Do you have a set of PNG images that you want to transfer or upload online? Then optimizing them is a useful option, because this way you reduce file size while preserving good quality and thus can obtain more speed when processing your images.

How does it work?

By reducing the size of the PNG’s IDAT datastream through various compression levels and PNG filter methods. This technique can also be used to remove unwanted ancillary chunks or to add others, including gAMA, tRNS, iCCP and textual chunks.

Freeware edition of reaConverter Lite can help you obtain the best possible results with optimizing PNG images in no more than a few seconds.

Install reaConverter Lite

Load all the PNGs you intend to optimize

Add one or more PNG images you intend to optimize.

Setup optimization settings

Click the PNG button from the bottom part of the reaConverter window and then go to the Settings icon, placed in the upper left corner of the button. Alternatively, you can get to the same place by clicking the Menu button and then Saving settings → Format saving settings, and the PNG tab. Once you are here, tick the Create optimized PNG box and make sure the compression level is set to 9.

In case you plan to plan to optimize a large amount of PNG images and you have to do this frequently, you can try activating a right-click conversion option. Go to the Menu button and then to Context menu integration, click the ON button and then go to Settings. Here you can edit the configuration (.cfg) and the action (.act) files, so that they fit your needs. Additional options for automating PNG optimization are setting up the Watch Folders option or using command-line tool:

cons_rcp.exe –s "C:\Path_to\input_file.png" -o "C:\Path_to\optimized_file.png" -png_compression 9

Process all your PNG images

Finally, go to the Saving options tab and pick the location of the output PNGs – offline, in a local folder, or online, using Google Drive, Box.com, Dropbox or OneDrive.

Then simply press Start and your newly optimized PNGs will soon be ready!

Video Tutorial

Advanced users can optimize PNG images in batch via command line interface or DLL in manual, automated or scheduled mode. You are welcome to contact our technical support when you have any questions about reaConverter.

BPG (Better Portable Graphics) is a young and promising image format, launched in 2014 by French programmer Fabrice Bellard. Many people think it will become “the new JPG” in terms of popularity, because of its ability to provide improved image quality for a similar file size.

Some of the advantages of BPGs in comparison to other formats which are widely used at the moment include: supporting lossless compression and animations, handling transparency, including an alpha channel and several types of color spaces etc.

Due to its ability to provide an improved quality/size ratio, BPG might soon represent a preferred format for users who want to store stocks of large-sized lossless TIFF images, for example, while saving space on their hard-drive. Converting to BPG might also sound appealing for companies which aim to obtain more efficient storing and transferring of several other types of large format images or scanned documents, including BMP or PDF.

While at the moment the BPG format is not supported by many mainstream image viewers, this fact is expected to change in the near future. Meanwhile, in case you need to convert to or from the BPG format, reaConverter can help you do this fast and easy. Here is a short tutorial of how to convert from PNG to BPG, or vice versa.

Install reaConverter

Load PNG images

Load all the PNG images you intend to convert by clicking the Add files button or by adding them manually, using the drag-and-drop tool. If you are converting from BPG to PNG or another format, add here all the input BPG files.

Apply image editing

In case you want to crop, resize, watermark, mirror or add any other editing before conversion, go to the Edit images tab and choose from the wide array of options available.

Save your result

Finally, go to the Saving options tab and pick the location of your output images, as well as their format, from the buttons placed in the lower part of the window. In case BPG is not among them, click the Plus button and explore the additional output extensions available.

Next, simply press Start and the new BPG images will soon be ready.

Video Tutorial

Advanced users can process BPG images with command line interface or DLL in manual, automated or scheduled mode. You are welcome to contact our technical support when you have any questions about reaConverter.

Creating animated PNG files, that include a series of successive images of your choice, no longer requires a program specialized in processing images or videos. Instead, it can be done using free edition of reaConverter software!

Animated PNGs or APNGs are similar in function and features with GIFs, but in addition they support image transparency and better quality. Animated PNGs are not supported by all programs and browsers, so in case you intend to open one use reaConverter or Mozilla Firefox. Other viewers or browsers might open the file as a regular PNG.

How you can create an animated PNG using reaConverter?

First of all, download and install reaConverter. Lite edition is completely free and can handle animated PNG pictures.

