Quick image resizer

[Binky]

Can anyone recommend a simple and quick freeware batch photo resizer for Windows? Something that'll make photos a snap to optimize for emailing?

[Wassercrats]

Irfanview (http://www.irfanview.com/).Click on the File menu, select Batch Conversion/Rename. A dialog allows you to select a directory from which the files will be taken. Use Look in, File name, and Files of type to limit the search.

Select the output directory at bottom right. If you don't have the full path for this directory, click the Browse button to find it. When you have selected a directory with Browse, find a directory and click the OK button.

You can set the current directory as output directory if you press the Use this directory as output button.

If you want to include all images from sub-directories, check the Include subdirectories option.


Batch Conversion:
Select the Output Format at bottom left. This works just like Save and Save As. The Options button lets you choose various operations to perform, also just like their Save and Save As versions.

Use the Advanced Options button to apply many special operations to the images during conversion. These options are much like their versions on the Image menu. The options are:

Crop, Resize, Change color depth, Horizontal flip, Vertical flip, Rotate left,
Rotate right, Convert to greyscale, Negative, Sharpen, Gamma
Correction, Contrast, Brightness and Color Balance.


Batch Rename:
You can rename original/input files or you can copy/move original files to output directory and rename the files in the output directory. For renaming, you can generate a name pattern for new names and the starting index for numbers. Please be very carefully when you use rename and first test your options with dummy files; batch rename is very powerful!

Hint: if you want e.g. 3 digits in the new rename name, you must also write 3x "#" in the pattern!
Example: pattern image_###, with start index 1, will produce file names "image_001", "image_002" etc.


Check those you want to use, then click OK. To exit without making any selections, click Cancel.

Select the files you want to convert by clicking their names. For a large range of files: click the first name, move the mouse to the last file in the group, hold down the Shift key, and click. To choose individual files, hold down the Ctrl key and click each name.

Click the Add button to add the (selected) files that will be converted. Click the Add all button to select every image in the directory with the extension choosen in Files of type. Remove and Remove all take chosen files back out.


Click the Start button to begin. A box shows the progress of the conversion. If you need to halt, click the Stop button. When the process is done, click Exit to close the dialog.


File conversion may also be performed from outside IrfanView, using a Command Line Option.

When you are finished converting files, click Cancel to exit. Another way of exiting is to click the X in the upper right corner.

[Randall]

I second that recommendation. :winky:

It helps that IrfanView is also a good and fast image viewer. I'm still trying to find a Mac viewer of its equal, particularly when it comes to Photoshop PSD files.

IrfanView on my six-year-old Dell can open a 30MB PSD in less than two seconds, or about four over the network.

JView, the viewer I'm using on my G4 Mini, takes four seconds to open the file locally, and seven over the network. That's excruciating when you're browsing through a whole folder of PSDs. :blah:

Randall

[Binky]

I'm familiar with Irfanview from my Windows days. It's probably one of the greatest freeware programs of all time. (It's still free, isn't it?) But I'm asking on behalf of my daughter who refuses to spend even ten minutes figuring anything out on the computer. She does Word and a bit of email. Now she has a digital camera and wants to resize them for emailing purposes.

Macs have a few programs do this and nothing but this (PhotoExpress I think is one - though not free) and I'm hoping something similar exsists for the PC.

[Melissa]

I haven't tried it, but maybe PicSizer (http://www.axiomx.com/picsizer.htm)?

[Wassercrats]

Another untried one is Picture Resizer (http://www.rw-designer.com/picture-resize), but I'd just download Irfanview and put tape over all of the extra buttons and simplify the instructions. Tear off a bit of tape every year to expose an extra button and say it's for her birthday.

[Wassercrats]

I just read here (http://www.rw-designer.com/forum/images/6): "Well, I can promise, there will be a new version before the end of April."

[Jeff]

In windows explorer, I have two options that I thought were default XP options that fit the bill:
1.) right click -> resize where you can select preset sizes e.g. 640x480 and resize one or dozens of images with a single click
2.) right click -> send to -> mail recipient where it then presents you with the option to resize before putting it in the email client.

[Randall]

1.) right click -> resize where you can select preset sizes e.g. 640x480 and resize one or dozens of images with a single click I didn't know you could do that to more than one image at a time. :yeah:

If there was a custom size option I'd use it more often, but the 640x480 preset is good enough for email purposes. I'm familiar with Irfanview from my Windows days. It's probably one of the greatest freeware programs of all time. (It's still free, isn't it?) Yup, still free. :smile:

Randall

[frankc]

If there was a custom size option I'd use it more often, but the 640x480 preset is good enough for email purposes.At work (XP/Pro) if I right-click on a larger-size image and select Send to/Mail recipient, it asks me if I want to make the image smaller for sending by email. At home with XP/Home, no such option. :dunno:

MS' Picture Resizer powertoy lets you resize singly or in bulk from Explorer and renames the resized version. Very nicely done.

[Randall]

At work (XP/Pro) if I right-click on a larger-size image and select Send to/Mail recipient, it asks me if I want to make the image smaller for sending by email. At home with XP/Home, no such option. :dunno: It should be available in XP Home -- I'm the only one around here with Pro, and I've shown other people how to do the email thing. Maybe it's a registry setting gone awry.

Randall