Image Convert Ninja: Convert, Resize, Crop & View. 16K, HDR. (original) (raw)

Input

Image Viewer

: Conversion Results

Live Preview

Input

Tuning

Output

Welcome to the Image Convert Ninja documentation!

Here you will find all the information you need to know about using this tool.

Image Viewer

Image Viewer lets you see the images you upload right on the page. You don’t need any extra software or plug-ins. The tool uses the power of your device’s GPU (using WebGL), so it is as good as, or even better than, some desktop image viewers.

You can use Image Convert Ninja because of Image Viewer alone, without using the format conversion features at all. You can also use it on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, which usually don’t have good image viewer software. They usually only have a standard photo gallery app. For instance, Image Convert Ninja's Image Viewer can handle TIFF, HDR or EXR formats, which most mobile photo viewers don’t support.

Controls Lock

When you open your first image, and it is loaded in the Image Viewer, you can start working with it.

By default, the Image Viewer controls are locked. This is on purpose to make sure that the zoom and pan features in the Image Viewer don’t accidentally mess with the page scrolling.

For example, if the Image Viewer controls are unlocked, when you move the mouse over the Image Viewer and then try to scroll the page using the wheel, you’ll zoom in and out of the image in the Image Viewer instead of scrolling the page. Likewise, on a mobile device, when you swipe with your finger over the Image Viewer with the controls unlocked, you’ll move the image instead of scrolling. This can be confusing at first, that’s why the controls are locked by default.

If you want to unlock the Image Viewer controls, use the padlock icon in the lower left corner of the Image Viewer.

Panning

To pan or move the image in any direction inside the Image Viewer, you can click or tap on the image and drag it to where you want. You can use the left mouse button or your finger if you are on a mobile device.

Zooming

To zoom in or out, you can scroll the mouse wheel or use pinch gestures on the image. You can do this on any part of the Image Viewer.

Reset View

Double-click or double-tap anywhere in the Image Viewer to fit an image into the current frame of the Image Viewer viewport.

Full Screen Mode

To see the image in full screen mode, you can click the button with a square icon at the top right corner of the Image Viewer. This will make the Image Viewer fill the whole screen of you device. Now you can enjoy the image in full size.

To go back to the normal mode, you can click the button again or press the Esc key if you are on a computer.

If you are using an iPad, moving the image in full screen mode can be a bit tricky. When you switch to full screen mode on your iPad, you will see this message:

“rendersnail.com” is in full screen. Swipe down to exit.

This means that if you move your finger down quickly, iPadOS will register this motion as a "swipe down" gesture, which will cause you to exit full screen mode.

To pan an image in full screen mode on iPad:

On smartphones, full screen mode is not available. That's because it doesn't make sense on small screens because on a mobile phone you will already have Image Viewer fame at the full width of a screen, and switching to full screen won't make any difference. In addition, smartphone browsers do not support full screen well, which can lead to a white screen instead of content, as well as unexpected page reloads.

Live Preview

When you upload an image, the Image Viewer displays the original image for a moment. Meanwhile, the image conversion starts in the background. When the conversion is complete, the converted image replaces the original in the viewer, so you can see the result immediately. Each time you change the conversion parameters, the process restarts in the background and the new image appears as soon as the conversion is complete. This means you can see the conversion results in near real-time (depending on the image settings and your device's performance), hence the name "Live Preview".

This is a unique feature that you probably won't find in any other image conversion software.

The live preview feature in Image Convert Ninja enables you to effortlessly find the optimal balance between image quality and file size. This feature eliminates the need for guesswork and repeated saving and checking of images.

With Live Preview, you can experiment with different settings and instantly see the results, allowing you to achieve the perfect quality-size balance for your needs.

Instant Results

When you load an image, Image Convert Ninja immediately converts it based on your current settings, displaying the result live in the Image Viewer. This allows you to tweak settings and see the outcome almost instantly, depending on the image size and your device's performance.

To preview provided image "as is" without conversion impact and retain transparency, choose the lossless PNG format.

Size Prediction

As you adjust the image settings, Image Convert Ninja predicts the final file size, providing crucial information on how much space your saved image will occupy. This size indicator is conveniently located right at the yellow Save Image Button.

Input

To begin, you'll need to open an image.

When you add your first image, Ninja's Image Viewer will display it almost instantly or after a brief loading period, depending on the image's format, size, and your device's performance. You might see a spinning icon while it loads. Once loaded, you can start using the tool.

Basic information about the opened image will be displayed at the top of the Input pane.

