BibTeX vs RIS vs CSL-JSON: which citation format to use in 2026
Three formats, each dominant in a different ecosystem. The honest comparison and the migration paths between them.
4 min read
The twineconvert Blog
Practical guides on file formats, conversion workflows, and the weird quirks of every tool we ship. Written from real use cases, not search-engine bait.
Turning a scanned PDF into searchable text with OCR
Most scanned PDFs are images of pages. Real text extraction needs OCR. Here is how the process works and where it fails.
5 min read
GPX vs KML for hiking and GPS routes: which one to use
Garmin wants GPX. Google Earth wants KML. Here is the practical breakdown for hikers, cyclists, and anyone planning routes.
4 min read
What is a GEDCOM file? (Genealogy data, Ancestry, FamilySearch)
The format every family-history program reads and writes, dating to 1985. How it works, the common pitfalls, and how to extract individuals into a spreadsheet.
4 min read
What is JSONL? (NDJSON, line-delimited JSON, and why every data pipeline uses it)
JSONL is JSON with one record per line. Here is why streaming pipelines, BigQuery, OpenAI fine-tuning, and LangChain all converged on it.
4 min read
How to stop your iPhone from saving photos as HEIC
The exact two taps in Settings, what changes after the switch, and the storage cost you should expect.
4 min read
Combining JPG photos into a single PDF (receipts, scans, expense reports)
How to take a stack of phone photos and end up with one PDF you can email to accounting in under 30 seconds.
4 min read
How to compress a PDF for email (without losing readability)
Most PDFs are too big because of unoptimized images. Here is the four-step compression that cuts file size by 80-90% without making text unreadable.
4 min read
What is YAML? (For people who keep seeing .yml files in their projects)
YAML is the config language behind Docker, Kubernetes, GitHub Actions, and a thousand other devops tools. Here is the structure, the gotchas, and when to pick TOML or JSON instead.
3 min read
SRT vs WebVTT subtitles: which to use, and the one-character difference that matters
Same data, different syntax, different use cases. The one-second guide and the gotchas that bite when you convert between them.
4 min read
Converting Word DOCX to PDF: when the formatting breaks and why
The four conversion paths (Word, Mac Pages, LibreOffice, browser), the fonts that always cause trouble, and how to fix a PDF that looks different from the Word doc.
4 min read
HL7 v2 messages for non-developers (reading an ADT message)
If you work in healthcare IT or data analysis and you keep seeing pipe-delimited messages you can not decode, here is the structure in plain English.
4 min read
HEIC vs JPG: which should you actually use?
An honest comparison: file size, quality, compatibility, editability. When HEIC wins, when JPG wins, and the conversion strategies that actually work for both.
3 min read
How to convert PDF pages to JPG images without losing quality
Three ways to extract images from a PDF: page-by-page, batch, or just the embedded pictures. Plus the DPI choice that actually matters.
3 min read
What is a KML file? (Google Earth, hiking routes, geographic data)
KML is Google Earth's native format for maps and geographic data. Here is what it can hold, how it compares to GPX and GeoJSON, and when each one is the right call.
3 min read
How to open HEIC files on Windows 11 (and why double-click fails)
Windows 11 needs two Microsoft Store extensions to natively view HEIC files. Here is how to install them, what happens if you do not, and what to do if Microsoft's HEVC extension price is the dealbreaker.
3 min read
Why your CSV looks broken in Excel (and how to fix it without re-exporting)
Commas in fields, leading zeros stripped from IDs, dates auto-formatted, encoding garbage. The four most common Excel CSV failures and the import path that fixes all of them.
3 min read
Importing BibTeX into Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote
Each reference manager has its own import quirks. Here is the exact menu path, the encoding gotcha, and the one field that gets lost in each.
3 min read
What is a HEIC file, and why does my iPhone make them?
iPhones save photos as HEIC instead of JPG. Here is what HEIC actually is, when Apple started using it, why Windows refuses to open them, and the three options you have for working with them.
4 min read
How to extract MP3 audio from any MP4 video
Three reasons people pull the audio out of a video, what changes about the file when you do, and how to get a clean MP3 in your browser without uploading anything.
5 min read
Converting BibTeX to CSV for thesis writers (Zotero, Mendeley, Excel)
Why a researcher might want their LaTeX bibliography as a spreadsheet, the column layout that survives the conversion, and how to handle the quirks of multi-author entries, accented names, and DOIs.
5 min read