Living on the Web as I do, I often run into flashy “free downloads” and “free software” that tempt me as I travel along the internet highway. Occasionally I find something that’s not only free, no strings attached, no fine print or upgrade in 30 days, but is also extremely useful. Such is the case with IrfanView. Albeit awkward to spell and pronounce, it’s a very simple free tool that one can use for manipulating photos.
We frequently build Photo Galleries with web-based administration; these allow our clients to display their products and other interesting items on their websites. With a web-based admin, clients are able to add, edit or delete albums and photos on their own website. However, to upload photos into your Photo Gallery, they must be of a reasonable and managable size, and they must be .jpg files.
Have you ever tried to convert 50 photos in .gif or .bmp format into .jpg all at once? Have you ever had 35 high resolution photos you proudly snapped with your digital camera, only to find they are 12MB apiece and you can’t even email them politely to your family, much less upload them into a web application? Not much fun, is it?
Go to http://www.irfanview.com/ and download their nice, simple software for FREE! I am certain it very likely does a few dozen other things I have not explored yet, and perhaps their “for purchase” version is the best thing since pencils. However, I am content to use this free version at least once a week just to convert batches of photos to the proper size and format.
What awesome free software or tools have you found available on the Web?
1 Comment
Great resource Jana
Since we’re discussing free stuff and images, I may as well mention one of my favorite free things on the internet. Morgue file is a community of photographers that offer high quality downloads of their photos for anyone to use. Usually, the photographer requests to be emailed or maybe a credit when you use the image, but why not give credit where credit is due. http://morguefile.com/