Example: Input: car.png | 1.2 MB | 1 920 x 1 080px

In this example, "car.png" is the name of the uploaded image, "1.2 MB" is its original file size before conversion, and "1 920 x 1 080 px" represents the original image resolution.

Using Input panel you can load images into Image Convert Ninja in several ways, as described below.

By Open / Change Image Button

The most straightforward method is to click the big blue OPEN IMAGE button. On desktop, it's located at the top right. On narrower screens, such as mobile phones, it is located directly below the Image Viewer - a large rectangular area with a cool blue Ninja logo.

Click this button, and it will open a standard file dialog box for your browser and OS where you can locate your image file.

Once the image is loaded, you will see it in the Image Viewer viewport instead of the Image Convert Ninja logo. The text on this button will change from OPEN IMAGE to CHANGE IMAGE to indicate that you can add another image. You can change the current image with another one as many times as you want. No need to reload the page.

By Clipboard

You can transfer an image to the Image Viewer using the clipboard.

First, copy the image to the clipboard from a screenshot app, editor, browser, or other sources. Use corresponding app context menu or hotkeys Ctrl + C / ⌘ + C.

Once the image data is in the clipboard, return to Image Convert Ninja and paste it using:

With the Paste from Clipboard option, Image Convert Ninja provides the easiest way to save images from the clipboard. For example, when using some screenshot tools, especially those built into operating systems, you can copy the screen image to the clipboard, but saving it to the right folder on your computer and in the right format can be a real pain. With Image Ninja, this process becomes as simple as possible. Copy from anywhere, paste it here and you're done!

To use an image from the web with Image Convert Ninja, you can provide a direct link to the image.

  1. In the dropdown menu next to the Clipboard button, select the second option: Enter Image URL. The button on the left will change to a By Link button.
  2. Click the By Link button to open a dialog box where you can paste or type the image URL. This feature is particularly handy for mobile devices.

Additionally, you can paste or drop links in the same way you would with files.

By Base64 Text

If you have an image encoded in Base64 format as plain text, you can paste it directly using the paste hotkey or the By Base64 Text button.

  1. In the dropdown menu next to the Clipboard button, select the third option: Enter Base64 Image. The button on the left will change to By Base64 Text.
  2. Click the By Base64 Text button to open a dialog box where you can paste the Base64 image code as plain text. The Image Convert Ninja will automatically convert base64 text to an image for further use.

By Drag and Drop

Another approach is to use drag and drop. You can grab an image and drop it directly onto the Image Viewer viewport.

If you are on a mobile device, this option isn't available for most devices, simply because most mobile operating systems only allow one app to be displayed at a time, preventing you from dragging something from one app window and dropping it into another app window.

Input Formats

Image Convert Ninja supports all major web formats as well as additional formats that are typically considered desktop-only.

Web formats

These are formats used on web pages as online images. They include JPEG, WebP, AVIF, PNG, APNG, GIF, SVG, BMP, and ICO.

Some of these formats, such as PNG, GIF, WebP, AVIF, and SVG, may contain an alpha channel. The checkerboard backdrop will be visible in the Image Viewer viewport through the parts of the image affected by the alpha.

The APNG and GIF formats can contain animation. However, Image Convert Ninja will only show the first frame and ignore the rest.

Desktop Formats

These types of files are often found exclusively in desktop software, but the online Image Convert Ninja tool can open HEIC, HEIF, 8-bit TIFF, 32-bit HDR, and 32-bit EXR files right in your browser.

Maximum Input Resolution

Browsers themselves limit the maximum input image size that can be loaded into memory.

For desktop browsers based on Chromium, this limit is about 32K pixels. For Firefox and mobile browsers, this limit is lower and depends on the browser.

This means that if you upload an image that exceeds this limit, the browser will refuse to use it at all.

Additionally, Image Convert Ninja uses WebGL and treats images as textures, so the maximum resolution it can process is additionally limited by the browser's Maximum Texture Size property.

For desktop browsers based on Chromium, it is about 16K pixels (16384px on the larger side). In Firefox, this limit is 8K pixels (8192px on the larger side). For mobile devices, texture size limit can be even lower.

This means that even if you upload, say, a 30K image, the browser may reduce the input resolution to 16K, 8K, or less.

Tuning

The Tuning panel offers detailed image customization options. It contains several collapsed panes, with the Quality panel expanded by default. Clicking on any collapsed panel will expand it while collapsing all other panels.

Flip & Rotate

The Flip & Rotate pane lets you mirror or rotate your image.

Flip

Click the button again to undo the flip.

