Ian's Software Site - JPGExtra Program

I've tried to make JPGExtra so super-simple that it should only need minimal instructions. That said, JPGExtra doesn't yet have an inbuilt "Help" feature, so this page will describe the usage in simple terms plus point out those things that aren't immediately obvious.

NEW RELEASE! Version 2 has just been publicly released!

JPGExtra Main Screen

What to Process: The left side of the window shows the drives on the system and the current folder plus a selection of which file types to process. Use the "Browse" button or double-click on the Drives or Folders to navigate to the folder to process.	Matching Files: The middle of the window shows the list of files in the chosen folder that match the file specification. The default specification is *.jpg, so this shows all files that end in ".jpg". Click on any individual file for details of that file (date, size). Double-click on any individual file to process just that one file.	Processing: The right side of the window shows the "Start Processing" button, totals of all files processed and totals of those files that were actually optimized, plus various processing and log file options.

JPGExtra Options

Processing Options:

[√] Analyse Only / Don't Modify: Allows a "test run", which will show what savings can be expected without actually modifying the files. If the Log File is enabled, the results can easily be analysed by importing the log file into spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel.

[√] Process Sub-Folders Also: JPGExtra will also process any lower-level folders that it finds below the chosen folder. For example, processing the "C:\My Documents" folder will also process the lower level "C:\My Documents\My Images" sub-folder, plus anything else further below. A whole drive can be processed in one pass using this option.

[√] Pause on Errors: When JPGExtra encounters any errors, it will pop up a dialog box showing the error, allowing you to continue or cancel further processing.

[√] Backup Original Files: When JPGExtra does modify a file, it will create a backup of the original file. This will have the same filename, with a different file extension. The default is .jpe, which is still recognised by most image viewing programs.

Backups are valuable for several reasons. First and foremost is the traditional reason of safety: Keeping backups in case of any errors. Second reason is for curiosity: Using image viewing software to compare the original file with the optimized file to verify that JPGExtra has not altered the image. Third reason is for archival purposes: Keeping the original, unaltered version, which may contain data (such as a meaningful comment, Exif digital camera info, etc.) that could prove useful in future (eg. for historical or legal reasons).

Log File Options:

(o) Log All Files Processed: Create a log entry for each file processed, even if the file was not modified or if there were any errors processing. If there was already an existing log file, add the entries to it, otherwise start a new log file.

(o) Log Files With Extras Only: Only create a log entry for those files that were found to contain extras and that were successfully optimized without errors.

(o) Don't Write to Log File: Don't create a log file (although if one already exists, don't delete it).

Typical JPGExtra Usage

Overview of Usage:
The idea is to more or less work from left to right. Choose the drive you want to process, choose the folder, choose the file types (eg. *.jpg, meaning all files that end in .jpg), then set any options and either click on the "Start Processing" button (to process all files) or double-click on any individual filename (to process just that one file).

Log File of JPG Files Processed:
Whilst processing, JPGExtra will create a Log File called !JPGExtra_Log.csv in the same folder as the files processed. This is a text file containing the Folder, File Name, File Date, File Sizes both Before and After processing, Bytes Saved, Percentage Saved, and any Errors encountered. Even on the free trial version of JPGExtra, this log file is the key to evaluating the savings that JPGExtra has achieved.

The Log File is designed to be imported into a spreadsheet. This can usually be done by locating the file with Windows Explorer and double-clicking on the filename. Sorting the resulting spreadsheet by either "Bytes Saved" or "Percent Saved" (especially in descending order) will very quickly highlight those files for which JPGExtra has made the biggest savings.

Optimizing Existing JPG Files:
Typically, users have a "library" of all of the JPG files for their web site sitting somewhere on a production computer. It's a simple matter to navigate to that folder using JPGExtra and process all of the JPG files therein. The optimized JPG files can then be re-uploaded to the web site.

Optimizing Newly Created JPG Files:
When working on additions to a web site, it's often a good idea to temporarily place any newly created JPG files into a separate folder (eg. "D:\NewImages\"). This simplifies the task of optimization because JPGExtra can very quickly process that one folder, after which the optimized JPG files can be uploaded to the web site as well as copied back to the image library.

Re-Optimizing JPG Files:
Unlike most other JPG optimization programs, JPGExtra can be run over the same JPG files any number of times. This is because JPGExtra does not modify the image data in any way and thus will never reduce their quality. If JPGExtra finds no "extras" in the file (as it won't if they have previously been optimized), those files will not be changed.

It's a good exercise to occasionally run JPGExtra over the whole of an image library to double-check that no files containing "extras" have made their way into the library (eg. through simply forgetting to optimize, restoring an old version of a file, etc). After re-processing the library, a quick check of the totals will show if any files were optimized. The log file will then be invaluable for determining those files that need to be re-uploaded.

Free Trial Version: - NEW RELEASE!
The previous release of JPGExtra had a free trial version that performed analysis and calculated totals but did not actually modify the files.

The latest release has a free trial version that allows ten files per session to be optimized for free. You can still analyse your whole library of JPG files, plus now you can actually see the results for yourself on selected files. If you're determined, you can actually use JPGExtra to optimize all of your files by processing them ten at a time, but why would you when it's so cheap to buy a full working version?

Installing & Configuring JPGExtra

Ultra-Simple Installation:
The JPGExtra program consists of only one executable file called JPGExtra2.exe. There are no DLL files, no configuration files, no help files, no changes needed to the registry or other Windows components. As a result, JPGExtra doesn't even need an installation program!

Installation involves simply saving that one executable file directly onto your computer and it's ready to run. The easiest location is your "Desktop" or to somewhere appropriate within the "Start Menu".

Un-installation is equally simply - just delete that one file.

More Advanced Installation:
A slightly more advanced manual installation will give a few additional startup options. Rather than saving the JPGExtra program directly to the "Desktop" or "Start Menu", it should instead be saved elsewhere, then a "Shortcut" should be created to run that program with your settings:

Save the executable file: JPGExtra2.exe somewhere onto your computer, such as into the folder: C:\Program Files\ (which is where most programs are stored). You could also create a new folder such as: C:\Program Files\JPGExtra\;
Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder where you saved the executable file;
Right-click that executable file, then click: Create Shortcut. This will create a shortcut named something like: Shortcut to JPGExtra2.exe;
Rename that shortcut to anything you like (eg. simply: JPGExtra);
Right-click that shortcut, then click: Properties;
Change the entry: Start In to the name of the folder where you would normally want JPGExtra to start looking for files. For example, if you entered: D:\NewImages\, you could then put any newly created JPG files into that folder, where they would be immediately ready for optimization next time you fired up JPGExtra;
Click the button: Change Icon and select either the small or large icon to suit your preference;
Change the option: Shortcut Key from None to something useful and easy to remember (eg. on my system, I use: CTRL-ALT-J). Having keyboard shortcuts is good practice for any programs, making it very quick to fire up programs without even reaching for the mouse;
Click the button: OK to save the changes.

The customized shortcut can then be copied or moved elsewhere on the computer. For example, it can be copied either to the "Desktop" or "Start Menu".

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