ImageSlimmer – Instructions (Free)

1) What is this?

ImageSlimmer is a lightweight Windows utility that compresses and resizes JPG and PNG images for web use. It's designed for batch processing entire folders quickly without needing Photoshop or online tools.

Non-destructive: Your original images are never modified. All processed images are saved to a new timestamped subfolder like web_ready_20250120_143052.

2) Why you might want it

Quickly optimize images for faster website loading.
Batch resize product photos to consistent dimensions.
Reduce file sizes for email attachments or uploads.
Create web-ready thumbnails from high-res originals.
Convert between JPG and PNG formats with transparency handling.

3) Supported formats

Input Formats	Output Formats
JPG / JPEG	JPG (with quality control)
PNG	PNG (lossless)

You can keep the original format, or convert all images to JPG or PNG using the Output Format option.

4) Quick start (fastest way)

Create (or pick) a folder containing your JPG or PNG images.
Copy ImageSlimmer.exe into that same folder.
Double‑click the EXE to launch it.
Select a preset (e.g., "Website Standard") or customize settings.
Click Start Processing.
Your optimized images appear in: web_ready_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS\

Tip: Click "Open Output Folder" after processing to jump straight to your results.

5) Preset profiles

ImageSlimmer includes preset profiles for common use cases. Select one and the settings are automatically configured. You can still tweak them after selecting.

Preset	Max Width	JPG Quality	Best For
Website Standard	1600px	82%	Hero images, banners, general web
Blog / Article	1200px	80%	Blog post images, articles
Thumbnails	600px	75%	Gallery thumbnails, previews
Product Listings	1500px	82%	E-commerce product photos
PNG Transparency	1200px	—	Logos, icons, transparent images
Custom	Your choice	Your choice	Full manual control

6) Settings explained

Max Width / Max Height

Images larger than these dimensions will be resized to fit. Set to 0 for no limit on that dimension.

Default: 1600px width, 0 height
Aspect ratio is preserved by default
Use both for "fit inside box" behavior

Keep aspect ratio

When enabled, images maintain their original proportions when resized.

Default: ON
Turn OFF to force exact dimensions (may distort)

Don't upscale smaller images

Prevents small images from being enlarged beyond their original size.

Default: ON
A 800px image won't become 1600px

JPG Quality

Controls compression level for JPG output. Lower = smaller file, more artifacts.

Range: 10% – 100%
Default: 80%
70-85% is ideal for web use

Strip metadata (EXIF)

Removes camera info, GPS coordinates, and other embedded data.

Default: ON
Reduces file size slightly
Improves privacy

Include subfolders

When enabled, processes images in nested subdirectories too.

Default: OFF
Useful for organizing large collections

7) Output format options

Keep original format

JPG stays JPG, PNG stays PNG. This is the default and safest option.

Convert all to JPG

All images become JPG. Good for maximum compression when you don't need transparency.

Convert all to PNG

All images become PNG. Lossless quality but larger file sizes.

Transparency handling

When converting transparent PNGs to JPG, you can choose what happens to transparent areas:

Flatten on white: Transparent areas become white
Flatten on black: Transparent areas become black
Keep PNG: Images with transparency stay PNG

Warning: Converting transparent PNGs to JPG will lose transparency unless you select "Keep PNG (preserve alpha)".

8) Output files

Processed images are saved to a timestamped subfolder:

web_ready_20250120_143052\
├── photo1.jpg
├── photo2.jpg
├── logo.png
└── banner.jpg

Original filenames are preserved. If duplicates would occur, the tool appends _1, _2, etc. to avoid overwriting.

9) Tips for best results

For smallest files: Use 70-75% JPG quality, max width 1200px
For best quality: Use 85-90% JPG quality, max width 1600-2000px
For transparency: Use "PNG Transparency" preset or "Convert all to PNG"
For product photos: 1500px width at 82% quality is a good balance
For thumbnails: 600px width at 75% quality keeps files tiny
Always keep "Don't upscale smaller images" ON unless you specifically need enlargement

10) Troubleshooting

No images found (0 images)

Make sure the EXE is in the same folder as your images
Check that images are JPG or PNG format (other formats not supported)
"Include subfolders" is OFF by default – enable it if images are in subdirectories

Output files are larger than originals

This can happen with already-optimized images
Try increasing JPG quality slightly (reduces re-compression)
Consider using "Keep original format" instead of forcing conversion

Some images fail to process

The image file may be corrupted or use an unsupported encoding
Try re-saving the image in another program and running again
Check the log box for specific error messages

Windows security warning

Right-click the EXE → Properties → Check "Unblock" → OK
This is normal for downloaded executables

12) Support ticket template

Use this template if you're reporting a bug:

Tool: ImageSlimmer (Free)
Windows version: (e.g. Windows 10 / 11)
What you expected:
What happened:
Settings used:
  - Preset: 
  - Max Width/Height:
  - JPG Quality:
  - Output Format:
Number of images in folder:
Example image (attach one that fails, if possible):
Log output (copy from the log box):