Image Converter

Convert, resize, compress, and optimize images with Python Pillow.

Quick Start

from PIL import Image
import pillow_heif

# Register HEIF/HEIC support
pillow_heif.register_heif_opener()

img = Image.open("input.heic")
img.save("output.jpg", quality=85, optimize=True)

Dependencies

pip install pillow pillow-heif

Format Conversion

Supported Formats

Format	Read	Write	Notes
JPEG/JPG	Yes	Yes	Lossy, best for photos
PNG	Yes	Yes	Lossless, supports transparency
WebP	Yes	Yes	Modern web format, excellent compression
HEIC/HEIF	Yes	No*	Apple format, requires pillow-heif
GIF	Yes	Yes	Animation support
TIFF	Yes	Yes	Lossless, large files
BMP	Yes	Yes	Uncompressed
AVIF	Yes	Yes*	Best compression, requires pillow-avif-plugin

*Limited support, check library versions

Mode Conversion

# RGBA (with alpha) -> RGB (for JPEG)
if img.mode in ('RGBA', 'LA', 'P'):
    img = img.convert('RGB')

# RGB -> Grayscale
gray = img.convert('L')

# Grayscale -> RGB
rgb = gray.convert('RGB')

Resizing & Downscaling

Proportional Resize

# Resize by percentage
scale = 0.5  # 50%
new_size = (int(img.width * scale), int(img.height * scale))
resized = img.resize(new_size, Image.LANCZOS)

# Resize to max dimension (preserve aspect ratio)
max_dim = 1920
ratio = min(max_dim / img.width, max_dim / img.height)
if ratio < 1:
    new_size = (int(img.width * ratio), int(img.height * ratio))
    resized = img.resize(new_size, Image.LANCZOS)

Thumbnail (in-place, efficient)

img.thumbnail((800, 800), Image.LANCZOS)  # Modifies in-place

Resampling Filters

• Image.LANCZOS - Best quality, slower (recommended for downscaling)
• Image.BICUBIC - Good quality, faster
• Image.BILINEAR - Medium quality
• Image.NEAREST - Fastest, pixelated (good for pixel art)

Compression & Optimization

JPEG Quality

# Quality 1-100 (80-85 is good balance)
img.save("out.jpg", quality=85, optimize=True)

# Progressive JPEG (loads gradually)
img.save("out.jpg", quality=85, optimize=True, progressive=True)

PNG Optimization

# Maximum compression
img.save("out.png", optimize=True, compress_level=9)

# Reduce colors for smaller file (256 colors max)
quantized = img.quantize(colors=256)
quantized.save("out.png", optimize=True)

WebP (best for web)

# Lossy (like JPEG)
img.save("out.webp", quality=85, method=6)

# Lossless (like PNG but smaller)
img.save("out.webp", lossless=True, quality=100)

Batch Processing

See scripts/batch_convert.py for full batch processing with:

• Parallel processing with concurrent.futures
• Progress reporting
• Error handling
• Multiple output formats

Basic Batch Pattern

from pathlib import Path
from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor

def convert_image(path, output_dir, target_format, quality=85):
    img = Image.open(path)
    if img.mode != 'RGB':
        img = img.convert('RGB')
    output = output_dir / f"{path.stem}.{target_format}"
    img.save(output, quality=quality, optimize=True)
    return output

input_dir = Path("./images")
output_dir = Path("./converted")
output_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)

files = list(input_dir.glob("*.png"))
with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=4) as executor:
    results = list(executor.map(
        lambda f: convert_image(f, output_dir, "jpg"),
        files
    ))

Metadata & EXIF

Strip All Metadata

# Create clean image (removes ALL metadata including ICC profile)
clean = Image.new(img.mode, img.size)
clean.putdata(list(img.getdata()))
clean.save("clean.jpg", quality=85)

Strip EXIF Only (preserve ICC color profile)

icc = img.info.get('icc_profile')
if 'exif' in img.info:
    del img.info['exif']
img.save("out.jpg", quality=85, icc_profile=icc)

Handle EXIF Orientation

from PIL import ImageOps
img = ImageOps.exif_transpose(img)  # Auto-rotate based on EXIF

Watermarking

from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont

def add_watermark(img, text, opacity=128):
    watermark = Image.new('RGBA', img.size, (0, 0, 0, 0))
    draw = ImageDraw.Draw(watermark)

    # Use default font or specify path
    try:
        font = ImageFont.truetype("/System/Library/Fonts/Helvetica.ttc", 36)
    except:
        font = ImageFont.load_default()

    bbox = draw.textbbox((0, 0), text, font=font)
    text_width = bbox[2] - bbox[0]
    text_height = bbox[3] - bbox[1]

    x = img.width - text_width - 20
    y = img.height - text_height - 20

    draw.text((x, y), text, font=font, fill=(255, 255, 255, opacity))

    if img.mode != 'RGBA':
        img = img.convert('RGBA')

    return Image.alpha_composite(img, watermark)

Common Tasks

HEIC to JPEG (iPhone photos)

import pillow_heif
pillow_heif.register_heif_opener()

img = Image.open("photo.heic")
img = ImageOps.exif_transpose(img)  # Fix orientation
if img.mode != 'RGB':
    img = img.convert('RGB')
img.save("photo.jpg", quality=85, optimize=True)

Optimize for Web

def optimize_for_web(input_path, output_path, max_width=1920, quality=85):
    img = Image.open(input_path)
    img = ImageOps.exif_transpose(img)

    # Resize if too large
    if img.width > max_width:
        ratio = max_width / img.width
        new_size = (max_width, int(img.height * ratio))
        img = img.resize(new_size, Image.LANCZOS)

    # Convert mode
    if img.mode in ('RGBA', 'P'):
        img = img.convert('RGB')

    # Strip metadata
    icc = img.info.get('icc_profile')

    # Save optimized
    img.save(output_path, quality=quality, optimize=True,
             progressive=True, icc_profile=icc)

Create Thumbnails

def create_thumbnail(input_path, output_path, size=(300, 300)):
    img = Image.open(input_path)
    img = ImageOps.exif_transpose(img)
    img.thumbnail(size, Image.LANCZOS)

    if img.mode != 'RGB':
        img = img.convert('RGB')

    img.save(output_path, quality=85, optimize=True)

File Size Comparison

Format	Typical Size	Best For
JPEG 85%	100% baseline	Photos
WebP 85%	~30% smaller	Web images
PNG	2-5x larger	Graphics with transparency
AVIF 85%	~50% smaller	Next-gen web
HEIC	~50% smaller	Apple ecosystem

Scripts

• scripts/batch_convert.py - Full-featured batch converter with CLI
• scripts/optimize_web.py - Web optimization with size targets