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Look, I get it. WebP is the future and it has many advantages over PNG and JPEG. That doesn’t make it any less annoying when I accidentally download a WebP image and can’t do anything with it, though. Let’s fix that with Automator.
Why Does WebP Exist?
Google createdWebPto be a catch-all image format specifically for the internet. If you’re looking for an image format that balances file size and quality, WebP offers lossy compression just like a JPEG. However, WebP’s lossy images can be anywhere from 25% to 35% smaller than the equivalent JPEG.
If image quality is your main priority, WebP also supports lossless compression, like a PNG file. In this mode, WebP files are a whopping 26% smaller than a comparable PNG. It even supports transparency and animation so that it can do the job of a GIF, too.
GIFs have never been able to keep up with modern video compression. This is where WebP really shines. A GIF that’s only a few seconds long could easily be 10MB or more. If you convert that same animation to a lossy WebP, the file size can shrink down to just a couple of megabytes.
Why Does Everything Hate WebP?
So, with all of those amazing benefits in mind, why do I want to rip my hair out every time I download a WebP image from the internet? The problem isn’t with WebP, it’s with apps that refuse to support it.
Google started adding support for WebP in Chrome back in 2012, but other web browsers and apps were slow to follow. It took years for browsers like Firefox and Safari to catch up, and even longer for most operating systems and image editors.
Thankfully, you can view and edit WebP images on just about any device, including Macs, iPhones, iPads, Android devices, and Windows PCs. Image editing apps such as Photoshop, GIMP, and Krita all support the format as well, and you can share WebP files in most messaging services.
Still, the support for WebP is not remotely on the same level as PNG or JPEG. What ends up happening is I’ll download an image from the internet, then turn around and try to upload it somewhere else. Oops! WebP is not supported. Now I have to go out of my way to convert the WebP image to something else and repeat the steps again. It’s incredibly annoying.
Automate a Fix With Automator
The good news for Mac owners who feel my pain is that there’s an awesome solution with a built-in app. You can easily set up anAutomatorroutine that will immediately convert any WebP file saved to a specific folder to PNG or JPEG. You never have to worry about it again.
Create the Folder Action
We’ll be using a “Folder Action” for this routine. You’ll need to decide on a folder that will trigger the conversion. This is where you’ll save your WebP files.
Configure the Workflow
Next, you’ll set up the actions that Automator will perform.
To test, simply drag and drop a WebP file into the folder you selected. The Automator routine should run automatically, and you will find the converted PNG or JPG file in the same folder. I can’t tell you how much I love this routine. I no longer need to use image converters or browser extensions to ensure I don’t get WebP files. As they say, it just works.
