Looking for a UNIX utility that would convert my PNGs to transparent (albeit uncompressed) GIFs for use in Visual Basic, I found none. At most, the NetPBM set of tools did the job, by piping and contriving temporary files into a chain of tools. To automate the task. I wrote pngtogif, a bash shell script that will automatically convert PNGs to GIFs, preserving transparency and reducing the number of colors if needed. Keep reading and download pngtogif.

Using pngtogif

Open a console/terminal window in the folder with the PNGs, and run pngtogif *.png.

Installation

• Install the NetPBM utilities, available in your Linux install CDs
• Download pngtogif from this Web site
• Place pngtogif on a directory in your path (e.g. /usr/local/bin)
• Make it executable (chmod a+x /usr/local/bin pngtogif)

You will save tons of time using pngtogif. I really did. Download pngtogif now!

Getting help

Help for this software is available in several forms. Here are the rules:

• E-mails or posted comments with bug reports, patches, suggestions or contributions of any kind will be received by me in good faith, and I will, in time, incorporate all submitted improvements, in any form, to the software.
• This software is delivered to you without warranty of any kind, as recognized by the GNU General Public License.
• Special requests, such as customization, third-party licenses, development of large features, or requests which require software engineering to be applied, will be performed by me, for a fee. If you’re attracted to my engineering skills, wait until you see my rates. After all, living on a Third World country has its advantages. Let me know if you’re interested.