How to Batch Convert Images to WebP on Mac

As WebP grows in recognition as a compressed image format for the online, many net staff have to convert batches of images to WebP format from their Mac. Bulk changing images like JPG and PNG to WebP just isn’t at present a local function, however with just a little tinkering on the Mac, you’ll be able to achieve performance to simply batch convert any images to WebP on the Mac.

This article is increasing on this publish about changing images to webp using the Mac command line. We’ll be using the identical webp toolkit from Google that’s put in by HomeBrew, so that you’ll need to set up HomeBrew first, then set up the webp instruments from Google by way of Homebrew so that you’ve cwebp accessible as a command line utility in your Mac. But you received’t want to make use of the command line past the preliminary set up, as a result of we’ll be using Automator to create a Finder Quick Action that performs the image compression and conversions to webp.

How to Batch Convert Images to WebP on Mac with a Quick Action

We’re going to create a Quick Action with Automator that makes use of the command line cwebp software to transform image recordsdata to webp format. The result’s you should have an contextual menu choice to ‘Convert to WebP’ within the Finder, that you need to use with any image file or assortment of image recordsdata on the Mac.

1. Install HomeBrew and cwebp if in case you have not accomplished so already (instructions to put in Homebrew are right here, and to put in cwebp are right here)
2. Open Automator on the Mac
3. Create a brand new “Quick Action”



4. At the highest of the Workflow, the place it says “Workflow receives current” select “image files”, and underneath “in” choose “Finder”



5. Next, have a look at the left aspect panel of Automator and select “Utilities” underneath Library, then drag and drop “Run Shell Script” to the best workflow panel
6. For ‘Run Shell Script’, search for ‘Pass input’ and choose “as arguments”
7. Now enter the next code snippet precisely*:

for FILE in "$@"
do
/choose/homebrew/bin/cwebp -q 85 "$FILE" -o "${FILE%.*}.webp"
accomplished
Your Quick Action workflow ought to now seem like this:


8. Save your Quick Action from File > Save, identify it one thing like “Convert to WebP” (no matter you identify the Quick Action is what’s going to seem within the Finder contextual menu)
9. Go to the Finder on the Mac, and find any image file or assortment of image recordsdata, right-click, and choose “Convert to WebP”

The transformed webp recordsdata will seem in the identical listing with the identical file names besides carrying the webp extension.

With your newly created Convert to WebP Quick Action workflow, you’ll be able to convert a single image file to WebP, or if you choose a number of image recordsdata you’ll be able to batch convert all of them to WebP recordsdata.

* Some notes about this little script that you could be need to change to your specific wants:

• The path to cwebp is ready for cwebp put in by Homebrew, should you put in cwebp manually then it’s in all probability in /usr/bin as a substitute and also you’d need to regulate the trail accordingly
• The -q high quality flag is at present set to 85 however you’ll be able to set it to something between 1-100 (increased will produce increased high quality images, however much less compression)

Again, you need to use this for a single webp file conversion, or a batch conversion of many image recordsdata, to webp format.

With how common webp is turning into, and on condition that MacOS at present presents native capabilities to transform WebP to JPG and open WebP image recordsdata and save the as JPEG by Preview (and batch changing webp to jpeg by that!), it appears cheap to count on {that a} future model of MacOS will assist the other way as nicely; saving to WebP, and direct conversion to WebP. If and when that does happen, this specific Quick Action will not be wanted, nor will the guide set up of cwebp from HomeBrew, however in the intervening time that is mandatory.

For the unfamiliar, WebP is a picture file format created by Google that’s meant to be environment friendly and broadly succesful, supporting nonetheless images and animations, and each lossy and lossless. The cwebp software we use right here for our functions of batch changing images to webp is the official WebP encoder from Google, which you’ll be able to learn more about right here if . The shell script we use to carry out the backend conversion and compression is a modified model of what was created by Jay Holtslander from right here. And lastly, Homebrew is a highly regarded command line bundle supervisor for Mac that simply permits Mac customers to put in 1000’s of command line instruments and utilities, together with cwebp which we use right here, with out having to compile them your self.

If you’ve gotten one other most popular technique of batch changing image recordsdata to webp on the Mac, or an alternate strategy, then share it with us within the feedback beneath!