Install reaConverter Lite

Next, add images for animation

Load several pictures into reaConverter. Use the + Add files button or the drag-and-drop tool.

Setup saving settings to create PNG with animation

Go to the Menu button and then click Saving Settings → Format Saving Settings.

In the new window, go to the PNG tab and tick the Create animated PNG box.

Next, go back to Menu → Saving Settings and click Additional Saving Settings.

Here, pick the Multipage tab and select Save all processed files to one file.

Save the result

Finally, go to the Saving options section and pick the location and the format for the resulting animated PNG file.

Then simply press the Start button and the new animated PNG file will soon be ready!

Video Tutorial

Advanced users can create animated PNG images using command line interface or DLL in manual, automated or scheduled mode. You are welcome to contact our technical support when you have any questions about reaConverter.

JPG and PNG are two of the most popular extensions for image files, but which one is the best? Some people prefer the JPG format because of its small size, because it is easy to upload online and it is compatible with any image viewer program you might have and with all photo sharing websites. However, JPG is a lossy compression format, which means it discards some of the encoding information of the image so as to ensure the file is not too large. This translates into poorer quality — including some image noise and possibly irregular shapes, which is relevant particularly if you plan to print the image or use it for graphics editing.

On the other hand, the PNG format provides a lossless compression, which means it stores all the necessary data that allows the compressed image to reconstruct the original one. PNGs are a better choice than JPG if you plan to apply later editing to a photo, and are also more suitable for saving images that include text, line drawings or iconic.

If you have one or more JPG files that you need to convert to lossless PNG, you can easily do so using reaConverter.

This powerful software supports conversion to and from over 500 image formats, including lossless PNG. All you need to do is:

Load JPG Files

Load all the JPGs you need to convert and include them in the list for batch conversion.

Edit Images in Batch

Move on to the second step of the conversion process, where you can add image processing and tune it up. Here you can opt for rotating, resizing and cropping your image, or adjusting contrast and brightness. You can also add an image watermark or text watermark that will appear on all your output images, or add borders and shadows. The wide array of editing options can be tuned up according to your desire and can be tested live. You only need to tick the “preview” box and you will instantly be able to see all the image corrections as they are applied.

Save result in lossless PNG

Finally, select the destination folder and PNG as the extension of the output file.

Consequently, push the Format settings button and then take a few moments to check the PNG menu (see below). Here you have several options for your output file, including the compression level. The default number you have here is 7, but if you want to opt for a lossless compression, the PNG compression level should be 0.

After you have changed this number, click OK and push the Start conversion button. Your new image files will be ready to use in no time!

Advanced users can convert JPG images to losslessPNG in batch via command line interface or DLL in manual, automated or scheduled mode. You are welcome to contact our technical support when you have any questions about reaConverter.

Whether you are practicing photography professionally or just as a hobby, you probably like to enhance the quality of your digital pictures by adjusting things such as framing, contrast, white balance and exposure. And in order to have all the control you need on such aspects and several others when it comes to customizing your photo, you probably prefer creating images in a RAW format. In case you are also a Pentax fan, and just got a sleek K-30 model, for example, which you immediately set to take RAW images, you might be puzzled to discover a bunch of PEF files recorded on your camera’s memory card. What are these files and how to handle them?

The PEF extension is used for RAW image files taken with a Pentax camera. As opposed to JPGs or PNGs, RAW images are not processed automatically according to your camera’s predefined settings and are not compressed, so they retain most details and colours that you saw with your own eyes when taking the picture. Setting your camera to take a photo that looks almost exactly like you saw it in reality is really great for a passionate photographer, because he/she has a lot of freedom to apply further editing on the digital photo, highlighting or foregrounding specific details, playing with lights and shadows. But how to do this if you are not an expert in using an advanced digital editing software? Or if you do not have a computer with high processing power, that would be able to handle the huge size of a RAW image without freezing when you least expect it?

