ImageConverter App

Python Programming

Upon learning more code languages, I always had a small interest in Python. It's a language that can be used to create automated processes and applications that the computer can run on its own. I started reading Automate the Boring Stuff with Python and found it fascinating how much could be automated and how to make your work life easier.

From Problem to Solution

The scenario I found myself in more often than not was converting images from one format to another. Specifically I was always converting images for Apex Randomizer from .png to .webp (never thought I would be saying I like webp images). Always google searching for a conversion web tool that would do this for me I was tired of using someone else's program. The solution I came up with was to build my own program that could be installed right onto my computers that was quick and easy to use.

Building with AI

The first step I took in building this was prompting ChatGPT with how I would go about this. I had very limited knowledge with python code, I followed 1 tutorial in the past to make a snake game in the terminal. ChatGPT responded with the first bit of code and I began building. I'll admit, I had a lot of assistance from AI, especially when it came to creating a GUI (graphical user interface). Soon I had the first version where I could select a photo from my files and convert it to a list of formats: jpg, png, and webp.

Distributing for Windows and macOS

I had to go through a lot of trial and error to get this program to work on both operating systems. Doing a lot of research on how to package the python program into 1 file, I finally came across pyinstaller which packages all of the code into 1 executable file. With the single executable file, I was then able to create the appropriate installers for both Windows (.exe) and macOS (.dmg).

Interested in Using it Yourself?

To download this application, you can head over to the releases here: https://github.com/briannelson95/image-converter/releases and download the correct executable for your system (.exe for windows and .dmg for macOS).