This tutorial will show you how to take a batch of images and rename them, convert them to a different size and/or change their file type.

Why would you want to do this? Well, imagine for example, that you want to create a slide show and the images that you want to include in your slide show are in several different file formats and are of different sizes. You would want to make them uniform and this is where batch conversion can achieve this for you with one command.

Irfanview, a wonderful, “must have”, free program, can do the job for you. If you haven’t already got this program installed on your computer, simply download a copy from the Club Intranet at any Club meeting or download it from http://www.irfanview.com/. Be sure to get the plugins as well to get the most out of this terrific program

Open Irfanview and click on the File Menu and select Batch Conversion/Rename...

Now you can select the images you want. You can select them from as many different locations on your computer as you need and add them to the list. Then you can arrange them in the order you require by using the “Move Up” or “Move Down” buttons. You will see a preview of each selected image if you tick the preview option at the bottom left of the dialog box.

Once you have selected all of the images you require for your slide show you will want to select an output folder for your converted images. You should create a new folder for this purpose and then use the “Browse” button to locate it.

Then click on the radio button next to the function you wish to perform…

Batch Conversion

Select the Output Format at bottom left. This works just like Save and Save As. The Options button lets you choose from the various file format specific save options, just like the Save and Save As dialog.

Use the Set 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, Auto adjust colors, Horizontal flip, Vertical flip, Rotate left, Rotate right, Convert to greyscale, Negative, Sharpen, Brightness, Contrast, Gamma correction, Saturation, Color balance, etc.

Hint: for Batch Resize: If you set both, width and height, to e.g. 640 and activate the preserve aspect ratio option, the result image dimensions are: width = max. 640, height = max. 640, proportional.

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 can be very powerful = dangerous! Using bad name pattern, combined with options like Move/Rename original/input files and/or Overwrite existing files, you can, under special circumstances, remove all input/original files! Please do not use these options, until you REALLY know what you are doing.

Hint: If you want 3 digits in the new renamed names, you must write 3 x “#” in the pattern! Example: Batch rename settings: Name Pattern: image_### with start index 1 will produce file names “image_001″, “image_002″, etc.

Click on Name Pattern options to open a dialog for further options for the renaming process.

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

Batch Conversion + Rename

This option combines Batch Conversion with Batch Rename.

Additional useful features, such as adding a coloured canvas behind the image and a text overlay are also available and can be found under Output Format/Advanced button.

All that is left to do now is click “Start”. Very quickly you will find your newly resized and renamed and saved images in your new folder ready to create your slide show.