Vratislav Holub The native Automator tool has been in the macOS operating system for some time now. This program is used to automate certain operations, where it can perform selected tasks for you without you having to bother with them. However, the truth is that working with it is not entirely easy for ordinary users, which is why many people do not even know about it, or ignore it completely. Fortunately, this is compensated by macOS 12 Monterey and the arrival of Shortcuts, which are much friendlier for similar purposes and simply compose elements in them.
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At the same time, Automator can also be used to create applications that can serve a variety of purposes. After all, you can save your automations in this form and then run them directly from Spotlight or Launchpad. Of course, there is also the option of running shell scripts, which theoretically unlocks a number of possibilities. One way to use Automator is to create applications for switching the formats used for screenshots. Personally, I often alternate between JPEG, when I need files in a smaller size and I don't want to waste time converting them, and PNG, for which, on the contrary, I appreciate their transparent background (when screening application windows). But let's pour some pure wine. It is quite tiring to search forever on the Internet what command in Terminal is used to change the format.
How to change the format of screenshots through Automator
Creating applications in Automator is an extremely simple way to switch between the mentioned formats for screenshots. It's nothing complicated. In practice, we only need command from this article and we can get right down to it. In the first step, it is therefore necessary to start Automator itself and select Application as the document type. Subsequently, you just need to find the option through the search Run a shell script and drag the element to the right part where the individual blocks are grouped. In this section we have a text field available. In it, we insert the command in the wording (without quotes) "defaults write com.apple.screencapture type JPG", then tap on in the top left File and select the option Impose. The program will ask us where we wish to save the application, while for example the desktop or the folder with downloaded files will suffice. At the same time, keep in mind that it is advisable to give it an appropriate name so that we know what it actually does.
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Once we have the application saved, all we have to do is move it to a folder Application, thanks to which we can access it from the aforementioned Spotlight. As soon as we activate it, the corresponding script will start and the format will be changed to JPG. Of course, the same procedure can be used to create a second application for switching to the PNG format.