Rotate

Click the button again to undo the rotation.

Crop

The Crop pane in Image Convert Ninja provides access to the image Cropper - dedicated editor designed for precise image cropping. Together with the ability to open virtually any image format, this tool provides unparalleled flexibility and performance for online image cropping.

To begin cropping:

  1. Click the Specify Crop Area button to open the Cropper dialog.
  2. In the Cropper, a blue selection box overlay will appear on your image. Drag and resize this box to define your desired crop area.
  3. Click the Apply Crop Area button to apply the selected crop.

Image Convert Ninja will instantly update the Image Viewer with a Live Preview of the cropped image and display the updated file size in the Output panel.

The Specify Crop Area button will change to Edit Crop Area, indicating that the Cropper retains your crop data. Click this button again to edit the previously applied crop area[2].

To revert the image to its original size, click the reset button featuring the icon.

Cropper Dialog Controls

Once you've made your adjustments, click the Apply Crop Area button to apply the selected crop to your image. You can also apply the crop area by double-clicking on the crop box.

Resolution

The Resolution pane lets you change the size of the converted image. Enter the desired width or height in pixels, then click Apply or press Enter.

Image Convert Ninja immediately Live Preview converted image with a new resolution in the Image Viewer and displays the updated file size in the Output panel.

You can adjust the resolution multiple times. To undo the input values to last applied change, click Reset Last. To restore the original image size, click Reset Init.

Aspect Lock

By default, the tool maintains the image's original proportions. Changing one dimension automatically adjusts the other.

To change dimensions independently, click Aspect Lock button located between the Width and Height input fields. Be aware that this can visually distort the image if the new proportions differ significantly from the original. Unlocking the aspect, make sure you know what you are doing.

Reducing Resolution

Decreasing the resolution significantly reduces file size but also decreases image sharpness. There's a trade-off between smaller file size and image clarity.

Increasing Resolution

You can enlarge images, but this tool doesn't improve image quality. Upscaling only increases the number of pixels, which inevitably results in a larger image file size without any improvement in detail.

LDR (non HDR) Interpolation

When changing image resolution (reducing or increasing), the number of pixels is altered. To prevent pixelated results from simple pixel number recalculation, a filtering technique is applied to blend adjacent pixels. This process requires additional processing but achieves a smooth result:

It's worth noting that pixel blending can slightly reduce image sharpness, particularly when significantly decreasing resolution. This trade-off between smoothness and sharpness is completely acceptable for most images.

HDR Interpolation

For HDR images, the process differs slightly. Due to performance considerations, Image Convert Ninja doesn't employ filtering algorithms when changing the resolution of HDR or EXR images.

Instead, Image Convert Ninja simplifies the process by directly recalculating the number of pixels without applying image interpolation filters. This means:

Quality (Compression)

The Quality pane allows you to choose how much you want to reduce the size of the image file by reducing its quality. Using the slider or the input field, you can set the compression level from 0% to 100%. The lower the compression level, the smaller the file size, but the worse the quality. The higher the level, the larger the file size, but the better the quality.

The Quality panel is only active when you've chosen a compressible format to save your image, such as JPEG, WebP or AVIF. These formats use an image data compression technique, which means they discard some details of the image to reduce its size. All other output formats are lossless formats, which means they preserve all the details of the image, but at the expense of its size. That's why the Compression / Quality panel is grayed out when you choose lossless output formats.

The Image Convert Ninja is a wonderful image compressor and image size reducer, combined with the Live Preview feature, it allows you to find the perfect balance between image quality and file size.

Output

The Output panel is where you can select conversion format and choose where to save converted image to your device on to copy it ti clipboard. This panel also provides helpful information about the converted image.

Example: Output: car_(r1920x1080_q80).avif | 187.5 KB | in 15.37s

In this example:

Format Selector

This is a drop-down list with available formats for saving the image. Here you can choose between compressible and lossless formats. The default format is JPEG. If you select one of the compressible formats, the Compression / Quality panel will become active, where you can also choose the desired compression level.

Copy to Clipboard

This feature allows you to copy the converted image to your clipboard with a single click, making it easier to transfer images between applications without needing to save and manually upload them. Simply copy the image to your clipboard and then paste it into another website, messenger (like WhatsApp or Telegram), or any other app that accepts images.

This functionality is perfect for quick sharing and efficient multitasking, enhancing productivity by simplifying the process of using and distributing images.

Copy to Clipboard: Copy Image

By default, the Copy Image option is selected.

