audio copy from a local video while checking duration, channels, content, and the limits of browser-supported extraction.
Read guide →Audio format choice
MP3 versus WAV: decide for the listening and delivery path
Choose a practical audio output format based on file size, editing needs, playback compatibility, and the actual listening task.
Read guide →Browser capture boundary
Screen recording: sound, permissions and saving
Record a browser tab, check microphone and tab audio, fix common permission problems, and save a recording you can reopen, trim, or compress.
Read guide →Media verification
Media result receipts: compare a new output without calling it certified
Use a clear local receipt to compare source and output facts for audio or video while keeping editorial quality and third-party approval separate.
Read guide →6 practical guides
Browser and device tools
Local text utilities, permissions, recording, timing, and data-format boundaries.
Browser measurement method
Browser device tests: permissions, measurements, and results that are not certifications
Use camera, microphone, screen, typing, click, and reaction tools with realistic expectations about browser permissions, device variance, and measurement limits.
Read guide →Browser text tools
Markdown, HTML, and active-content boundaries in a browser tool
Format readable text safely while understanding the difference between a textual preview and running scripts, embedded content, or external network requests.
Read guide →Browser data review
JSON formatting, validation, and data integrity
Use a local JSON formatter to find syntax mistakes and make structure readable without confusing valid JSON with correct business data.
Read guide →Browser data boundary
Base64 encoding is not encryption or safe storage
Understand what Base64 changes, why the output looks opaque, and why it should not be used to protect a secret or disguise sensitive content.
Read guide →Browser measurement method
Timing tests, background tabs, and comparable browser results
Read stopwatch, reaction, typing, CPS, and timer results as local measurements with conditions—not as certifications or universal rankings.
Read guide →Browser capture boundary
Voice recording, local capture, and microphone permission scope
Understand how a browser receives microphone permission, what a local recording can contain, and why a downloaded audio file needs review before sharing.
Read guide →9 practical guides
Upload readiness
Technical preflight, store assets, local receipts, warnings, and final-review limits.
Validation boundary
Why an image upload gets rejected
Check image format, pixels, exact bytes, and transparency when an upload fails. Learn which settings to change and what a local check can confirm.
Read guide →Batch workflow design
Batch image resizing: a simple checklist
Resize several photos, check each result, and download a ZIP. Learn when to crop, keep the full image, or set a file-size limit.
Read guide →Destination asset integrity
Store asset preflight: technical image checks versus authentic product evidence
Prepare app-store and platform assets responsibly by distinguishing pixels and file rules from authentic device captures, rights, and final editorial review.
Read guide →Upload readiness
Document photos and signatures: technical preflight without false approval claims
Prepare a document photo or signature image for a form while separating local checks from identity, authenticity, and final-review decisions.
Read guide →Publishing readiness
Social image safe areas and readable text: plan for crops you do not control
Prepare social images for a specific canvas while protecting essential text and subjects from previews, masks, and platform-managed crops.
Read guide →Application readiness
Application photo and signature upload preflight: local checks versus final review
Create a calm, repeatable checklist for technical image requirements while leaving identity, document, and final application judgments with the receiving organization.
Read guide →Store asset review
App-store screenshots: source integrity, localization, and manual review
Prepare a technical screenshot set while keeping source authority, localization, rights, accuracy, and final store review distinct from machine-checkable pixels.
Read guide →Local workflow record
Local file workflow evidence without uploading a source file
Use local result facts, named copies, and concise receipts to explain a file workflow without implying cloud storage, submission, or final external acceptance.
Read guide →Result interpretation
File won’t open? What to check
Check the actual file format, size limits, PDF restrictions, and browser support when a file will not open. Find the next useful step for each problem.
Read guide →These guides explain the local workflows and their limits. They do not replace destination rules, professional advice, or the official documentation for third-party tools.