💡 Feature Proposals for Post-1.0.0 Releases #4
Description
Following the upcoming 1.0.0 stable release, I'd like to propose several features that would enhance the image processor.
🎯 Image Processing Enhancements
1. Smart Image Optimization
Why: Reduce file sizes while maintaining quality
Features:
- Auto-format selection - Serve WebP/AVIF to supporting browsers, fallback to JPEG/PNG
- Smart compression - Adjust quality based on image content (photos vs graphics)
- Perceptual quality - Target file size or visual quality instead of fixed percentage
- Format conversion - Automatic best format selection
Example:
$processor->optimize($file, [
'formats' => ['avif', 'webp', 'jpeg'], // Generate all, serve best
'quality' => 'perceptual:85', // Perceptual quality
'target_size' => '200KB', // Or target file size
]);2. Responsive Image Generation
Why: Support modern responsive images
Features:
- Multiple sizes - Generate all sizes at once
- srcset generation - Auto-generate srcset attributes
- Art direction - Different crops for different screen sizes
- LQIP - Low Quality Image Placeholders for progressive loading
Example:
$responsive = $processor->responsive($file, [
'sizes' => [
'mobile' => ['width' => 320, 'crop' => 'center'],
'tablet' => ['width' => 768, 'crop' => 'center'],
'desktop' => ['width' => 1920, 'crop' => 'top'],
],
'formats' => ['webp', 'jpeg'],
'placeholder' => true, // Generate LQIP
]);
// Returns srcset-ready data
// $responsive->srcset() => 'image-320.webp 320w, image-768.webp 768w, ...'3. Advanced Watermarking
Why: Protect images and brand content
Features:
- Position control (corner, center, tiled)
- Opacity control
- Dynamic text watermarks
- Image-based watermarks
- Adaptive watermarks (size based on image)
Example:
$processor->watermark($file, [
'type' => 'image',
'source' => 'logo.png',
'position' => 'bottom-right',
'margin' => 20,
'opacity' => 0.7,
'adaptive_size' => true, // Scale watermark to image
]);
$processor->watermark($file, [
'type' => 'text',
'text' => '© 2025 Company Name',
'font' => 'Arial',
'size' => 24,
'color' => '#ffffff',
'position' => 'bottom-center',
]);4. Smart Cropping
Why: Intelligently crop images to important areas
Features:
- Face detection - Crop centering on faces
- Subject detection - ML-based important area detection
- Entropy-based - Crop to most detailed areas
- Custom focal points - Manual focal point specification
Example:
$processor->smartCrop($file, 800, 600, [
'method' => 'face-detection', // or 'subject', 'entropy', 'manual'
'focal_point' => ['x' => 0.3, 'y' => 0.4], // If manual
]);5. EXIF Handling
Why: Manage image metadata properly
Features:
- Auto-rotation based on EXIF orientation
- Strip sensitive EXIF data
- Preserve specific EXIF fields
- Geo-location extraction
- Camera info extraction
Example:
$processor->process($file, [
'exif' => [
'auto_rotate' => true,
'strip' => true, // Remove all EXIF
'preserve' => ['Copyright', 'Artist'], // Except these
],
]);
// Or extract specific data
$exif = $processor->extractExif($file);
// ['camera' => 'Canon EOS R5', 'iso' => 100, 'location' => [...]]6. Filter Pipeline
Why: Apply multiple effects easily
Features:
- Brightness/Contrast adjustments
- Saturation/Vibrance
- Blur/Sharpen
- Vintage/Instagram-style filters
- Custom filter chains
Example:
$processor->applyFilters($file, [
['brightness', 10],
['contrast', 5],
['sharpen', 15],
['vignette', 0.3],
]);
// Or use preset filters
$processor->applyFilter($file, 'vintage');
$processor->applyFilter($file, 'grayscale');7. Batch Processing
Why: Process multiple images efficiently
Features:
- Process multiple images at once
- Parallel processing support
- Progress callbacks
- Error handling for batch operations
Example:
$processor->batch([$file1, $file2, $file3], [
'operations' => [
'resize' => ['width' => 800],
'optimize' => ['quality' => 85],
],
'parallel' => true,
'on_progress' => fn($current, $total) => echo "$current/$total\n",
]);8. Format-Specific Features
WebP/AVIF Support
$processor->convert($file, 'webp', [
'quality' => 85,
'lossless' => false,
]);
$processor->convert($file, 'avif', [
'quality' => 80,
'speed' => 6, // AVIF encoding speed (0-8)
]);PNG Optimization
$processor->optimize($file, [
'format' => 'png',
'compression' => 9,
'strip' => true,
'quantize' => 256, // Color palette quantization
]);9. Image Analysis
Why: Extract useful information from images
Features:
- Dominant color extraction
- Image complexity analysis
- Quality assessment
- Blur detection
- Face/object counting
Example:
$analysis = $processor->analyze($file);
// [
// 'dominant_colors' => ['#FF5733', '#33FF57', '#3357FF'],
// 'complexity' => 'high', // high/medium/low
// 'blur_score' => 0.12, // 0-1, lower is sharper
// 'faces_detected' => 3,
// 'dimensions' => ['width' => 1920, 'height' => 1080],
// ]10. Progressive Enhancement
Why: Better UX during image loading
Features:
- Progressive JPEG encoding
- LQIP generation (Low Quality Image Placeholder)
- Blur-up placeholders
- SVG trace placeholders
Example:
$lqip = $processor->generateLQIP($file, [
'method' => 'blur', // or 'pixelated', 'svg-trace'
'size' => 20, // Very small size
'blur' => 10,
]);
// Returns base64-encoded tiny image for inline embedding
// <img src="data:image/jpeg;base64,..." />🛠️ Technical Improvements
11. Better Error Handling
- Specific exception types
- Detailed error context
- Fallback strategies
try {
$processor->process($file, $operations);
} catch (ImageCorruptedException $e) {
// Handle corrupt image
} catch (UnsupportedFormatException $e) {
// Handle unsupported format
}12. Memory Management
- Stream-based processing for large images
- Memory limit configuration
- Automatic scaling for large images
$processor = new ImageProcessor($manager, [
'memory_limit' => '512M',
'max_dimension' => 10000, // Reject images larger than this
'auto_scale_large' => true, // Auto-scale to prevent memory issues
]);13. Processing Queue Support
- Queue long-running operations
- Progress tracking
- Retry failed operations
$job = $processor->queueProcess($file, $operations);
$status = $processor->getJobStatus($job->id);
// ['status' => 'processing', 'progress' => 45]📊 Suggested Roadmap
1.1.0 - Essential Features
- Smart image optimization
- Responsive image generation
- EXIF handling
1.2.0 - Advanced Features
- Smart cropping
- Advanced watermarking
- Filter pipeline
1.3.0 - Analysis & Optimization
- Image analysis
- Progressive enhancement
- Format-specific optimizations
2.0.0 - Modern Architecture
- PHP 8.2+ requirement
- Stream-based processing
- Queue integration
- Better type safety
🤔 Questions
- Which features are most important for your use cases?
- Any features missing from this list?
- Would you use AI-powered features (face detection, smart cropping)?
- Interest in video thumbnail generation support?
💬 Feedback Welcome
See related discussions: