Convert an image or resize it using macOS Shortcuts

For the longest time I’ve had an Automator script to convert images to JPG.

It’s something I do all the time, because the difference between PNG images and JPG for some things is huge. It depends on the image.

Sometimes convertin…


This content originally appeared on flaviocopes.com and was authored by flaviocopes.com

For the longest time I’ve had an Automator script to convert images to JPG.

It’s something I do all the time, because the difference between PNG images and JPG for some things is huge. It depends on the image.

Sometimes converting an image to JPG can mean a 5x reduction in size in some cases. In other cases, not really. With big images, it’s worth a try.

(PNG is nicer because of transparent background, but there’s a balance between file size and beauty).

macOS Monterey, the latest macOS version, comes with a tool that’s basically going to replace Automator in the future, I think, and has been available in iOS and iPadOS for some time: Shortcuts.

I’ve never used this app on those platforms. I never had the need to do anything fancy.

But since moving to a new Mac, I decided to re-do my little automations. I don’t have many. I just have this one to convert any image to JPG, and another one to resize the images to 1200px.

In this post I want to describe how to do the first.

Open Shortcuts:

Click the + button, or from the menu select File -> New Shortcut.

Now on the right you can choose an action. Search “finder” and select the “Get Selected Files in Finder” action:

Drag it to the left part of the screen.

Now select “Convert Image”:

In the settings tab on the right you can choose to use this shortcut as a Quick Action in the Finder, so you can right-click an image and you’ll see the option to convert it to JPG:

Make sure you just set it to receive images by unselecting all the other file types in the first action:

Finally, add a “Move File” action to save the converted file to the desktop:

Unfortunately I didn’t find a way to save the JPG to the current folder and replace the file selected. I imagine that by spending a little bit more time I can fix this, if you know how to do that, ping me @flaviocopes on Twitter 🙃 but it’s not a big deal, I can live with this. And if I fnd it too cumbersome, I can always re-do the workflow in Automator. But at least I now know how to use Shortcuts.

Here’s the shortcut to resize the image to 1200px:


This content originally appeared on flaviocopes.com and was authored by flaviocopes.com


Print Share Comment Cite Upload Translate Updates
APA

flaviocopes.com | Sciencx (2021-11-06T05:00:00+00:00) Convert an image or resize it using macOS Shortcuts. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2021/11/06/convert-an-image-or-resize-it-using-macos-shortcuts/

MLA
" » Convert an image or resize it using macOS Shortcuts." flaviocopes.com | Sciencx - Saturday November 6, 2021, https://www.scien.cx/2021/11/06/convert-an-image-or-resize-it-using-macos-shortcuts/
HARVARD
flaviocopes.com | Sciencx Saturday November 6, 2021 » Convert an image or resize it using macOS Shortcuts., viewed ,<https://www.scien.cx/2021/11/06/convert-an-image-or-resize-it-using-macos-shortcuts/>
VANCOUVER
flaviocopes.com | Sciencx - » Convert an image or resize it using macOS Shortcuts. [Internet]. [Accessed ]. Available from: https://www.scien.cx/2021/11/06/convert-an-image-or-resize-it-using-macos-shortcuts/
CHICAGO
" » Convert an image or resize it using macOS Shortcuts." flaviocopes.com | Sciencx - Accessed . https://www.scien.cx/2021/11/06/convert-an-image-or-resize-it-using-macos-shortcuts/
IEEE
" » Convert an image or resize it using macOS Shortcuts." flaviocopes.com | Sciencx [Online]. Available: https://www.scien.cx/2021/11/06/convert-an-image-or-resize-it-using-macos-shortcuts/. [Accessed: ]
rf:citation
» Convert an image or resize it using macOS Shortcuts | flaviocopes.com | Sciencx | https://www.scien.cx/2021/11/06/convert-an-image-or-resize-it-using-macos-shortcuts/ |

Please log in to upload a file.




There are no updates yet.
Click the Upload button above to add an update.

You must be logged in to translate posts. Please log in or register.