n8n Image Processing: Complete Node Guide

The ConvertIMG node for n8n handles image conversion inside your automation workflows. It connects to the ConvertIMG API and lets you convert between formats without writing any code.

This guide covers every setting the node offers. Input options, output formats, quality controls, and how to wire it into more complex workflows. If you're new to n8n automation, start with our step-by-step workflow guide first.

What Does the ConvertIMG Node Do?

The ConvertIMG node takes an image in one format and outputs it in another. That's the core job.

It accepts these input formats:

• JPG/JPEG — the most common photo format
• PNG — lossless format with transparency support
• WebP — Google's modern format
• HEIC/HEIF — Apple's default photo format on iPhones
• AVIF — the newest high-compression format
• TIFF — used in photography and print

It can output to:

• JPG — maximum compatibility
• PNG — lossless with transparency
• WebP — great balance of size and quality
• AVIF — smallest files, modern browser support
• TIFF — lossless for archiving and print

Beyond format conversion, the node also handles:

• Quality adjustment. Control the compression level from 1 to 100.
• Metadata stripping. Remove EXIF data including GPS location, camera info, and timestamps.
• HEIC auto-conversion. iPhone photos in HEIC format get handled automatically.

The node does one thing well. It converts images reliably and fast. For the full picture on automation approaches, see our complete automation guide.

How Do You Install and Configure the Node?

Setting up the node takes about 5 minutes.

Installation:

1. Open your n8n instance.
2. Go to Settings > Community Nodes.
3. Search for "ConvertIMG" in the npm registry field.
4. Click Install. The node appears in your palette under the "Image" category.

Credential setup:

1. Go to Settings > Credentials.
2. Click Add Credential.
3. Select ConvertIMG API from the list.
4. Enter your API key. You can get one from your ConvertIMG dashboard.
5. Give the credential a name (e.g., "ConvertIMG Production").
6. Click Test Connection to verify it works.
7. Save.

Adding the node to a workflow:

1. Open any workflow.
2. Click the + button to add a node.
3. Search for "ConvertIMG."
4. Drag it onto the canvas.
5. Select your credential in the node settings.

The node is now ready to use. Connect it to a data source, configure the settings, and run it.

What Parameters Does the Node Accept?

The node has four settings you can control.

Output Format (required)

Picks the target format for conversion. Options: jpg, png, webp, avif, tiff.

Choose based on your use case. WebP is the best default for web images. It gives you 25-35% smaller files than JPG with the same visual quality. AVIF goes even further with up to 50% savings.

For print or archiving, use PNG or TIFF to keep full quality.

Quality (optional, default: 90)

Controls the compression level. Accepts values from 1 to 100. Higher numbers mean better quality and larger files.

Recommended settings by use case:

Use case	Quality	Notes
Hero images, product photos	85-95	Keep detail sharp
Blog images, general content	75-85	Good balance
Thumbnails, previews	60-75	Small files are more important
Background textures	50-70	Fine detail isn't critical

Note: this setting is ignored for PNG output. PNG uses lossless compression, so quality doesn't apply the same way.

Remove Metadata (optional, default: yes)

When enabled, strips all EXIF data from the output file. This includes:

• Camera make and model
• GPS coordinates
• Date and time the photo was taken
• Software used to edit the image
• Copyright information

Why strip metadata? Privacy. If you're processing user uploads, you don't want to store or serve their GPS location. Metadata also adds file size, typically 10-50 KB per image.

Why keep metadata? Archiving. If you're building a photo library, the metadata is valuable. Photographers need camera settings and timestamps. Set this to "No" when preserving metadata matters.

Binary Property (required)

Tells the node which binary data to process. n8n attaches files to items as binary properties. The default name is data, which works for most cases.

If your workflow has multiple binary attachments (e.g., an image and a PDF), you'll need to specify which one to convert. Use the exact property name shown in the input item's binary data section.

How Do You Chain the Node with Other Steps?

The ConvertIMG node works best as one piece of a larger workflow. Here are the common patterns.