The answer is simple: convert your PEF images! Or even better, pick a converter that not only allows you to transform your image into a more accessible format, but also lets you apply a wide range of editing options to your output image. So here is a step-by-step guide for doing this fast and easy:

Install reaConverter

Download and install a piece of quality software, which allows batch conversion and doesn’t take too much space on your hard drive. reaConverter can be downloaded and tried for free at this address: www.reaconverter.com

Load PEF photos

Load all the PEF files you need to convert and then select from the long list of editing options available. You can choose to rotate or resize your images, to mirror or crop them. And my personal favourite is the Watermarking option, which is exactly what a photographer needs in order to protect the copyright of photos. Watermarking means that you can apply a text or an image on each of the converted photos, with a customizable size, position and degree of transparency. This is wonderful when you want to make sure no one will take your photos and use them without your permission.

Convert

Choose the format of your output image: JPG, PNG, and TIF are just some of the available options.

And then just start the conversion and enjoy your images in no time!

Video Tutorial

Online PEF Converter:

reaConverter is a highly efficient tool for managing a large amount of PEF photos on a frequent basis. However, if you are planning to convert only a few PEF files and only once in a while, then you can also try online RAW converter imverter.com

Advanced users can convert PEF pictures via command line interface in manual, automated or scheduled mode. You are welcome to contact our technical support when you have any questions about reaConverter.

NVA is a new and popular file format used particularly for storing ebooks and associated with a piece of software called NVA Reader. This program is optimized to work on all types of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Nexus phones and tablets, iPhones and iPads, the Samsung Galaxy series etc.

Some of the main advantages of using NVA files are the possibility to select, highlight and underline text, make notes and add bookmarks. NVA files simulate the appearance of the print book really well and they preserve the structure, format and objects on each page. They also include handy search tools and features that facilitate sharing notes or quotes on social networks.

But if you have just downloaded or received by email an NVA file, you might notice it is not compatible with many other programs apart from NVA Reader. In case you want to convert it to a more accessible format, such as PDF, reaConverter can make this happen in a few seconds and without any quality loss. Additionally, reaConverter supports conversion from NVA to raster image formats, such as JPG, PNG or TIFF.

Install reaConverter

Here is how.

Download and install reaConverter. Start it and load your NVA files into main window. This powerful batch converter features a useful drag-and-drop tool, as well as the possibility to select files manually or add entire folders.

Go to the Edit images tab in case you want to resize, crop, rotate, watermark or add other editing features to your converted NVA files.

Finally, go to Saving options and choose a location for your newly converted ebook files.

Last but not least, pick the format of the output files. reaConverter supports vector to vector conversion from NVA to PDF, which means your ebook will be converted to a more accessible format and preserve its quality. Alternatively, you can convert NVA files to multipage TIFFs or to other popular raster formats, including JPG and PNG.

Next, simply click Start and your newly converted files will soon be ready!

Video Tutorial

Advanced users can convert NVA ebooks using command line interface in manual, automated or scheduled mode. You are welcome to contact our technical support when you have any questions about reaConverter.

We got this question from a reader who had just been sent an e-mail with an ORF file attached and wasn’t sure whether opening such files is safe or not. Moreover, if it is safe, what software would he need to open it? Because Windows did not seem to be able to handle the file with the regular programs installed.

ORF is a file extension used for RAW image files created with an Olympus camera. Our reader probably received a photograph that did not have a more popular format, such as JPEG or PNG, because its owner wanted to allow future editing to the image, including advanced customization such as correcting exposure or white balance. Most photographers prefer using the RAW format for their images, because this way they have more options to add digital adjustments and make the image look the way they want. However, as opposed to JPEG files, for example, RAW images have the disadvantage of taking a lot of space and of being difficult to open and handle. Because they can be up to 6 times larger than JPEGs, they are also difficult to send and archive.

Hence, the answer to our reader would be the following: yes, it is safe to open an ORF file. However, in order to do this you would probably need a not-so-easy-to-find and potentially not very user-friendly software. Programs that can open ORF files include Corel Draw and Adobe Photoshop. All tend to have large sizes, to be rather expensive and not particularly easy to use. So our recommendation would be to download the ORF file from the e-mail attachment and then convert it to a format that is easier to handle. How to do this?

The quick and simple way to handle your ORF conversions is to get a quality piece of software, such as reaConverter. You can download and try it for free at reaconverter.com. Although it is small, this software is extremely efficient in managing a wide range of conversions. As you will soon realize, ReaConverter will help you avoid spending countless hours trying to figure out how to use an advanced digital editing program to open the photos you made with your brand new Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ, for example. But at the same time, it will allow you to apply a wide range of editing options.

