Converting Multiple Images to a Different File Type

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moorej1717
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Converting Multiple Images to a Different File Type

Post by moorej1717 »

My company uses multiple authoring tools (probably like many of you). For that reason, we've standardized our Style Guide so all images in all projects should use the PNG image file type. I'm working in a legacy documentation project in Flare that has thousands of images of various file types (including JPG, GIF, and BMP). Is there a way to convert all images of a single file type in Flare to PNG in such a way that Flare will still recognize the newly converted image in any topics in which that image file is referenced? You would save what's left of my sanity... Thanks!
SteveS
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Re: Converting Multiple Images to a Different File Type

Post by SteveS »

Have you considered using the batch conversion feature of a program like Snagit to convert your .jpg/ .jpeg images to .png and then using find and replace in Flare to change the file extensions?

I'd try it on a small test project first...
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Steve
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NorthEast
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Re: Converting Multiple Images to a Different File Type

Post by NorthEast »

I think it's a good plan to use PNG going forwards when you create new images like screenshots or diagrams, but I wouldn't recommend diving in and converting all your existing images - at least not without considering the implications.
PNG is a great format for screenshots with areas of flat colour, as it preserves image quality and isn't a lossy format like JPG (which creates fuzzier images). But JPG is great for photos, whereas PNG (lossless) isn't so good because it'll result in large image sizes.

BMP - > PNG : Most BMP images can be safely converted to PNG (lossless), and you'll see a reduced file size. There's not many reasons to use BMP nowadays, except for special circumstances.

JPG - > PNG : It's probably not worth converting JPG to PNG. JPG is a compressed lossy format, so you will have lost some image quality when it was originally saved as a JPG. Converting JPG to PNG will result in a larger file size, but with no difference in image quality. If you have the original BMP file (before it was saved to JPG), then it's better to convert the BMP to PNG, as BMP is lossless.

GIF -> PNG : I would be extremely careful about converting GIF, and look at the images individually. Typically, GIF is only ever used these days because it (a) supports animation (multiple frames), or (b) supports transparency. Whilst PNG does support transparency (make sure this is preserved in the conversion), it does not support animation.
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