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diff --git a/_posts/2021-10-15-batch-webp-conversion.md b/_posts/2021-10-15-batch-webp-conversion.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..63c73c3 --- /dev/null +++ b/_posts/2021-10-15-batch-webp-conversion.md @@ -0,0 +1,83 @@ +--- +layout: post +title: "Batch Converting Images to webp with macOS Automator" +date: 2021-10-15 +--- + + +A great deal of my time working as a web/UI designer is spent exporting and/or converting images for software products and websites. Although a lot of modern applications can render image conversions at build time, a custom conversion is sometimes requested for an image to be set as `webp`. + +You *could* download one of the many native apps from the Mac App Store to do this for you - but why not create your own script and run it with a simple right-click directly inside Finder? **Let's do just that!** + +## Basic requirements + +**Important!**: As of this time of writing, the official `libwebp` package release is *libwebp-1.2.1-mac-10.15*. If this has been updated since then, change the command below to match that of the proper release version. + +1) First you will need to download the `libwebp` package to your Downloads folder: [developers.google.com/speed/webp/download](https://developers.google.com/speed/webp/download) + - *Look for the "Download for macOS link"* + +2) Next we will need to copy the `cwebp` folder to our `/usr/local/bin` directory: + - Open macOS Terminal + - Run `sudo cp /Downloads/libwebp-1.2.1-mac-10.15/bin/cwebp /usr/local/bin` + - *Note:* if the `/usr/local/bin` directory doesn't exist, simply create it by running: `sudo cd /usr/local && mkdir bin` + +## Creating our custom Automator script + +1) Open the macOS Automator from the Applications folder + +2) Select `Quick Option` from the first prompt + +3) Set "Workflow receives current" to `image files` + +4) Set the label "in" to `Finder` + +5) From the left pane, select "Library > Utilities" + +6) From the presented choices in the next pane, drag and drop `Run Shell Script` into the far right pane + +7) Set the area "Pass input" to `as arguments` + +8) Enter the following code below as your script and type `⌘-S` to save (name it something like "Convert to webp") + + + for f in "$@" + do + /usr/local/bin/cwebp -q 85 "$f" -o "${f%.*}.webp" + done + + +For visual reference, it should look something like this: + +<figure> +<img src="/public/images/automator.png" alt="macOS Automator"> +<figcaption>(<a href="/public/images/automator.webp">link to hi-res image</a>)</figcaption> +</figure> + +And when right-clicking an image file in the Finder window, it should now give you the option to convert: + +<figure> +<img src="/public/images/automator-2.png" alt="Right click to convert"> +<figcaption>(<a href="/public/images/automator-2.webp">link to hi-res image</a>)</figcaption> +</figure> + +## Making edits to your script + +If you ever have the need to edit this script (for example, changing the default `85` quality parameter), you will need to navigate to your `~/Library/Services` folder and open your custom webp Quick Action in the Automator application. + +Simple as that! + +## Possible Hiccups + +I was contacted by the very helpful [Kev Quirk](https://kevq.uk) about a minor problem he encountered while following this tutorial. When trying to run `cwebp` he received the following error message: + + + cwebp cannot be opened because it's from an unverified developer + + +Doing the next steps seemed to have fixed this issue for him: + +1. Click on the "Open in Finder" in the error message prompt +2. Double-click on the `cwebp` utility to open in Terminal +3. You'll then be prompted with a pop-up asking if you wish to execute + +After following these steps, the issue should be resolved. |