WebP Image Converter

A Python application that converts images from various formats to WebP format. Supports both command-line and GUI interfaces.

Features

• Multiple Input Formats: Supports JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, GIF, ICO, PPM, PGM, PBM, and PNM
• Flexible Output: Convert single files or entire directories
• Quality Control: Adjustable quality settings (0-100)
• Lossless Option: Option for lossless compression
• Dual Interface: Both command-line and GUI interfaces
• Batch Processing: Convert multiple images at once
• Progress Tracking: Real-time conversion status and logging

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.6 or higher
• pip (Python package installer)

Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

Or install Pillow directly:

pip install Pillow

Usage

Command Line Interface

Basic Usage

# Convert a single image
python webp_converter.py image.jpg

# Convert with custom output name
python webp_converter.py image.jpg -o output.webp

# Convert all images in a directory
python webp_converter.py /path/to/images/

# Convert with specific quality
python webp_converter.py image.jpg -q 90

# Use lossless compression
python webp_converter.py image.jpg --lossless

Command Line Options

• input: Input file or directory (required)
• -o, --output: Output file or directory
• -q, --quality: WebP quality (0-100, default: 80)
• --lossless: Use lossless compression
• --gui: Start GUI interface
• --formats: Show supported input formats

Examples

# Show supported formats
python webp_converter.py --formats

# Convert with high quality
python webp_converter.py photo.png -q 95 -o high_quality.webp

# Convert directory with lossless compression
python webp_converter.py /photos/ --lossless -o /webp_photos/

# Start GUI
python webp_converter.py --gui

GUI Interface

To start the graphical interface:

python webp_converter.py --gui

Or simply run without arguments:

python webp_converter.py

GUI Features

• File/Directory Selection: Browse for input files or directories
• Output Configuration: Choose output location
• Quality Slider: Adjust quality from 0-100
• Lossless Option: Toggle lossless compression
• Real-time Logging: See conversion progress and results
• Batch Processing: Convert multiple files at once

Supported Formats

Input Formats

• JPEG: .jpg, .jpeg
• PNG: .png
• BMP: .bmp
• TIFF: .tiff, .tif
• GIF: .gif
• ICO: .ico
• PPM: .ppm
• PGM: .pgm
• PBM: .pbm
• PNM: .pnm

Output Format

• Any format supported by Pillow: e.g., .webp, .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .bmp, .tiff, .gif, .ico, .ppm, .pgm, .pbm, .pnm

Technical Details

Image Processing

The converter handles various image modes:

• RGB images: Converted directly to the target format
• RGBA images: Transparent background converted to white (for formats that do not support alpha)
• Palette images: Converted to RGB with transparency handling
• Other modes: Converted to RGB as needed

Quality Settings

• Quality 0-100: Controls compression level for lossy formats (higher = better quality, larger file)
• Lossless: Preserves exact pixel values (for WebP only)

Error Handling

• Graceful handling of unsupported formats
• Detailed error messages for troubleshooting
• Statistics reporting for batch operations

Examples

Single File Conversion

# Convert a PNG to WebP with default settings
python webp_converter.py photo.png

# Convert a PNG to JPEG
python webp_converter.py photo.png --to-format jpg

# Convert a JPEG to PNG
python webp_converter.py photo.jpg --to-format png

# Convert with high quality
python webp_converter.py photo.png --to-format jpg -q 95

# Convert with custom output name
python webp_converter.py photo.png --to-format png -o optimized_photo.png

Directory Conversion

# Convert all images in current directory to PNG
python webp_converter.py . --to-format png

# Convert with specific output directory
python webp_converter.py /input_photos/ --to-format jpg -o /jpg_photos/

# Convert with lossless compression (WebP only)
python webp_converter.py /photos/ --to-format webp --lossless

Batch Processing Output

When converting directories, you'll see output like:

✓ Converted: photo1.jpg -> photo1.webp
✓ Converted: photo2.png -> photo2.webp
✗ Failed: unsupported.txt

Conversion Summary:
Total files: 3
Converted: 2
Failed: 1
Skipped: 0

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "No module named 'PIL'"

   • Install Pillow: pip install Pillow

2. "Permission denied"

   • Check file/directory permissions
   • Ensure write access to output location

3. "Unsupported format"

   • Check if the file format is supported
   • Run python webp_converter.py --formats to see supported formats

4. GUI not working

   • Ensure tkinter is installed (usually included with Python)
   • On some Linux systems: sudo apt-get install python3-tk

Performance Tips

• For large directories, use command-line interface for better performance
• Use appropriate quality settings (80-90 is usually sufficient)
• Consider lossless compression only for images that require exact pixel preservation

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues, feature requests, or pull requests to improve the converter.

Updating readme