The Copy Image button will copy the converted image data to your clipboard as an image, allowing you to share this image with other apps that support pasting images from the clipboard.

Copy to Clipboard: Copy Base64

When Copy Base64 is selected, the button copies the image as a Base64-encoded URL to the clipboard. You can use this feature to insert an image into HTML or CSS code [background: url(Base64 image string goes here...)], or to share it online without saving it as a file. This button is only active when you've selected JPEG, WebP, or PNG as the output format.

Save (Download) Image Button

Click the Save Image Button to download it directly to your device. Thanks to the Live Preview magic, your image is already pre-converted, so saving happens in a flash!

While Saving

The button will change to "Converting..." with a loading indicator. Once ready, a standard file save dialog will appear, allowing you to choose a destination on your device.

Preserving Transparency

Transparency (alpha channel) in uploaded images will be maintained in the Image Viewer and during saving. To retain transparency, during saving, choose a format that supports it (all formats except JPEG).

Saving a transparent image as a JPEG will convert transparent pixels to white, resulting in a white background.

File Naming

From Clipboard

Images taken from the clipboard do not have an initial name, so they will be given a unique name using current date and time.

Example: Passing an image from clipboard and saving it as JPEG on May 24, 2024, at 5:03:52 PM, will produce filename as: "Clipboard Image May 24, 2024 at 17-03-52.jpg".

From File or URL

Images converted from a file or URL do have an initial name. Therefore, the saved file will inherit the name of your uploaded image, with only the extension changed.

Example: Uploading "car.png" and choosing WEBP format will save the file as "car.webp".

In case if you change the compression quality, resolution, or both, a corresponding suffix will be added to the filename.

Example: Uploading "car.png" with a resolution of 1920x1080px, choosing WEBP format with 80% quality, as well as downsizing it to 1000x563px will result in a filename: "car_(r1000x563_q80).webp".

If a flip or rotation is applied, a corresponding suffix will be added to the filename.

Example: If you flip the image horizontally and rotate it 90 degrees clockwise, the filename will be: "car_(fx_cv).webp".

Stripping Image Metadata

Image metadata - embedded information within an image, often includes details about the capturing device, its camera specifications, the operating system, editing software, and even the location where it was taken. While this information can be helpful in some cases, it can also pose privacy concerns. If you want to remove metadata from an image without altering its visual content, Image Convert Ninja is the perfect tool for the job.

Unlike other methods that depend on explicitly removing metadata, Image Convert Ninja achieves this by simply ignoring it entirely. The tool focuses exclusively on manipulating the pixel data of an image, without even reading the metadata from the source image you provide. Essentially, Image Convert Ninja neither accesses nor reinserts metadata during the image reading/saving process.

To remove metadata using Image Convert Ninja, simply upload the desired image, choose the preferred output format, and save it. The resulting image will retain its original visual characteristics while being devoid of embedded metadata.

Output Formats

You can save/convert images to the formats listed below.

Compressible

Lossless

PNG, GIF, BMP and ICO.

Maximum Output Resolution

By default, Image Convert Ninja is set up to limit the maximum output resolution to 16384px on the larger side. However, this limit is not enforced by the browser. Different browsers have their own internal limits, defined by combination of hardware, operating system, and the browser itself.

In short, the browser limits the total number of pixels (width*height) of the so-called "Drawing Buffer", used by Image Convert Ninja during the conversion process, which is regulated by the maximum memory allocated to the browser tab with the page. If combination of width & height exceeds this limit, browser will limit the output Drawing Buffer.

Example: On macOS (MacBook Air M1 16Gb), the maximum width for 16/9 aspect images is around:

These values can vary depending on the specific device and system configuration.

Another important thing is that this limit is not exposed by any browser API. So Image Convert Ninja cannot know it in advance until the limit is exceeded.

Let's say you opened a 20K image. Image Convert Ninja will request the browser API to perform a conversion of the full 20K, but the browser will limit it to, let's say, 8K. The output image will be 8K.

Image Convert Ninja will then compare the actual (8K) size with the internal (16K) limit and set a new, actual limit for the current image. This will affect the maximum resolution you can set for this image in the resolution input fields in the Tuning panel > Resolution pane. You will also see a notification sign at the right side of the Resolution pane title with the actual limit specified.

General

Performance

Image Convert Ninja is a powerful web-based program that works with images by using the power of your device. It makes use of both the CPU and the GPU. This implies that the speed of uploading, processing, and saving images is directly determined by the speed of your device and the size of the images you use.

If you are opening a very large image of several hundred megabytes, Image Convert Ninja will handle it, but it will take some time.

