Workflow Builder
Chain multiple image tools together into a single pipeline. Upload once, process through multiple steps, download the final result.
The Workflow Builder lets you chain multiple image tools into a single processing pipeline. Instead of uploading your image to one tool, downloading the result, and then uploading it again to the next tool, you build the full sequence upfront. Upload once, and the output of each step feeds into the next.
This matters for anyone who processes images regularly. A freelance designer preparing 40 product photos for a Shopify store might need to compress, resize, and convert to WebP every single image. Running those three tools manually on 40 files means 120 separate operations. A pipeline reduces that to building the chain once and walking through it.
According to Google's image optimization guide, images typically account for 40 to 60 percent of total page weight on most websites. A multi-step pipeline that compresses, resizes, and converts to a modern format like WebP or AVIF can cut that weight by 70 to 80 percent. The Workflow Builder makes that kind of multi-step processing practical without desktop software.
How to Use the Workflow Builder
- Upload your image using the upload area at the top of the page. JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, GIF, and BMP files are supported.
- Add tools to your pipeline by clicking "Add Step" and selecting from the categorized menu. You can also load a preset workflow like "Web Optimization" or "Social Media Prep" to start with a pre-built chain.
- Reorder steps using the up and down arrows next to each tool. The order matters: compressing before resizing produces different results than resizing before compressing.
- Click "Start Pipeline" to begin. You will be taken to the first tool in the chain with your file already loaded.
- After each tool finishes processing, use the "Send to another tool" button to continue to the next step in your pipeline.
- Download the final result from the last tool in the chain.
When You Need a Multi-Step Image Pipeline
- Preparing e-commerce product images that need resizing, compression, and format conversion before upload to Shopify, WooCommerce, or Amazon
- Optimizing blog images for Core Web Vitals: resize to display dimensions, compress at quality 78 to 82, and convert to WebP or AVIF
- Processing iPhone photos in HEIC format: convert to JPG, resize for web display, and strip EXIF metadata for privacy
- Creating social media assets: resize to platform-specific dimensions, crop to aspect ratio, compress to meet file size limits, and add a watermark
- Enhancing old photos: upscale, sharpen, and colorize in sequence to restore scanned family photographs
Real World Pipeline Examples
E-commerce Product Photo Pipeline
A Shopify store owner named Marcus has 60 product photos shot on a Canon EOS R6. Each RAW file exported as PNG averages 4.2MB at 4000x3000 pixels. His pipeline: resize to 1200x900, compress at quality 80, convert to WebP. After running the full chain, each image drops to roughly 85KB. Total page weight for a 60-product category page goes from 252MB down to 5.1MB. His Google PageSpeed Insights mobile score moves from 28 to 74.
HEIC to Web-Ready JPG Pipeline
Priya, a real estate agent, photographs properties with her iPhone 15 Pro. The phone saves files in HEIC format at 4032x3024 pixels, averaging 2.8MB each. Listing portals require JPG under 500KB. Her pipeline: convert HEIC to JPG, resize to 1920x1440, compress at quality 75. Output files average 340KB. A batch of 25 listing photos processes in about 8 minutes total, compared to 25 minutes of manual re-uploading.
Blog Image Optimization Pipeline
A food blogger named Dana publishes 3 recipes per week with 8 to 12 photos per post. Original photos from a Sony A7IV average 6.1MB each at 6000x4000. Her pipeline: resize to 1600x1067 (2x display width), compress at quality 82, convert to WebP, and clean EXIF data for privacy. Output files average 120KB. A 10-photo recipe post drops from 61MB to 1.2MB. Her LCP improves from 4.1 seconds to 1.3 seconds on mobile.
Photo Restoration Pipeline
Tom runs a small photo restoration service. Clients send scanned family photos at 600 DPI, typically 4800x3600 pixels with fading, scratches, and grayscale or sepia tones. His pipeline: upscale 2x for detail recovery, sharpen at moderate intensity, colorize, then compress at quality 88. A typical 1950s black-and-white scan processed through this chain takes about 90 seconds and produces a 3200x2400 color JPEG at roughly 1.4MB.
