Show HN: Photu – a shell pipe CLI for batch image processing, built on libvips • Hacker News Board

Show HN: Photu – a shell pipe CLI for batch image processing, built on libvips

#1

Post by u84u » Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 1:02 PM UTC

Show HN: Photu – a shell pipe CLI for batch image processing, built on libvips
github.com

Re: Show HN: Photu – a shell pipe CLI for batch image processing, built on libvips

#2

Post by u84u » Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 1:09 PM UTC

author here, i built this so resize/crop/write could just be normal shell pipes, running as one libvips pass instead of bouncing images between processes.

Re: Show HN: Photu – a shell pipe CLI for batch image processing, built on libvips

#3

Post by ronak_parmar » Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 1:16 PM UTC

pretty good use of libvips, I am amazed by the response time!!

Re: Show HN: Photu – a shell pipe CLI for batch image processing, built on libvips

#4

Post by u84u » Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 1:18 PM UTC

ronak_parmar wrote: post #3

pretty good use of libvips, I am amazed by the response time!!

this is because, instead of images/media being decoded and encoded per operation, only on the last `photu write` call, until then it is only creating a JSON plan, which is also checked for bad args. no need to touch a pixel until you know all the operations that will be taking place!

Re: Show HN: Photu – a shell pipe CLI for batch image processing, built on libvips

#5

Post by ronak_parmar » Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 1:38 PM UTC

u84u wrote: post #4

ronak_parmar wrote: post #3

pretty good use of libvips, I am amazed by the response time!!

this is because, instead of images/media being decoded and encoded per operation, only on the last `photu write` call, until then it is only creating a JSON plan, which is also checked for bad args. no need to touch a pixel until you know all the operations that will be taking place!

amazing!!