In macOS, converting images to different formats is a simpler task than many people think, and it is thanks to the rapid actions of the Finder or the application preview. However, if you work with daily images and need to change them frequently, depending on these manual methods can become tedious. What many do not know is that macOS allows you to automate this process with a simple folder action, causing you to have the function of “Converter folder” of images.
This trick is especially useful for photographers, designers or content creators who need to pass their images from one format to another usually, without wasting much time in the process. Just dragging a file to a specific folder, Macos will automatically convert it to the desired format No need to open applications having to be sailing for confusing menus.
All this is achieved with Automatoran integrated tool that allows you to create personalized workflows without the need for advanced programming knowledge.
How to configure a folder as an image converter
- The first step is to open Automator, which is located in the applications folder.
- Once inside, you have to create a new document and select the “Folder Action” option. This will allow any file dragged into a specific folder to automatically activate the conversion process.
- In the upper part of the Automator window, there is a drop -down menu that allows you to select which folder the action will apply. You can choose any system folder, although a practical option is to configure the “downloads” folder, since it is usually the destination of many images that are received or downloaded.
- The next step is to select the category “Photos” in the Automator sidebar and drag the action called “Change type of images” to the workflow area. At this point, the system will ask if you want to convert a copy of the images to preserve the original files or if you prefer to directly convert the images without generating duplicates. This choice will depend on the user's needs: if you want to keep the original file without modifications, it is advisable to select “add”. If the intention is to replace the original image with the new format, you can choose to “not add.”
- Finally, you have to Choose the format to which the images will become. Automator offers several options, such as JPEG, PNG, HEIF and TIFF, allowing the process to adapt to different needs.
- After selecting the output format, you can save the action with the name you want, such as “converting images.”
From that moment on, any image that crawls to the selected folder will convert automatically without having to do anything else.
For those who want to do it more efficiently, Automator also allows transforming this action into an independent application. Instead of configuring it as a folder action, the “application” option can be selected in Automator and save the workflow as an executable file. In this way, any image about this icon can be dragged and the system will be converted immediately. Another option is to import the workflow with the MacOS shortcuts, which further facilitates its integration into the operating system ecosystem.
Unlike other external tools, the automation that we have told you in this article are completely free, they are integrated into macOS and do not need to install additional software.
The entrance how to convert images to different formats into Mac with this trick: surely you do not know it was first published in the bite apple.