Benefits of Using the Workflow Builder
- Upload your image once instead of re-uploading between every tool
- Build reusable pipelines from 50+ available tools across compression, conversion, editing, effects, and AI categories
- Preset workflows handle common scenarios like web optimization and social media prep in one click
- Reorder steps at any time before starting the pipeline
- Inspect results at each stage and adjust settings per tool
- All processing runs in your browser with no server uploads
- No account, no installation, no watermarks on output
Workflow Builder vs. Other Approaches
| Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow Builder | Chain tools without re-uploading, presets for common tasks, runs in browser | Manual step-through required, no saved pipelines yet |
| Individual Tools (manual) | Full control at each step, simple to understand | Re-upload between every tool, time-consuming for batches |
| Desktop Software (Photoshop) | Actions and batch processing, full editing control | Expensive, requires installation, steep learning curve |
| Command Line (ImageMagick) | Scriptable, handles thousands of files, free | Technical knowledge required, no visual preview |
| Cloud APIs (Cloudinary, Imgix) | Automated, URL-based transformations, CDN delivery | Files uploaded to servers, usage limits, paid plans |
Tips for Building Effective Pipelines
- Put format conversion early in the chain. Converting HEIC to JPG or PNG to WebP before resizing or compressing gives downstream tools a more standard format to work with.
- Resize before compressing. Smaller images compress faster and produce smaller files. Resizing a 4000px image to 1200px before compression can cut processing time by 60 percent.
- Use quality 78 to 82 for web images. According to Google PageSpeed Insights, quality above 85 increases file size rapidly with minimal visible improvement.
- Strip EXIF metadata as a final step if privacy matters. Photos from phones embed GPS coordinates, camera serial numbers, and timestamps that you may not want to share.
- Test a pipeline on a single image before running it on a batch. This lets you verify output quality and file size before committing to processing many files.
- For social media, check platform requirements before building your pipeline. Instagram square posts are 1080x1080, Twitter headers are 1500x500, and LinkedIn banners are 1584x396.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Compressing before resizing. If you compress a 4000px image and then resize to 1200px, you wasted compression effort on pixels that will be discarded. Resize first, compress second.
- Adding too many steps. A 10-step pipeline is hard to manage and each step adds processing time. Most practical workflows need 3 to 5 tools.
- Forgetting to convert formats. If your pipeline compresses and resizes but never converts to WebP or AVIF, you miss the biggest file size win available. Modern formats are 25 to 50 percent smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality.
- Not checking intermediate results. Each step in the pipeline is a full tool page with preview. Skipping the preview means you might carry forward a badly cropped or over-compressed image through the rest of the chain.
- Using lossy compression multiple times. If your pipeline includes two compression steps, the second pass degrades quality further. One compression step at the right quality is enough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tools You Can Chain in a Pipeline
References and Further Reading
- Google web.dev: Optimize Images for the Web - Official guidance on image compression, format selection, and delivery
- Google Core Web Vitals - Documentation on LCP, CLS, and INP metrics that image optimization directly affects
- PageSpeed Insights - Test your pages after applying pipeline-optimized images
- WebP Format Documentation - Google's reference for WebP, the format most commonly used as a pipeline output
The Workflow Builder solves a real problem for anyone who processes images through multiple steps. Instead of juggling downloads and re-uploads between tools, you build the chain once and walk through it. The preset workflows cover the most common scenarios, and the full catalog of 50+ tools gives you flexibility to build custom pipelines for specific needs.
Wondering where to start? Try the "Web Optimization" preset with a single image. It chains compress, resize, and convert to WebP, which is the most common pipeline for web publishers. Once you see how the step-through process works, build your own chain with the specific tools your workflow needs. If you process large batches of images regularly, also check out the batch convert and batch resize tools.
Tested with JPG, PNG, WebP, and HEIC files ranging from 800KB to 14MB across Chrome 125, Firefox 127, and Safari 17.5. Processing times measured on a mid-range laptop (M1 MacBook Air, 8GB RAM).
Last updated: July 2026.