Aspecta is not just a pretty face. Everything it can do through its visual interface, it can also do from the command line—which means you can script it, batch it, and let your AI assistant drive it without ever opening a window.

Basic Syntax

Aspecta file1 [file2 ...] [-Output=path] [-Format=jpg] [-Width=800]
       [-Height=500] [-Aspect=16:9] [-Mode=Fit|Fill] [-Orientation=Center]
       [-Quality=85] [-BitDepth=8|16] [-Grayscale[=False]] [-Hue=30]
       [-Saturation=20] [-Watermark="text"] [-InvisibleWatermark="text"]
       [-Show] [-Display=None] [-Reset] [-Help]

Every bare argument (anything without a leading dash) is an input file. You can pass one file or many, and wildcards such as *.png are expanded; a wildcard always converts without opening a window, however many files it matches. The output location is specified with -Output=path; if omitted, Aspecta saves each result alongside the original with the new format extension. -Output names a folder when several files are given, when the folder already exists, or when the path ends with a backslash; otherwise it names the output file, whose extension must be a format Aspecta writes.

Every switch is optional. Whatever you leave out comes from the settings the window saved the last time you clicked Convert, so a switch is a way to override one saved setting for one run.

Single File

When you pass a single file, Aspecta opens the GUI with that file loaded and any previously saved settings applied. You can tweak further and click Convert, or add command-line flags to override specific settings.

Multiple Files

When you pass more than one file, behavior depends on whether saved settings exist. If you have previously configured and saved settings (format, aspect ratio, quality, etc.), Aspecta batch-converts all the files silently using those settings—no window appears. If no saved settings exist, Aspecta prompts you to configure them first, then processes the batch.

Parameters

Settings Persistence

Aspecta saves your conversion settings—format, aspect ratio, fixed size, mode, orientation, quality, hue, saturation, grayscale and watermarks—to the Windows Registry whenever you click Convert. The next time you launch Aspecta, those settings are restored, and the command line reads exactly the same settings and runs them through the same pipeline as the window, so what you saw in the preview is what a script gets. This is especially handy for batch processing: configure your settings once through the GUI, then drop multiple files on the shortcut and they all get converted the same way without any interaction.

If you want to wipe the slate clean and start over, pass -Reset on the command line. This removes all saved settings from the Registry.

Examples

Convert a PNG to JPEG

Aspecta photo.png -Format=jpg -Quality=90

Saves photo.jpg in the same folder at 90% quality.

Resize and Crop for a Facebook Cover Photo

Aspecta vacation.jpg -Output=cover.jpg -Width=820 -Height=312 -Mode=Fill

Resizes and crops to exactly 820x312, filling the frame completely with no bars.

Create a Square Thumbnail

Aspecta portrait.jpg -Output=thumb.jpg -Aspect=1:1 -Width=400 -Mode=Fill

Crops to square and resizes to 400x400.

Keep the Top of a Tall Photo

Aspecta tall.jpg -Aspect=16:9 -Mode=Fill -Orientation=TopCenter

Crops to 16:9 and keeps the top of the frame instead of the middle, which is where faces usually are.

Convert to Grayscale WebP

Aspecta color.png -Format=webp -Grayscale -Quality=80

Produces a small, grayscale WebP file.

Preview Settings Before Saving

Aspecta photo.jpg -Aspect=16:9 -Mode=Fill -Show

Opens the GUI with the image loaded and crop settings pre-applied. You can tweak further before clicking Convert.

Batch Convert Multiple Files

Aspecta IMG_001.jpg IMG_002.jpg IMG_003.jpg -Format=webp -Quality=80 -Display=None

Converts three files to WebP silently, saving each one alongside its original.

Batch Convert with Output Folder

Aspecta *.png -Output=C:\Converted -Format=jpg -Quality=85 -Display=None

Converts every PNG in the current folder to JPEG and saves the results in C:\Converted.

Reduce Bit Depth

Aspecta scan.tif -BitDepth=8 -Display=None

Reduces a 16-bit scan to 8 bits per channel, the depth most programs expect. If the source is already 8-bit, Aspecta leaves it alone.

Batch Convert a Folder (PowerShell)

Get-ChildItem *.png | ForEach-Object {
    Aspecta $_.FullName -Format=jpg -Quality=85 -Display=None
}

Converts every PNG in the current folder to JPEG, silently.

Supported Formats

Input (Read)

JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, WebP, AVIF, HEIF/HEIC, TIFF, TGA, ICO, JPEG2000, PSD, SVG, PCX, PPM, and camera RAW formats (CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG, ORF, RW2).

Output (Write)

JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, WebP, AVIF, TIFF, TGA, ICO, JPEG2000, and PDF.

Exit Codes

Notes

Aspecta never modifies the original file. Even when no output file is specified, it creates a new file with the new extension. The only way to overwrite the original is to explicitly name it as the output file. If a different file already has the output name, the result is saved as name (2).ext instead of replacing it, the same choice the window offers.

All parameter names are case-insensitive: -format=jpg and -Format=jpg are identical. Values with spaces must be quoted: -Output="My Photos\result.jpg".

Under the hood, Aspecta uses ImageMagick via the Magick.NET library, which is why it supports such a wide range of formats. Magick.NET is free and open source (Apache 2.0).