If you are dealing with a very large image, the processing may take several seconds, which exceeds the process execution time limit of your browser. In response to this, your browser may think that Image Convert Ninja is "frozen" and not working properly. Then it will show you a prompt that says "Page not responding" and ask you to "Wait" or "Exit" the page. In this case, you don't need to do anything, just wait for the image to load. The browser will close this window by itself.

Security

Image Convert Ninja is technically a client-side only program that runs exclusively in your browser. It does not use a server to process images, but instead uses the power of your device. Since all image processing takes place locally in your browser, Image Convert Ninja is completely private and secure. It doesn't even require an internet connection, except for the one-time download of this page. No one but you know what images you are viewing or converting here.

About

Why Ninja?

Image Convert Ninja - Free online image converter with HDRI support.

The Image Convert Ninja logo features a cartoon ninja breaking a board labeled "Image" into three pieces: .JPEG, .WebP, and .PNG. This symbolizes the tool's ability to take one image and convert it to different formats.

The ninja represents speed and accuracy, highlighting Image Convert Ninja as a fast and efficient way to view and convert images online. It also symbolizes stealth and secrecy, ensuring that your images are safe and private. Moreover, the ninja's mastery of many skills represents the tool's versatility, from adjusting brightness and compression levels to copying images as base64 code and displaying them in high resolution.

Finally, the ninja character adds a fun and friendly element. Image Convert Ninja is designed to be easy and enjoyable to use, with a simple and intuitive interface that requires no learning curve for non-professional users. Just open it, and you will immediately understand how to use it, even if it is your first time.

To sum it up, Image Convert Ninja is a fast, easy, secure, and fun way to view and convert images online.

History

In 2022, Image Convert Ninja was launched as a 32-bit online image viewer. The goal was to provide a cross-platform service for opening HDR or EXR files on Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, or Android devices, bringing the desktop app experience to the web and mobile devices.

It soon became clear that this tool could do much more. It was expanded to view all common 8-bit image formats, and later it was “upgraded” to be used not only for viewing but also for converting images. Thus, what was originally an online HDR file viewer has evolved into a comprehensive online image converter and viewer, offering users a number of features and benefits that no one else provides for free.

Image Convert Ninja aims to fill a gap in free online image processing services by providing functionality that is both extensive and accessible to non-professional users. Unlike other services that are either too limited or too complicated, Image Convert Ninja offers a balanced solution.

Feedback

Feel free to reach out with any questions, feedback, or suggestions. Your input is invaluable in helping improve Image Convert Ninja.

Thank you for using Image Convert Ninja. Enjoy fast, secure, and high-quality online image conversion and viewing!

Updates

v7.5.1 (Sep 24, 2024 Update): Enhanced Smooth Interpolation for Image Resizing

v7.4.0 (Aug 20, 2024 Update): Enhanced Image Creation and Base64 Support

v7.3.0 (Aug 13, 2024 Update): Cropper's Image Rotation

v7.2.0 (Aug 12, 2024 Update): Crop Box Aspect Ratio

v7.1.0 (Aug 10, 2024 Update): Draw and Pan Modes for more Precise Cropping

The Cropper has been enhanced with two new tools for more precise image cropping:

v7.0.0 (Aug 06, 2024 Update): Image Cropper

v6.1.0 (Jul 31, 2024 Update): Image Rotation

In this update, you can now rotate images in 90° increments clockwise and counter-clockwise in a single click.

v6.0.0 (Jul 30, 2024 Update): Image Flipper

In this update, the new Flip feature has been introduced, allowing you to easily flip images horizontally and vertically. The Flip pane includes buttons for flipping Left/Right and Top/Bottom, providing more control over image orientation.

v5.0.0 (Jul 27, 2024 Update): Image Resizing Feature & Collapsible Panes

v4.2.0 (Jun 26, 2024 Update): AVIF & WebP with Variable Compression

v4.1.0 (Jun 13, 2024 Update): Copy Image Button

v4.0.0 (Jun 06, 2024 Update): Live Preview Introduced

v3.5.0 (May 24, 2024 Update): Full Transparency Support

v3.4.0 (May 01, 2024 Update)

v3.3.0 (Apr 24, 2024 Update)

v3.2.0 (Apr 15, 2024 Update)

v3.1.0 (Sep 17, 2023 Update)

v3.0.0 (Sep 10, 2023 Update)

v2.2.1 (Aug 31, 2023 Update)

v2.1.0 (Mar 17, 2023 Update)

v2.0.0 (Mar 11, 2023 Update)