Here is a glimpse of what this program can do with your images:

• Resize your output image by defining its width and height, or resolution.
• Crop a particular number of pixels from your image.
• Rotate your image by using a specific angle.
• Change the background colour of your output image.
• Convert your photo to black and white.
• Apply watermarking to protect the copyright of your image. Image or text watermarking are available and you have several options to make sure the watermark goes exactly where you want it on the photograph.
• …and much more!

Download and try reaConverter  (~35 MiB)

Advanced users can process ORF files using command line converter in manual, automated or scheduled mode. You are welcome to contact our technical support when you have any questions about reaConverter.

Online ORF conversion:

reaConverter is a great solution for efficiently managing a large amount of files, on a frequent basis. However, if you are planning to convert only a few ORF photos and only once in a while, then you can also try Imverter, free online photo converter.

Most passionate photographers like to carefully control all kinds of details related to their photos — from adjusting colours and lights, to correcting red eyes or cropping. And for this reason, they prefer setting their camera to take pictures in RAW format. Also known as “digital negatives”, RAW image files have the great advantage of allowing a wide array of computer editing options.

If you like to take your quality photos with a Fujifilm camera and have just got the new X-E1 model, for example — you will soon discover your RAW image files have the RAF extension. This is the typical format for all Fujifilm cameras, and while generally preferred by photographers, it might prove difficult to handle at first. Why? Because RAF files are not recognized by many regular photo viewers, so you may have problems opening and editing them. Moreover, they have a very large size (up to 6 times more than a JPEG), so sending or moving a large group of photos might prove to be equally difficult.

There is a quick and easy solution for solving all the problems above, while at the same time being able to edit your RAF images any way you like: use a powerful converter! I personally recommend reaConverter that can be downloaded and tried for free at reaconverter.com. Whether you are a professional photographer or just an amateur learning the tricks of the trade, this software will be everything you need for handling your RAF images, as well as several other RAW formats, such as ORF or ARW (see the full list of RAW formats supported by reaConverter).

Install reaConverter

To give you a glimpse of what this program can do, I have selected my top 5 image editing options that allow me to control how my RAF image will look like before converting it to an accessible format such as JPEG, PNG or TIFF. Here they are below:

1. Rotate, Crop or Resize photos.
    
   
   
    
2. Adjust the RGB, or correct the amount of Red, Green and Blue in the image.
    
   
   
    
3. Adjust the HLS balance (Hue / Luminance / Saturation). This allows you to fine-tune the colours in the image, correct their clarity and tones.
    
   
   
    
4. Edit the Colour Resolution. You can opt for a smaller or a larger number of colours, depending on the size you want your photo to have.
    
   
   
    
5. Apply Watermarking. This will help you make sure the image will not be used by someone else without your permission. The watermark is a text or an image that will appear on all converted photos, with a customizable size, position and transparency.
    
   

Download and try reaConverter 

Advanced users can do the same using command line converter in manual, automated or scheduled mode. You are welcome to contact our technical support when you have any questions about reaConverter.

Online RAF converter:

ReaConverter is a great software for efficiently managing a large amount of pictures, on a frequent basis. However, if you are planning to convert only a few RAF photos and only once in a while, then you can also try fast online photo converter IMVERTER.com.

If you are a fan of Sony cameras, you probably came across this question while trying to see or send your digital photos. For a new owner of a Sony Cyber-shot DSC RX100, such as myself, handling ARW files turned out to be a tricky business. After taking the first series of photos with my brand new camera, I was quite excited to download and view them on my computer. However, I quickly started asking myself what type of files are these “ARWs” downloaded from my camera and why aren’t my regular image viewers able to open them?

ARW is the extension used by most Sony cameras to create RAW images. Or in other words, uncompressed images that can later on be adjusted and edited using computer software. Photographers generally like RAW images, because they allow you to customize the image any way you want. However, their downside is that they can be up to 6 times larger than JPEGs and are not supported by most regular software used for viewing images. After doing a bit of research about how to handle these files, I found that there are mainly two ways to manage your ARW files — the “hard” way and the “easy” way. Naturally, I recommend the second option. But here is a quick review of both.

