nilka

Nilka is a command-line tool that automatically shrinks multiple images at once. You point it at a folder full of photos or images, and it converts them all to JPEG format and makes them smaller — specifically, if any image is wider than 800 pixels, it'll resize it down to 800 pixels wide. All the processed images get saved into a subfolder called 'build', leaving your originals untouched.

The tool is designed for practicality rather than perfection. The creator built it to reduce file sizes and save bandwidth on their website, so it prioritizes speed and smaller file sizes over producing gallery-quality images. If you're trying to squeeze images down for web use or email, this works well. If you need pristine, high-quality results, this probably isn't the right tool.

Using it is straightforward: you install it once via npm (a package manager for JavaScript tools), then just type a command pointing to your image folder. It processes everything inside that folder at once. You don't need to resize images one at a time or learn complex settings. If you run the command without specifying a folder, it uses whatever directory you're currently in.

This would appeal to bloggers, web developers, or anyone who regularly needs to prepare batches of photos for a website without getting bogged down in image editing software. It's the kind of tool that saves you from opening Photoshop or another image editor just to make images smaller.