• Change the size to 640 x 480 pixels
• Change the color depth to 256 colors
• Change the resolution to 72 dots per inch
• Add a sequential number to the end of the filename
• Convert the filename entirely to lower-case
• Save the file as a JPG at 75% quality
• Create a thumbnail for each image that's 100 pixels wide and 72 dpi
• Add "thn" to the end of the thumbnail filename
• Save the thumbnail as a JPG at 75% quality

As you can see, that's a lot of work if I had to do each photo individually. Imagine the time it would take me if I did it myself. Fortunately ReaConverter Pro did all the heavy-lifting for me. And it took only five minutes! This was on a 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 machine with a gigabyte of RAM, so your mileage may vary.

Let's show you how it was done. In Figure A you will see the main screen of ReaConverter Pro.

FIGURE A


ReaConverter has a clutter-free interface. Roll over picture for a larger image.

It has three tabs that allow you to do each step of your work. Step 1 allows you to choose which files you want converted, Step 2 allows you to choose each action that you want to apply to the images, and Step 3 allows you to specify where and how you want the images saved. It's also the place where you can choose to create thumbnails along with your images.

In Step 1, I chose all of my files in the "2003 Car Show Pics Master" folder and added them to be processed by clicking the Add All To File List button.

I then selected the Step 2 tab. This is where I chose all of the actions to do to my images. The first thing I elected to do was resize the photo to 640 x 480. I chose Resize from the list of possible actions drop down box. I then made my height and width choices, and clicked the Add to Script button as seen in Figure B. I did the same thing for changing the color resolution. Once I was done with that, I moved on to my Save Parameters.

FIGURE B


Choosing your actions is easy. Roll over picture for a larger image.

I chose Step 3 on the final tab. This is where you specify how and where you want your final image saved. It's also where you can choose whether or not you want thumbnails created and how you want them created. I started by telling ReaConverter Pro where I wanted to save the new images. I then specified that I wanted to save my converted files as JPG, as shown in Figure C.

FIGURE C


The Specify Save Parameters tab lets you choose your save options. Roll over picture for a larger image.

You have 13 different file formats to choose from. This should be more than enough to satisfy most people's needs. I then clicked the Additional Settings button. This area as shown in Figure D allows you to get more in-depth with the individual settings. I chose 75 percent for the quality and then clicked OK to return to Step 3.

FIGURE D


You can tweak your advanced settings. Roll over picture for a larger image.

To finish up the main images, I added a numerical suffix to the end of each filename, and I chose to make the case of the filename all lower-case. Once my main choices were complete, I chose the Thumbnails Parameters tab.