Requested Custom Convert/Save

[Mij]

This is not a new request by me but a suggestion for how a feature to satisfy a number of previous posted user requests might be implemented. Currently there is one such request on this forum and another on the German one that I think are relevant. I am calling the feature Custom Convert/Save but it would operate by applying the Batch Conversion/Rename function to single files.

Custom Convert/Save would be a new option on the File menu and when selected a new dialog would open. This would duplicate all the options that are found on the left side of the Batch Conversion dialog but without all the file selection and listing features from the right side.
Instead just the name of the currently displayed image would be shown, which may be that of an existing file or the default name such as Clipboard or Scan001.

On pressing Start Batch the current image as displayed has the preset Advanced conversion options applied, if selected, and/or saved under the name generated by the Rename options if that is selected. The dialog is then hidden and the converted image shown again so that further editing of that image is possible if desired, or a new image can be selected.

Custom Convert/save can then be selected again either to do another Convert/Save or to terminate the Batch operation and display the results list. A keyboard shortcut (possibly Shift+B) could perhaps be provided that would call an immediate convert/Save operation without displaying the dialog. That operation would also be available to be called automatically from other functions such as Batch Scan, MultiTiff, etc.

I do not know how easy it would be to implement. If other users support it I can ask Irfan Skiljan. What I would find it useful for is to save a series of image copies at different stages of a complex editing process, with an index number or timestamp automatically included in the file name. I hope other users can come up with other potential uses though.

[derniwi]

Hi Mij,

yes, I think some users might find this usefull.

But why is a new (or copied) dialog necessary? You can do this also with a saved file, also the new name feature may allow you to use something like
$N_#
The only thing is you have to save the file first.

I know you are an experienced user so I think you understand my question and you can write a good answer. :-)

Regards
Nils

[Mij]

This is intended to be a time saver when you have a lot of images to process by repeating the same operations for each but cannot use the batch conversion/rename feature (shortcut B), perhaps because there are actions that have to be done on an image by image basis either before or after the repeated part.

Let's take an example. We are scanning and saving a pile of invoices. We want to auto-crop the borders, resize to standard dimensions and save each one with the name Invoice ### starting from the number where a previous job ended. We want to examine and check each one though when it has been processed to make sure it is OK because it will be inconvenient to have to identify and retrieve the correct original later if we find it was scanned wrongly. Much easier to repeat the scan while we still have the original to hand.

We scan the first, select Custom Convert/save and the dialog appears. We set up a new operation (if necessary). We may want to see what the current file (which Irfanview has named Clipboard 001) will be renamed to. That might be useful. We do not want to view the list of files that were left from the last Batch operation or allow any actions in that area, so I think it would be better if the panes shown on the right of a batch dialog are not displayed here at all. When satisfied we press Start. We do not want a Results box to pop up as in Batch. Instead we will see the actual image that results and the new name will be in the caption bar. So I do see there being some small differences to a normal Batch and its dialog.

If it is OK we scan the next invoice and press Shift+B. That does not display the dialog when Custom Convert/Save is running. Only when we have finished do we need to open the dialog again from the File menu to stop Custom Convert/save from running automatically.

Yes, you could do all this by saving each file, running a normal Batch convert/resave process and opening the result again in the browser but there can be a lot of typing, opening menus and dialogs and changing folder and file type settings involved. This should be one click per image once set up and running.