Download → Convert → Upload

The most basic pipeline. A file comes in from a cloud storage node (Google Drive, S3, Dropbox). The ConvertIMG node converts it. An upload node saves the result.

[Google Drive: Download] → [ConvertIMG: Convert to WebP] → [S3: Upload]

Multi-format output

Sometimes you need the same image in multiple formats. Use the ConvertIMG node twice with different settings, or use a Split node to create parallel paths.

[Download] → [Split into 2 items]
  → Path A: [ConvertIMG: WebP at 85] → [Upload to /webp/]
  → Path B: [ConvertIMG: AVIF at 80] → [Upload to /avif/]

This is common for web projects that serve WebP to most browsers and AVIF to those that support it.

Conditional conversion

Use an IF node to check file properties before converting. Route different file types to different settings.

[Download] → [IF: file extension = .png?]
  → Yes: [ConvertIMG: PNG → WebP at 90]
  → No: [ConvertIMG: JPG → WebP at 85]

PNG files often need higher quality settings since they may contain graphics with sharp edges. JPG photos look fine at lower quality.

Webhook-driven conversion

Your web app sends a webhook to n8n when a user uploads an image. The workflow downloads the file from the URL in the webhook payload, converts it, uploads it, and returns the new URL via webhook response.

[Webhook] → [HTTP Request: Download image] → [ConvertIMG] → [S3: Upload] → [Webhook Response]

This turns n8n into a conversion microservice for your app.

Can You Use the Node with Other n8n Integrations?

The beauty of n8n is that everything connects. The ConvertIMG node plays well with the full n8n ecosystem.

Storage nodes: Google Drive, Dropbox, S3, FTP, local file system. Pull images from any source and push results to any destination.

Communication nodes: Slack, Email, Telegram, Discord. Get notified when conversions finish or when errors occur.

Database nodes: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Airtable. Log conversion results. Track processed files. Store CDN URLs for converted images.

Scheduling: Use the Cron node to run conversions on a schedule. Process all new images at midnight, for example.

HTTP nodes: Call any API. Download images from URLs. Send results to webhooks. This makes it possible to connect the ConvertIMG node with services that don't have a dedicated n8n node.

Code node: For edge cases, use the Code node to write custom JavaScript. You might transform file names, calculate size savings, or filter files based on custom logic.

What Are the Best Practices for Using the Node?

Follow these tips for reliable, efficient workflows.

Start with a test workflow. Build a simple Download → Convert → Upload pipeline and test it with a handful of images before scaling up. Verify the output quality matches your expectations.

Use expressions for file names. Don't hardcode output file names. Use n8n expressions to generate names based on the input file. Example: {{$json.fileName.replace('.jpg', '.webp')}}. This keeps things organized when processing many files.

Enable error handling. Add the Error Trigger node to your workflow. Connect it to a Slack notification or email. You want to know immediately if a conversion fails.

Set retry logic. Network issues happen. Enable "Retry on Fail" on the ConvertIMG node with 2-3 attempts and a 10-second wait between tries. This handles temporary timeouts gracefully.

Don't convert lossy to lossy repeatedly. If a file has already been compressed as JPG, converting it to WebP and then to AVIF degrades quality twice. Always convert from the highest quality source you have.

Match quality to use case. Don't use 95% quality for thumbnails. Don't use 60% for hero images. Set up separate workflow paths for different image sizes and purposes.

Monitor your API usage. The ConvertIMG API has usage quotas based on your plan. Add a Set node that logs each conversion. Review usage weekly to make sure you're within your limits.

Combine with other image tools. The ConvertIMG node handles format conversion, but you can build a full image pipeline in n8n. Add CompressIMG for extra compression after converting — install the CompressIMG n8n node from community nodes. Use UpscaleIMG to improve resolution on low-quality source images before conversion — the UpscaleIMG n8n node works the same way. Chain all three in one workflow for a complete image processing pipeline.

For step-by-step workflow examples, check our n8n automation guide. For details on the API behind the node, see the API integration guide.