Our Approach

Last updated: May 2026

This page describes the principles behind iloveimg.online. Headline: privacy by deletion timer (because we can't run conversions client-side and pretend otherwise), format fidelity (correct output for the formats we support), honest scope (we say what we don't do), accountable for errors (corrected openly).

The four principles

1. Privacy by deletion timer

Most "online tool" sites promise privacy by saying their tool is client-side. That's the right answer when it's true. For an image converter that supports HEIC, RAW, PSD, EPS, and a few dozen formats that need server-side decoding libraries, it's not true: the conversion needs to happen on a server, period.

So we take the second-best approach honestly:

  • Files travel via HTTPS. Encrypted in transit; intermediaries can't read them.
  • Files are processed in memory where possible. Where temporary files are written (large RAW or TIFF inputs that don't fit in memory), they're written to scratch directories and removed immediately after the conversion.
  • Output files are stored briefly so you can download them — this is the only way to deliver a converted file in a web flow.
  • Output files are deleted within one hour. Sooner if you download and the download completes. We use a server-side cron job that runs every few minutes and removes anything past the retention window.
  • Nothing is logged with personally-identifying data. Server access logs include the URL of the conversion endpoint and your IP (standard for any web request), but the content of the file you uploaded is not in any log.
  • No human review. No moderation team looking at uploads. No "AI safety review" of image content. We don't open files for any purpose.

Worth being explicit about the limits of this: any online converter is in your trust circle while your file is on the server. That trust circle includes us as the operator, our hosting provider (the underlying physical server), and Cloudflare (which fronts our HTTPS). For genuinely sensitive images — passports, financial documents, medical scans — convert locally with ImageMagick or GIMP instead. We say this on the converter page too. We say it because it's true, not because we're trying to push you away.

2. Format fidelity — correct output

A converter that produces broken output is worse than useless. Our discipline:

  • We use established libraries — ImageMagick, libvips, libheif, libavif, libraw — not custom-coded format decoders. These libraries are battle-tested in production at organisations from Wikipedia to commercial CDNs.
  • We preserve metadata where it should be preserved (EXIF, ICC colour profiles for photo formats) and strip it where stripping is the safer default (geolocation EXIF when converting from camera-RAW to web-friendly JPEG, unless you opt to keep it).
  • We don't downsample by default. Output dimensions match input dimensions unless you choose otherwise.
  • We don't add watermarks. Ever.
  • We test conversion pairs. When a new format is added, we verify round-trip and visual fidelity against reference outputs from ImageMagick command-line.
  • We pin library versions and test before updating to newer versions.

3. Honest scope — we say what we don't do

The honest scope of iloveimg.online is conversion. We don't:

  • Edit images in the layered/destructive sense (no Photoshop replacement).
  • Apply colour grading beyond colour-profile-correct conversion.
  • Run AI-based "enhance / upscale" tools. Those exist elsewhere; if you want them, look at Topaz, Adobe's tools, or specialised AI upscaler sites. We're not in that business.
  • Generate images from text. That's a completely different category of tool.
  • Process video. Conversion of animated formats (GIF, APNG) is supported; full video editing is not.
  • Provide an API for commercial-scale automation. The Site is a free public utility, not a SaaS API.

If your need is one of the above, we point you at a tool that does it well rather than half-build one ourselves.

4. Accountable for errors

The conversion catalogue will hit edge-case bugs — specific input combinations that produce output we wouldn't be happy with. Our response:

  • Reader bug reports are read, replicated where possible, and fixed.
  • Severity tiers defined on Corrections Policy with response standards.
  • Visible advisories for issues that affected users meaningfully.
  • DMCA takedowns honoured within 3 business days of valid notice (DMCA).

What we deliberately do not do

  • We don't keep your images. One-hour deletion, period. Not "indefinite cloud storage" or "share via link forever".
  • We don't ask you to register. Conversion works without an account.
  • We don't deploy aggressive monetization. Standard AdSense display only. No popunders, no interstitials, no fake-button native disguise.
  • We don't sell user data. No data broker pipeline. No behavioural ad-targeting scheme that requires identifying users.
  • We don't engage with gambling, adult, scam-product, or malware-adjacent advertising. AdSense category exclusions reflect this.
  • We don't spam. We have no email-marketing list. We don't follow up after you've used the converter.

Comparing us honestly to alternatives

  • iLoveIMG.com — well-known platform with apps, larger team, more polish. Different operator. See Brand Identity.
  • TinyPNG / Squoosh — better for in-browser PNG / JPEG / WebP optimisation. Squoosh is genuinely client-side. Use them when their format coverage is enough.
  • CloudConvert / Convertio — commercial competitors with paid tiers, broader format support, API access. Better fit for power users with budget.
  • ImageMagick / GIMP — local conversion, perfect for sensitive files, requires installation.
  • Adobe Express / Canva — design-first tools that include some conversion. Different audience.

We exist for the use case where: you have an unusual format (HEIC, RAW, EPS), you don't want to install software, you don't want to pay, you don't want to register, and a one-hour-deletion server-side flow is acceptable.

Editorial transparency commitments

Related pages: About Us · Data Handling · Format Catalog · Responsible Use · Brand Identity

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