Beamr have officially announced the release of JPEGmini Pro 3 which has a few exciting new features. JPEGmini Pro 3 is the third official release which brings better support for JPEG compression, support for HEIC (e.g. iPhone) images, a user interface update and more.

JPEGmini Pro 3 changes the interface to a more minimalistic style which is designed to help users intuitively get through the process of shrinking their images. It also includes a batch resize mechanism where users can save their own presets, and also includes built in presets for Facebook and Instagram which dynamically update based on changes in the platform.

JPEGmini Pro 3 also brings support for HEIC files, where (on average) conversions from HEIC to JPEGmini lead to files which are 10% – 15% smaller than the initial HEIC files but are perceptually identical and retain all the metadata.

One of the most significant changes is to the licencing model. Like many other photography software providers, Beamr are moving to a subscribe for updates model. Under this model you can purchase the software and keep it forever however, in order to update there will be a yearly fee for updates. Whilst many are not a fan of this model (myself included) it is hard to argue that the original pay once for lifetime updates is sustainable. Having the licencing updates model will help Beamr remain sustainable, and hopefully push them to create new features, ideas and worthwhile updates.

Pricing for the JPEGmini Pro 3 app, or suite is available here. FWIW I have been a long fan of JPEGmini and use it to compress almost all of my JPEG files as part of my workflow, whilst I do not like the subscribe for updates model, I have purchased the latest version of JPEGmini Pro 3.