Image Conversion, Resizing and Watermarking All in One

good
key review info
application features
  • Easy use just by dragging
  • (4 more, see all...)

Kigo Image Converter is a three-way image processor, providing a fortunate mix of conversion capabilities, joined by a resizing utility and a watermarking feature. All these make a good promise for users that are looking to process large packs of photos at a time.

Image conversion is such a common task these days. The simple fact that more and more users become familiar with different image types has raised the bar for software developers. As some of them are trying to focus only on providing accurate and fast conversion skills, others boost the value of their applications with additional capabilities, such as resizing, editing or watermarking.

This is exactly the kind of principle that Kigo Image Converter was built upon. This program successfully combines its major functionality, image conversion, with two graphic extras: resizing and protecting your work with watermarks. Moreover, the application can perform these tasks in batch mode.

Kigo Image Converter is free of charge, so you can take it for a spin without paying a single cent. The installation process is smooth and takes very little of your time, no toolbars or third party components included. However, despite being clean on this matter, the app is marked as ad-supported due to the fact that it displays ad banners during its runtime.

The GUI of Kigo Image Converter isn’t as appealing as its features, but its simplicity is an advantage for beginners to say the least. All the Options are laid in front of you, no complicated menus involved. The upper side of the main window is home to the buttons that will help you add or remove pictures from the list of images to be processed. On the same subject, adding pictures is also possible by means of drag & drop, which is a real helper if you prefer speed.

The middle area of the main window is reserved for listing the images you bring in. They will be scaled to a thumbnail size once you add them, making it possible to have a wider view over the entire list of images. As it turns out, there is no context menu available, so this is not the section we need to be looking at in terms of functionality.

All the fun is concentrated in the lower part, where you’ll learn that each of the three available tabs carries out a different task. The first one focuses on the output image format and the destination folder for the converted images. In terms of image support, Kigo Image Converter is not the most generous application of its type, but not the neediest either. The list of formats includes BMP, JPG, J2K, JPC, PNG, TIFF, TGA, PCX and PNM formats and no one would mind if it grew a few other image types.

Resizing images with Kigo Image Converter is plain simple. You can accomplish it with the size factor feature (accepted values go from 0 to 10) or by manually entering values for width and height, with the possibility of keeping the aspect ratio.

Watermarking images is not as simple and comfortable as the resizing operation. It demands a little patience, because unfortunately, you will not be able to apply the text or image stamp in any position you want. Instead, you will benefit from five predefined areas to place the watermarks (upper left/right, bottom left/right and center). This may come as a downside when working with a small number of images, but for when you’re batch processing a large pack, it can actually turn into an advantage.

The real disadvantage here comes in the situation involving image watermarks. In this case, it would be desirable to be able to move the stamp around, in order to adjust it to your taste in the final image. On the same subject, if you’re not satisfied with the five areas, you can always set the position yourself manually, by inputting the left and top margin values that fit your needs.

It’s most certainly not easy and fun to play around with numbers until you find just the right spot, but the preview function comes somewhat as a consolation prize and proves to be of great use in this particular case.

Overall, Kigo Image Converter carries out a great job in a relatively short amount of time. Sometimes, the process can last longer if you decide to use the resizing feature. However, the aspect of time estimation is covered only by a little bar that moves along as the conversion is being processed.

For future developments, a more accurate approximation regarding the conversion interval would surely be appreciated, especially when working with hundreds of files. This aspect aside, the output quality is undeniable and compensates any other shortcomings that the application may have. The Good Kigo Image Converter can process hundreds of photos at a time and with decent speed too. It can protect your photos with both text and image watermarks and can easily modify their dimensions to a size of your own choice. Nonetheless, the preview function makes up for the fact that you can’t move the watermarks in live mode.

The Bad Kigo Image Converter is at times demanding on the system resources. The situation that stands out the most involves image resizing. If and when you use this feature, not only will the process take longer, but it will also cost you more resource wise. Processing a batch of 70 photos took about 250 MB of RAM, with the processor peaking at about 50%.

The impossibility to move freely the watermarks across the images is also a downside. Also, the support for image formats could be a lot richer.

The Truth All things considered, Kigo Image Converter is a piece of software worth having, especially for the nice combination of features it brings into the world of image converters.

The application gains some important points with the resizing and watermarking utilities and with its ease of use, which makes it a great asset for any type of user. It’s the right option for large batches of images and it does a good job, regardless of the minor disadvantages it may have.

Here are some snapshots of the application in action:

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user interface 3
features 3
ease of use 3
pricing / value 4


final rating 3
Editor's review
good
 
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