The SnagIt Batch Image Converter comes free with your registered copy of SnagIt screen capture software, and if you haven’t been using it, you’re missing out on an excellent graphic app. The SnagIt Batch Image Converter allows you to apply a number of filters and image modifications to a group of photos, pictures or graphics and then save it in the format of your choosing. SnagIt Batch Image Converter also includes a handy filenaming tool that lets you create a series of images grouped together by date and other attributes.

To access SnagIt Batch Image Converter, you must have SnagIt Editor installed. You can get a free trial version or purchase a full version at http://www.techsmith.com

After you install SnagIt, the Batch Image Converter will appear in your right-click contextual menu in Windows Explorer.

To begin a new batch image conversion job, highlight a group of images by holding SHIFT and clicking each one.

Right-click the group of images and choose Snagit > Batch Convert Images.

This will launch the Batch Image Converter Select Files dialog. Here, you can add or remove files in addition to the ones you’ve already selected. Click Next when you’re done.

The next step is the Conversion Filters window. This is where all the magic happens. You can choose one or more modifications that will be applied to all of your images in the batch.

Click Modify and then choose a modification from the drop-down menu below. Some of the most useful are image scaling, rotate images, border and edge effects and watermarks.

You can add your modifications one at a time. SnagIt Batch Image Converter will show you a preview of how the effect will look. Because you have multiple images selected, it will apply the selected changes to a SnagIt logo. Once you are satisfied with the effects, click Next.

The next dialog is also very important. Begin by choosing an output directory where you’d like to save your converted images. It’s a good idea to keep your converted images in a separate folder from the originals, so you don’t get them mixed up. Next, choose a file format. This is the format that all of your converted images will be saved as. You can also click Options for more settings which are specific to that file format.

Lastly, choose a file name. By default, SnagIt will assign it its original file name, except with the appropriate file extension (if you changed the format). But you can also choose an automatic file name. Click Options to choose how the automatic file naming works. Here, you can choose a number of automatic file name components to base the outputted file name on. For example, you can include the system date, the username that you’re logged in under, a modifier or an ascending number. For example, if you choose Original Filename plus automatic number, your files will be named image001.png, image002.png, image003.png and so on.

When you are done, click Next and confirm your settings. Click Finish and the batch image conversion begins. They will be saved to the folder of your choosing and the originals will be left intact.