Compressing images to WEBP on Windows | EASY Guide | CWEBP crash course
TLDRIn this tutorial, Tech Notebook demonstrates how to convert images to the WEBP format on Windows using the command line tool cwebp, which is provided by Google. The video explains that WEBP is a highly compressed image format recommended by Google for SEO purposes. The process involves downloading the latest version of the libwebp software from Google's website, extracting the necessary files, and adding the bin folder to the system's PATH environment variable. Once set up, users can convert images by typing the cwebp command followed by the input and output file names. The video also touches on adjusting the quality of the converted images using the '-q' option and suggests exploring other tools like ffmpeg for video and audio file conversions.
Takeaways
- 🌐 WebP is a modern image format recommended by Google for better compression and SEO.
- 🔧 To convert images to WebP, you can use an online converter with a limited number of free conversions or use the command-line tool cwebp.
- 📥 Download the latest version of libwebp from googleapis.com for Windows x64 systems.
- 📁 Extract the downloaded libwebp files into a folder, such as 'path_programs' on your C drive.
- 💡 Add the folder containing cwebp to your system's PATH environment variable to run it from any command line.
- 📝 Use the command 'cwebp' followed by options, input file, and output file to convert images.
- 🔄 If file names have spaces, enclose them in quotation marks when using the command.
- 🎨 WebP is a lossy format, but you can adjust the quality with the '-q' option, where 100 is the highest quality.
- 📉 The script shows how to reduce a 4.9 MB image to 1 MB while maintaining good visual quality.
- 🔄 To convert multiple images, you can use batch scripts to automate the process using the cwebp command.
- 📚 For more options and commands, use 'cwebp --help' in the command line.
- 🌟 The video also suggests using ffmpeg for converting video and audio files in a similar manner.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video?
-The video is about how to convert any image format to the WEBP format on a Windows computer using the cwebp tool from Google.
Why is WEBP recommended for use on the internet?
-WEBP is recommended because it offers incredibly good compression, resulting in smaller file sizes while maintaining a good quality, which is beneficial for SEO as per Google's recommendations.
What is the name of the command-line tool used to convert images to WEBP format?
-The command-line tool used for converting images to WEBP format is called 'cwebp'.
How can you download the necessary software for converting images to WEBP?
-You can download the necessary software by visiting googleapis.com and finding the latest release of 'libwebp' for Windows x64.
What is the process of adding the 'cwebp' tool to your system path?
-After extracting the 'cwebp' tool from the downloaded zip file, you need to copy the path of the folder containing 'cwebp', then go to your system's environment variables, find the 'Path' variable, and add the folder's path to it.
How do you use the 'cwebp' command to convert an image?
-To use the 'cwebp' command, you type 'cwebp' followed by the input file name, an output flag (-o), and the desired output file name with the .webp extension.
What is the effect of using the quality option (-q) with 'cwebp'?
-The quality option (-q) allows you to set the quality level of the output WEBP image, with a number between 0 and 100, where a higher number results in better quality but a larger file size.
What is the file size difference after converting a 4.9 megabyte image to WEBP in the video?
-After converting a 4.9 megabyte image to WEBP, the file size is reduced to just one megabyte.
What is the lossy nature of the WEBP format mean in terms of image quality?
-The lossy nature of the WEBP format means that some image quality is lost during compression, but it is designed to not lose too much quality so that the image still looks good.
How can you get more information about the different options available for 'cwebp'?
-You can get more information about the different options available for 'cwebp' by running the command 'cwebp --help' in the command prompt.
What is ffmpeg and how is it related to the process shown in the video?
-FFmpeg is a similar tool to 'cwebp' that can be used to convert video and audio files, offering the same simplicity and effectiveness for media file conversions as demonstrated with 'cwebp' for image files.
What is the recommended way to remember the 'cwebp' command for future use?
-The recommended way to remember the 'cwebp' command is to practice using it and become familiar with the process, including the steps to add the tool to the system path and the command syntax for converting images.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to WebP Conversion
The video introduces the viewer to WebP, a modern image format that offers excellent compression while maintaining quality. The host, Tech Notebook, explains that WebP is recommended by Google for SEO purposes and demonstrates how to convert various image formats to WebP using a command-line tool provided by Google. The process involves downloading the 'libwebp' software from Google's official website, extracting its contents, and adding the bin folder to the system's PATH environment variable to enable command-line access to the 'cwebp' utility. The video also provides a step-by-step guide on how to use the 'cwebp' command to convert images, including handling file names with spaces and adjusting the output quality.
🖼️ Converting Images to WebP Format
This paragraph demonstrates the practical use of the 'cwebp' command to convert an image file to the WebP format. The host shows how to use the command by specifying the input PNG file, using options to set the output file, and adjusting the quality level. The video highlights the significant reduction in file size when converting to WebP and mentions that while it is a lossy format, the quality is still good. The host also explains how to fine-tune the conversion process using quality options and provides additional commands for further customization. The video concludes with a mention of using similar methods with FFmpeg for video and audio file conversions.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡WEBP
💡Image Compression
💡Google SEO Tips
💡Command Line
💡Batch Scripts
💡Google APIs
💡System Environment Variables
💡Lossy Compression
💡Quality Options
💡File Paths
💡FFmpeg
Highlights
The video provides a guide on converting images to the WEBP format on Windows.
WEBP is a highly compressed image format recommended by Google for SEO purposes.
Online converters have limits and may require payment, but there's a free alternative using cwebp.
Google provides cwebp, a command-line tool for converting images to WEBP, directly from their website.
The latest version of the libwebp can be downloaded from googleapis.com.
The downloaded files include a bin folder with executables and DLLs for various commands.
To use cwebp, you need to add its directory to the system's PATH environment variable.
After adding the directory to PATH, you can run cwebp from any command prompt.
The basic command to convert an image is 'cwebp input_filename -o output_filename.webp'.
File names with spaces should be enclosed in quotation marks when using the cwebp command.
The video demonstrates converting a 4.9 MB image to just 1 MB in WEBP format with cwebp.
WEBP is a lossy format, which means some quality is lost during compression.
The quality of the WEBP conversion can be adjusted with the '-q' option, ranging from 0 to 100.
Running 'cwebp --help' provides additional options and commands for image conversion.
The video suggests using ffmpeg for converting video and audio files in a similar manner.
The cwebp tool is lightweight and doesn't require installation beyond adding its path.
Batch conversion of multiple images is possible with cwebp and automation scripts.
The video concludes with a reminder to memorize the cwebp command for easy image conversion.