How to convert images into other formats

By the Ourmedia staff

If you'd like to convert photos or graphics from one format to another, you have lots of options.

Dozens of shareware programs will perform multimedia file conversions. Technology columnist Jim Coates of the Chicago Tribune recommends XnView, a freeware program for both the PC and Mac from Pierre Gougelet. (It's free for home use and for nonprofits but a charge applies for business use.) Among other things, the program converts images — including Adobe PSD and PDD file formats — into dozens of alternatives such as JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP and others.

Once the images are freed from their proprietary formats, they will open in the Pictures and Fax Viewer built into Windows as well as many other programs.

XnView's batch option handles large numbers of conversions at once. "Other features like customized slide shows, red eye correction, resizing and mode changing make this a freebie for which to pine," Coates writes.

Naturally, for-pay software programs like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Elements will perform these and many other tasks on your PC or Mac.

Sources: Chicago Tribune, Ourmedia

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