What is convert-images-to-webp?

This is a PowerShell script for Windows that converts PNG and JPG image files into the WebP format, which typically takes up less storage space. It was originally built to manage downloaded media for a media center frontend called ES-DE, but it works as a general purpose batch image converter. When you run the script, it asks a few setup questions first: whether to also clean up WebP files that already existed before this run, what compression level to use for PNG files from 1 to 10, which stays lossless at every level, and what quality setting to use for JPG files from 0 to 100. Pressing Enter accepts sensible defaults for each. An important detail to know before using it: this script permanently deletes the original PNG or JPG file once it successfully creates a smaller, valid WebP replacement, and those deletions skip the Windows Recycle Bin, so there is no easy undo. For JPG files, it keeps whichever version, original or WebP, is actually smaller. Before deleting anything, the script checks that the new WebP file is valid by confirming it has the correct file signature and that its declared size matches its real size. If a file fails validation, the original is kept. The script also protects against a few edge cases: it skips files that would create naming conflicts, such as game.png and game.jpg both wanting to become game.webp, it avoids following linked or shortcut folders during its scan, and it tries to clean up after itself if a deletion fails partway through. It shows a running total of how much storage space has been saved as it works. To use it, you place the script alongside a separate download of Google's official cwebp.exe tool inside the folder you want to convert, then run it from PowerShell. Because it deletes files, the script requires you to type a confirmation phrase before it will begin processing.