Resize images in bulk in Windows 10

In case you haven’t noticed, I blog a lot. And I learned the hard way that if my blog posts don’t have pictures, no one ever clicks on them. Since I have a day job, I tend to write in bulk, and that means I tend to deal with images in bulk. Here’s how I resize images in bulk in Windows 10.

The classic application Irfanview, a favorite image viewer among long-time Windows users, includes a bulk rename feature. Here’s where it hides and how to use it.

Resize images in bulk in Windows 10 in Irfanview

Open Irfanview, then navigate to File > Batch conversion/rename. The user interface here is a little crowded, but it’s not bad once you know where the options you need are. Navigate to the folder that contains the images you want to bulk resize in the upper right, if Irfanview isn’t already there. Check the box labeled Use advanced options (for bulk resize), then click Advanced. Here you can check the box labeled Resize and pick from a number of options, including number of megapixels, a percentage of the size of the original, or dimensions, as measured in pixels, inches, or centimeters. You can even set the dimensions in just one direction. I use this option quite a bit, since an image height of 500 pixels works pretty well for blogging. I let the width vary to avoid destroying the picture’s original proportions.

There are lots of other options too, which you may or may not find useful, including cropping the images. Just be aware that they’re there. Click OK once you have the settings you want.

Next, go to the option labeled output folder for result files. The default may not be what you want. You may or may not want to overwrite your original files, depending on why you’re resizing. If you’re trying to save disk space, you do want to overwrite the originals. But there are also times when you want to preserve originals.

With your options set, pick your files in the upper right, or, if all the files you want to rename are organized into their own folder already, click Add all. When you’re ready, click Start Batch.

Rename and resize images in bulk in Windows 10 and Irfanview

There’s an option in the top left that not only lets you resize images in bulk, but you can rename them too. This provides another way to avoid overwriting files. This also provides a really quick way to deal with hundreds of images from your camera named IMG[number], so you can rename them to something relevant. Where you were or what you were doing when you took the picture is one idea. You may want to include a date as well.

If you want to preserve the existing name but add something to it, insert $N into the field labeled name pattern. Then put the text you want before or after the name. Typing something like Springfield IL $N into the name pattern will yield image names that look like Springfield IL IMG007139. That’s an improvement.

You can also number the images sequentially based on a naming pattern. Typing something like Springfield IL ### into the name pattern will yield image names that look like Springfield IL 001 through Springfield IL 999.

We used to write things like that on the back of the picture, back in the old days of film. Putting relevant information like a place and or subject and date in the filename makes it easier for us to find stuff. Or for our kids to find what they’re looking for in our pictures in the distant future.

Most of the images we take probably will have limited value in the future, but we can’t predict what events will turn a throwaway image into something novel and valuable. Renaming our images appropriately will make it easier to find them when we need them.