The free and portable Radical Image Optimization Tool (RIOT) has been an app I’ve recommended for a few years now (I think I’ve been using it since about 2008). As the name suggests it focuses on doing one thing, and doing it well optimizing images. It can compress, re-size, adjust, and convert your images in a way that leaves you in control of the end result.
The thing I like the most about riot is how easily I can manipulate multiple photos in just a few clicks. Thanks to the “batch” button on the toolbar I can select an entire folder of images that I want to re-size and/or compress, and the speed at which it can process the images is rather incredible. This is great for emailing off a slew of photos when you’re concerned about the attachment size.
Most of the time I use RIOT for batch optimizations, but this regularly-updated app is equipped with all kinds of other features:
- Open many image types including rare/scientific types
- Save and optimize JPEG, GIF and PNG with a simple, clean user interface
- Works in dual view: (original – optimized image) or single view (optimized image).
- Automatic preview of resulting image
- In-place compare function (alternativelly display the original image over the optimized image to notice small pixel changes)
- Compress files to desired file-size threshold
- Fast processing (all is done in memory);
- See instant results including resulting file-size
- Batch support (process multiple files at once)
- Transparency handling options
- Decide if you want to keep meta-data (comments, IPTC, Adobe XMP, EXIF profiles, ICC profiles).
- Transfer meta-data between image formats (destination format must support them)
- Common tools: pan and zoom, rotate, flip
- Basic image adjustments: brightness, contrast, gamma, invert
- Visually reduce number of unique colors for PNG and GIF images in order to reduce file-size
- Re-size image by using well known re-sample filters (ex: Lanczos3, Catmull Rom, Bicubic, and others)
- Compression and the results are comparable to those of commercial products, even higher.
- Adaptive logarithmic tone mapping algorithm (Drago) used for HDR images
Seeing that RIOT is free and portable you can give it a try without much worry. I highly recommend keeping this one in your toolbox.
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