Image Compression Tool (Linux/Kubuntu)#

A simple interactive script to compress JPEG and PNG images to a target file size without resizing. Integrated into Dolphin via a right-click context menu.

📦 Requirements#

  • Linux (Kubuntu)
  • Dolphin file manager
  • ImageMagick (for image compression)

Install ImageMagick if not already installed:

sudo apt install imagemagick

⚙️ Setup#

1. Place the script#

Put the script somewhere convenient, e.g.:

/home/username/scripts/compress_images.sh

Make it executable:

chmod +x /home/username/scripts/compress_images.sh

2. Create a Dolphin Service Menu#

  1. Create the service menu folder if it doesn’t exist:
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/kservices5/ServiceMenus
  1. Create a file named compress_images.desktop:
nano ~/.local/share/kservices5/ServiceMenus/compress_images.desktop
  1. Paste the following content (update the path to your script):
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Service
ServiceTypes=KonqPopupMenu/Plugin
MimeType=image/jpeg;image/png;
Actions=compressimages;
X-KDE-Priority=TopLevel

[Desktop Action compressimages]
Name=Compress Images
Exec=konsole -e /home/username/scripts/compress_images.sh %F
Icon=image
Terminal=true
  1. Reload KDE services:
kbuildsycoca5

🚀 Usage#

Right-Click Compression#

  1. Open Dolphin and navigate to your images (JPEG or PNG).

  2. Right-click on one or multiple files.

  3. Select “Compress Images” from the context menu.

  4. A terminal window will open:

  5. Enter the target file size in kB (default 500 KB).

  6. Choose whether to overwrite originals (y) or create postfixed copies (_compressed).

  7. The script will compress each file and display status messages:

🔧 Compressing image.jpg -> image_compressed.jpg (target 500kb)...
✅ Done: image_compressed.jpg

Terminal Usage (Optional)#

You can also run the script manually in a terminal:

./compress_images.sh image1.jpg image2.png
  • Supports multiple files at once.
  • Interactive prompts will appear in the terminal.

⚡ Features#

  • Compress JPEG and PNG images without resizing.
  • Interactive target size selection (default: 500 KB).
  • Option to overwrite originals or save as _comperssed copies.
  • Skips unsupported files and continues processing remaining files.
  • Integrated with Dolphin via right-click context menu.