Automates ImageOptim, ImageAlpha, and JPEGmini for Mac to make batch optimisation of images part of your automated build process.
Table of Contents
- ImageOptim is excellent for publishing images on the web (easily shrinks images “Saved for Web” in Photoshop). It's useful for making Mac and iPhone / iPad applications smaller (if you configure Xcode to allow better optimization).
- Maybe a helpful alternative for a plain-colored background:. Put a LinearLayout over the ImageView and use the LinearLayout as a opacity filter. In the following a small example with a black background.
For more complex images, if we can’t produce a file between 15kb and 50kb with ImageOptim, we use ImageAlpha. ImageAlpha is used to process PNGs from a PNG 24 (millions of colors) to a PNG 8 (256 colors maximum), changing the image from lossless to lossy, ultimately aiming for the one with the smallest number of colors.
📣 Summary
While other image optimization tools are available from the command line, ImageOptim-CLI exists because the current benchmarks suggest that ImageOptim, ImageAlpha and JPEGmini currently outperform those alternatives over lossless and lossy optimizations.
ImageOptim-CLI is written in TypeScript and AppleScript but is distributed as a self-contained executable binary, you don't need Node.js installed to use ImageOptim-CLI.
Check out this short video demo of ImageOptim-CLI to see how it works.
🌩 Installation
Manual
Otherwise, you can install manually by downloading the latest release then adding ImageOptim-CLI to your $PATH.
Saving somewhere in your home directory such as ~/imageoptim-cli is recommended, but not essential. Saving to /Applications is not recommended, do not do this.
🕹 Usage
⚠️ JPEGmini and support for assistive devices
You may be presented with the following message the first time you run ImageOptim-CLI with the --jpegmini flag.
To automate JPEGmini we need to add Terminal.app (or iTerm.app etc) to the 'support for assistive devices' whitelist.
The JPEGmini OS X Apps don't include a command line API, so a real user is simulated by entering synthetic clicks and keyboard commands instead. This requires your permission and is easily set up in System Preferences as shown by these guides.
💡 Related Projects
Grunt Plugin
Sindoh driver download for windows. The ImageOptim-CLI Grunt plugin is grunt-imageoptim.
Alpha X Gui
Comparison of image optimization tools
ImageOptim-CLI features in this comparison of the performance of image optimisation tools alongside Kraken.io, CodeKit, grunt-contrib-imagemin, Smush.it, and TinyPNG.
Article for Smashing Magazine
Alfred Workflow
The ImageOptim-CLI Workflow for Alfred app is alfred-image-optim-workflow
❓ FAQs
General
Do ImageOptim, ImageAlpha, or JPEGmini come bundled with the ImageOptim-CLI installation?
You will need to install these applications separately.
Do I have to pay to use ImageOptim-CLI?
The CLI, ImageOptim and ImageAlpha are all free. JPEGmini is a paid-for product but you can use ImageOptim-CLI and choose not to run JPEGmini.
The WebP image format looks promising, can you get ImageOptim-CLI to convert images to it?
WebP looks great and may well overtake the formats handled by ImageOptim-CLI, but converting images to WebP is outside ImageOptim-CLI's chosen remit.
Can you get ImageOptim-CLI to skip images it has already processed, if they haven't changed?
JPEGmini does this today, but for ImageOptim and ImageAlpha I feel a feature like this belongs in those applications rather than this automator.
ImageOptim
ImageOptim makes the fans on my Mac run at full power.
Optimising images is a pretty intensive process, so instead of optimising one image at a time (which would take forever) — ImageOptim optimises many images at the same time until all of them are done.
A side effect of this is that the fans come on at full power to keep your machine cool while it's maxed out.
ImageAlpha
I don't think ImageAlpha is running, I can't see anything.
ImageOptim-CLI uses ImageAlpha's internal installation of pngquant so it's normal that nothing is shown on screen.
It's also possible that if you look in the Activity Monitor you will not see pngquant displayed but it is being run. In my experience it's only when you run ImageOptim-CLI on a very large number of PNGs that you have enough time to spot it. ensure that Activity Monitor's Update Frequency is set to Very Often (1 sec).
JPEGmini
Can I use ImageOptim-CLI with JPEGmini Lite, the free version of JPEGmini?
Photo Alpha Phi House Alabama
Yes.
I upgraded from JPEGmini Lite to JPEGmini but ImageOptim-CLI still says JPEGmini is not installed.
Performing the in-app upgrade leaves the app named as jpegmini-lite, so ImageOptim-CLI can't determine whether it's the free or full version. It is better to instead buy the full version of JPEGmini separately.
ImageOptim-CLI says “To automate JPEGmini we need to enable GUI Scripting”, how do I do that?
See this tutorial on how to manage Accessibility preferences and GUI Scripting. In the case of OS X Mavericks, you will want to add the Applications JPEGmini and Terminal (or equivalent such as iTerm).
Windows and Linux
Can I use ImageOptim-CLI on Windows or Linux?
ImageOptim-CLI is responsible for automating 3 OS X applications so is inherently bound to OS X for that reason.
Are there any plans for ImageOptim-CLI to support Windows or Linux?
It would first require ImageOptim, ImageAlpha, and JPEGmini to be available for those platforms. Drivers si computer.
I don't have OS X, can you recommend an alternative to ImageOptim-CLI?
@addyosmani wrote a really thorough article on tools for image optimization which discusses a wide range of options in great detail.
⚙️ Contributing
Have an idea? Found a bug? Please see the Contributing Guide for information on how to install the project and start writing code.
New Image Alpha Lipid Colostrum
🙋🏿♀️ Getting Help
Get help with issues by creating a Bug Report or discuss ideas by opening a Feature Request.
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🤓 Author
I'm Jamie Mason from Leeds in England, I began Web Design and Development in 1999 and have been Contracting and offering Consultancy as Fold Left Ltd since 2012. Who I've worked with includes Sky Sports, Sky Bet, Sky Poker, The Premier League, William Hill, Shell, Betfair, and Football Clubs including Leeds United, Spurs, West Ham, Arsenal, and more.