Can anyone recommend me a batch conversion software, please?

Here's what I'm looking for. I have a set of images, and I want to do two operations with it:
1. Rename all files
2. Resize all images

So far, I've been using Infranview, but it takes me less time to do it by hand than to use that software. In addition to a really counter-intuitive interface, it does not rename a series of pictures properly. For example, if I have images 1.gif through 20.gif and want to create a duplicate with different names (01.gif through 020.gif), the numbers don't match. I have yet to figure out what's wrong, but I pretty much ended up creating copies and renaming them by hand.

I don't need anything extra to the two functions I mentioned, so all I look for is something very simple.

Many thanks.

Shame you need to mess around with the size of 'em, batch re-naming files is a piece of piss on its own.

I dont know of anything that can help, I would suggest finding a porn site that names its images other than 1.gif through 20.gif

Actually, this involves the screenshots on my own site; I'm beyond the phase when I downloaded porn images

You can try file->automate under photoshop. Also mess with actions, you'll easily configure the app to convert all the files at once. As for renaming I'm using this http://www.albert.nu/common.asp?sub=programs/default.asp?sub=renamer/main.htm

Many thanks for the Renamer link! I've been using Renamer 1.0, which can only rename everything into lower case. I used it because everything that I save under WinXP shows up with all upper case in Win98. Another reason why I hate WinXP...

The best solution: Write a PHP script which does all of this yourself

Yeah, but in that case I have to use that dreaded .png format

Irfanview works fine for me for renaming, also for format converting (I don't really trust any automated resizing tool, I prefer to do that by hand to get the best results on both the actual resizing, and on the resulting filesize). Just tell irfanview to rename the files as "##.jpg" and it will name them from 01.jpg through 99.jpg (or as many pics as you have). Use ### for 3 digit numbers (001.jpg-999.jpg), use "screenshot##.jpg" to have them named screenshot01.jpg-screenshot99.jpg, and use a single "$" to include the old filename ($##.jpg turns picture.jpg to picture01.jpg).

A resized file doesn't have a _size_ before it's optimized and saved. I don't trust automated exporting either, if you want more control on what you export, check fireworks or photoshop's "save for web" option. It's possible to automate the process up to this point and then export manually (at least with ps). Irfanview is an old and unintuitive utility, why use it when there are better, professional tools? I certainly don't trust Ýrfan's or ACDSee's optimization, adobe and macromedia worked on fireworks' and photoshop's gif/jpg/png exporters like crazy. Irfan is for porn! :p

Burseg- The idea is that the program optimizes and saves as part of the entire resizing process.

As for why to use irfanview et al, 2 reasons: 1) freeware, not shitload-of-moneyware like adobe and macromedia products 2) less bloat. The more professional products are too all-purpose, irfanview and such (xnview also has batch conversion, but I've never tried it) is sleeker and more effecient.

But Photoshop is freeware too!

Edited by Burseg at 00:29 on August, 23rd 2003

You can use .jpg as well. I don't know what you'd need any other image format than those two for (other than animations, but I doubt we're talking about those). If you compile your copy of PHP with the respective module, you can even use the decrepated .gif format...

The reason I'm using .gif is that it's got a much better compression rate than .jpg with the images I work with - screenshots of old games that are often in 16 colors with large single-color areas. While .png may work just as fine, the recent problems with some people viewing .png images have just reinforced my lack of comfort with that format.

.jpg is shit for screenshots. The 'recent problems' with .png were - as you know - caused by some people using buggy software. Ok, so you don't want to lock those out, I understand. As you will have read in the same thread, nobody ever had any problems viewing my avatars which are all .png. As long as you stay away from alpha channels, even users of the worst browser ever (also known as "Microsoft Internet Explorer") can see the images fine. The benefit is a much smaller file size than with .gif and of course the endless debate about free vs. non-free formats...

As far as I know GIF is now free in the US as of July 2003, and will become free in the rest of the world later in the year. Unless someone reupped which I don't know about.

Both Tuss and MC are correct here.
1) Unisys recently gave up the fight to make money off of old gifs and let them fall into the realm of freeware. However, it's not an entirely worldwide thing. So far, it's only taken effect in the US. There are some other countries in the list where it will take effect soon, plus I think there were several countries not on the list who therefore might never get freeware gifs. However, I can find no mention of the current state of IBM's LZW patent, so it's possible that gifs still aren't truly free. Here's some more info: http://www.kyz.uklinux.net/giflzw.php
2) The problems some people have in viewing pngs is due to the alpha channel, avoid using that and you'll be fine. Photoshop is crap for pngs, it only creates bloated files that are larger than equivalent gifs. The best prog I've found so far for pngs is Paintshop Pro. With a decent program, any image with 256 colors or less and dimensions of about 50x50 or more will be a noticeably smaller file as a png than as a gif. Make sure to use palette based or indexed pngs and not true color ones, most of the times people see a png that is larger than a similar gif it's because it's a true color png. Some programs give you an option on the save or export dialogs to choose indexed, greyscale, or true color. If your program doesn't give you such options, just reduce the colors to 256 or less before savingand it'll automatically be saved as a palette-based png.

Edited by Cypherswipe at 00:18 on August, 25th 2003

The best program to export png files is macromedia fireworks. I can't believe how so many of you are using those awful tools! Psp? a toy!

PSP suits all my editing needs very well.

Some other progs to try:
resize & convert
http://www.webattack.com/get/imcat.shtml
http://www.webattack.com/get/mirnet.shtml
http://www.webattack.com/get/imageresizer.shtml

resize only
http://www.webattack.com/get/picsizer.shtml

convert only
http://www.webattack.com/get/pic2pic.shtml

Have you used all programs? No? How can you claim that one is the best then?

png is macromedia fireworks's NATIVE format. It can contain layer data for fireworks, it's just what .psd is for photoshop. Don't get me wrong but you coder types are quite lost when speaking of graphic programs. If you question my authority (hehe I sound like cartman) as a graphic designer, check my website and criticise it.