waynoworld, Thanks, I was going to ask that!

JJ,

Size? yes.

DPI? see https://www.reaconverter.com/features/set-dpi.html

Or here: https://www.reaconverter.com/howto/change-dpi-for-several-images/

Joe, Exactly! But although I might use BMP, and GIF in addition to JPG and RAW, I can't imagine I'd use anything else.

However, as MIKE #6, mentioned "OCR" as one of the functions -- I got it for THAT reason, as it certainly could be useful when doing research for a book...

But why on earth do they say in the attached NOTES file you have to register before 18th July 2019?? It doesn't make any sense -- unless it was originally scheduled for that date. Someone should have been watching -- or we'll all have to jump into our time machines to comply!

Joe,

>"Who needs 50+ formats and why?"

The point is not that anyone needs 50+ formats. Almost no one "needs" 50 formats unless they are in the business of converting a wide range of formats to a more common format.

Over the course of history in graphic file evolution, there have been many manufacturers that have created their own format, but not with the intent that images in their format would ever need converting to anything else. Generally, they were to work within a specific program or specific hardware. For them and their intended users, everything worked just fine. It was only later on that someone wanted to convert one of those special formats to something else. As graphic program developers reverse engineered the various formats, they could save the data in a different format.

Two somewhat competing programs were Irfanview and Xnview, both freeware programs, and both adding more and more formats that they could handle. It is due in part to these two freeware programs that we now have a few other commercial graphic file conversion programs.

One example of a unique graphic file format was created by a company that wanted to sell a product that would change the desktop background daily, but they also wanted to sell the images you could use. You could not use any other graphic images because their file format was unique, and you could not use their images in anything else. It didn't take long for the experienced developers of Irfanview and Xnview to be able to decode those images. The creator of the original format requested Irfanview remove the format from their program, and they did so. Xnview left it in. I noticed later on that Irfanview added the format back in. The original creator is probably out of business, but some of those files likely still exist out there somewhere.

The more formats a converter program can list, gives it ranking in a way, so it is natural to list as many formats as they have been able to support. This reaConverter program is a mish-mash of parts to support the wide range of graphic file formats they do. Naturally, they are going to advertise the larger numbers, not because any one person needs them, but because those file formats have been created, reverse engineered, and now can be saved in other formats.

Most of us will convert images to the same small list you use. When we need to convert an odd-ball format, wouldn't it be a disappointment to start your image converter and find that it is limited to 5 or 6 formats?

Jack,

Their description on this page (above) does not do justice as to what all ReaConverter claims it can do. Most of it is common image processing/editing stuff: adjust gamma, brightness, contrast, crop, rotate, etc.

A review of these two pages (which include nice descriptions of what various formats are used for):

https://www.reaconverter.com/features/
https://www.reaconverter.com/howto/

...indicate that it also claims to produce searchable-text PDF documents from scanned-in images (OCR), convert between raster and vector formats, work with various 2D & 3D CAD files, RAW files, watermark, postscript and plotting files, reduce color bit-depth, Gerber (GBR) format for printed circuit boards (PCBs), etc.

(disclaimer: I have not yet tested it, so can't comment on how well it works.)

All such capabilities have been available in part via other titles offered here on GOTD, or elsewhere as free software.

However, if this works well it may be about the only jack-of-all-trades consistent-interface single-title package needed for most any purpose and, as such, worth the sales price. This would be especially true in office settings where IT managers prefer to keep the variety of installed products to a minimum for both software management/support and also training purposes.

Jack,
whew.........there are TOO MANY formats but sure had no clue there was 600+.........that news to me
More interesting is that why the heck is that many needed......

LOL! This comment takes up too much space!

Jack, lol

Samuel, Not at all, the PDF and RAW functionality is going to add bulk to the program, 200mb is nothing these days.

Name a program that has all these features with a smaller footprint?

David,

Although I agree with your statement "Name a program...", after installation the folder properties for "C:\Program Files (x86)\reaConverter 7 Standard" reports:

Size: 594 MB (623,463,302 bytes)
Size on disk: 597 MB (627,032,064 bytes)

...a pretty big-sized chunk! They should start mentioning the as-installed size in the requirements box.

Perhaps they could work on reducing the static storage space footprint of ReaConverter by optimizing their code or by dynamically unpacking/repacking only those portions of the conversion libraries needed when in operation.

Also, FWIW, although there is no mention I could find on the ReaConverter website, from the purchase discount coupon code in the Readme.txt file this apparently is related to the Tipard.com family of products which, in the past, have been pretty good.

(Whoops, forgot to finish my thought!)

...so with the 50% discount (for any Tipard product) ReaConverter is only $25, not bad.