• The “hard” way of viewing and editing ARW files is to use a sophisticated graphics editing software, such Adobe Photoshop or Corel Draw. The disadvantages of this option are not only related to the difficulty of using such programs – which are mostly targeted toward professionals and, hence, require some serious training, but also to their price and availability. To put it simply, such programs are expensive, difficult to use, and they take a lot of space on your computer.
   
• The “easy” way to handle your ARW files involves converting them to a more accessible format, such as JPEG, PNG or TIFF. And if you use a quality piece of software for doing this, such as reaConverter, you will also be able to apply all the editing you want on your photos, while avoiding the hassle of using a graphics editing program. The only things you need to do are the following:
  1. Download reaConverter from www.reaconverter.com and try it for free. The software is small, quick to install and you don’t need to be an expert in graphics design in order to start your conversions in a few minutes.
     
     
     Install reaConverter
  2. Load all the ARW files you need to convert, since reaConverter supports batch conversion.
      
     
      
  3. Choose among the large variety of options available for customizing your image. Here you can adjust the brightness and contrast of your photo, add borders and shadows, rotate or resize. You can also apply several image effects or add watermarking in order to protect the copyright of your image.
      
     
      

     
      

  4. Choose the format of your output file. JPEG, TIFF and PNG are considered to be the most popular and easy to handle by regular image viewers, but other options are also available. Then just start the conversion and quickly enjoy all your photos in an accessible format!

      
     

Download and try reaConverter

Advanced users can do the same using command line converter in manual, automated or scheduled mode. You are welcome to contact our technical support when you have any questions about reaConverter.

Online ARW converter:

ReaConverter is a great solution for efficiently managing a large amount of photos, on a frequent basis. However, if you are planning to convert only a few ARW files and only once in a while, then you can also try IMVERTER – free online photo converter.

“I have a bunch of CR2 images downloaded from my camera and I can’t open them with any of the image viewers I have installed! Can reaConverter help?”

One of our website visitors sent us this question by e-mail a few days ago. She had just downloaded the photos she made with her brand new Canon Powershot and was excited to view them on her computer. However, she soon realized this was impossible to do with any of the regular software she had for viewing photos.

Why? As you might have guessed, the reason is related to the extension of the image files: CR2. This is the regular format used by Canon cameras to create RAW images. While generally preferred by amateur and professional photographers because they allow them to apply a large variety of computer editing options to the image, RAW files have a few disadvantages. On the one hand, they are not supported by most regular image viewers. To open them, you probably need Adobe Photoshop or a similar graphics editing program, which is not always easy to use. On the other hand, RAW images are usually huge (up to 6 times larger than a JPEG) so they might prove difficult to store and transfer.

The fastest and simplest way to view and handle your CR2 images is to convert them into a more accessible image format, such as JPEG. And yes, reaConverter will be able to help! All you need to do is download and install the software, which can be tested for free at www.reaconverter.com.

Install reaConverter

Then you probably won’t need more than a minute or two to get acquainted to its user-friendly menu, which will allow you to:

• Easily select the file you intend to convert or drag & drop it. In case you have more than one file, reaConverter also allows you to do batch conversion by simply adding all the desired files on the conversion list.
   
  
   
• Select from the wide-ranging list of image editing options. This converter not only allows you to resize, rotate or crop your image, but also to add image effects or adjust brightness and contrast.
   
  
   
• If you are a professional photographer, you will also like the Watermarking option, which allows you to protect your images from unauthorized use. You can apply text watermarking, by placing the desired letters or numbers on all converted images (date stamps and counter figures are also options), with adjustable opacity level and text parameter. Or image watermarking, by adding an image over your photo, and customizing its transparency level, position and size.
   
  
   
• Choose the extension of the output file. JPG or other accessible image format will help you handle you CR2 files a lot easier. Then just start the conversion and enjoy your images in no time!
   
  

Download and try reaConverter

Advanced users can do the same using command line converter in manual, automated or scheduled mode. You are welcome to contact our technical support when you have any questions about reaConverter.

Online CR2 converter:

ReaConverter is a great solution for efficiently managing a large amount of conversions, on a frequent basis. However, if you are planning to convert only a few CR2 photos and only once in a while, then you can also try IMVERTER – free online converter.