Using Chasys Draw IES Converter
 

Chasys Draw IES Converter is the batch file converter program in the IES suite. Chasys Draw IES Converter is a high speed, multi-threaded conversion application that is capable of utilizing dual/quad/multi-core processors for extra speed. It is capable of converting between all image files that can be loaded and saved by the IES suite, including Chasys Draw Image format (.cd5).

This is the Chasys Draw IES Converter main window:

The main window shows the current application status. The "threads" counter shows the number of parallel working threads; on multi-core systems, this figure will greater than one, showing that files are being converted in parallel.

The wallpaper on the UI, if shown, will be one of the converted images. The program picks a new one every two seconds during the conversion process.

When Chasys Draw IES Converter detects that it is running on a computer that is being powered by a battery, it may slow down some functions such as displaying the CPU and RAM graphs and bars to save on battery power. Typically, this slow-down will be progressive and will depend on the remaining battery capacity.

Converting files is easy - just go to the file menu and click new job. A wizard will guide you through the job setup process as outlined below:

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First, you will be asked to choose files and folders to convert. This can be any mix of files and folders. For folders, you have the option of either including or excluding sub-folders. If there are any folders (and sub-folders) in the list of files to convert, Chasys Draw IES Converter will duplicate the sub-folder hierarchy in the output folder:

Next, you will be prompted to specify the target folder. Chasys Draw IES Converter will automatically pick the most recently used folder and present a list of other recently used folders in a drop-down; however, you are free to change this to whatever you want. You can also choose whether or not to overwrite existing files in the event of a file name conflict. If you choose not to overwrite, Chasys Draw IES Converter will add a numbered suffix to the name of the output file to make it unique:

You can have the program rename the output files if you wish. You can do this in the renaming options dialog by specifying the patterns to use:

The pattern includes words, symbols and variables, indicated by a % sign. For example, a pattern of like "image_%nn_%wx%h" would translate to something like "image_097_640x480.jpg". The table below shows the supported variables and their meanings:

The next step is to choose the target file format. You can either select one of the listed formats or type in a custom format, provided you have a plug-in installed for it. You can also configure plug-in defaults (such as JPEG quality) here. If the plug-in requires configuration, it will ask you for the same before you can move to the next page:

You can then choose the resizing options. Here you’ll find a variety of options to play with. If you are not familiar with the advanced algorithm options, it is best to use the default “high quality” setting:

Next, you specify the effects and transforms you'd like to be performed on the image. Here you’ll find options for image rotation, lighting and noise reduction. You have the option of using the information stored in the EXIF data by the camera to perform automatic rotation. Please note that performing noise reduction can significantly slow down the conversion process.

The next step is other options. Here you'll find options for CPU utilization, privacy and automation. The CPU utilization setting determines how much Chasys Draw ISE Converter will attempt to load your CPU. The default setting is a good balance in most cases; however, you can go for a more aggressive setting if you are not planning on running any other heavy tasks while the conversion is in progress. For privacy, you can choose to remove date/time information from your images. You can also remove GPS geo-location data to prevent web sites from using that data to track you. For automation, you can choose to have unchanged images copied directly to the destination folder; this can be useful when using lossy file formats such as JPEG. Remember, you can go back to any step without losing your settings. Clicking START will add the job and conversion will begin.

You can interrupt a conversion job at any time by going to the menu and selecting cancel job. The currently converting file will be finalized, then the process will halt.