---
id: pilkit
version: "3.0"
license: BSD
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

# pilkit — A collection of utilities and processors for the Python Imaging Library.

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 595.3K/mo

## What it is and what it does

PILKit is a lightweight wrapper around Pillow that exposes a simpler, more intuitive API for common image manipulation tasks. It provides a set of processor classes—such as ResizeToFit, ResizeToFill, SmartResize, and Adjust—that handle image transformations with a consistent interface. You instantiate a processor with your desired parameters, call its process() method on a Pillow Image object, and get back the modified image. For complex workflows, ProcessorPipeline lets you chain multiple processors together.

Beyond processors, PILKit includes utility functions for preparing images for saving (handling transparency and quantizing), gracefully saving images while avoiding common errors, and converting between image formats, extensions, and MIME types. The package is stable and permissively licensed under BSD, making it a straightforward choice for projects that need readable, maintainable image processing code.

Use it for:

- Resize and thumbnail images to fit specific dimensions in web applications or batch processing.
- Apply sequential image transformations using ProcessorPipeline to chain processors together.
- Prepare images for saving with automatic format conversion and transparency preservation.
- Convert between image formats and MIME types programmatically in file upload handlers.
- Build image processing workflows that are easier to read and maintain than direct Pillow calls.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

PILKit provides a collection of image processors and utilities that wrap Pillow to simplify common image manipulation tasks like resizing, adjusting, and format conversion.

Yes, if you work with Pillow and want a cleaner, more readable API for common tasks. The low install friction, permissive BSD license, and Production/Stable status make it a safe choice. The aging maintenance status (last release 2023-09-27) is not a blocker for stable image processing use cases, but monitor the repository if you need active development or support for newer Python versions.

## Install

pip install pilkit
uv add pilkit
poetry add pilkit

## Installing pilkit

Before you install: Low friction installation with a single runtime dependency on Pillow. The package is in Production/Stable status but aging—last release was 2023-09-27, though the repository remains unarchived and active.

License in practice: BSD license is permissive, allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions—suitable for most projects.

Quickstart:

pip install pilkit

from pilkit.processors import ResizeToFit
from Pillow import Image

img = Image.open('image.png')
processor = ResizeToFit(100, 100)
new_img = processor.process(img)

Requires Pillow to be installed as a runtime dependency.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package actively maintains compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.11.
- Current status of community support and response time on the GitHub issue tracker.
- Whether recent commits exist beyond the last release date of 2023-09-27.

## Package facts

- License: BSD (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 595.3K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

image resizing and cropping, Pillow image processing utilities, batch image manipulation, image format conversion, Pillow wrapper library, image adjustment and filtering, image pipeline processing, image-processing, pillow-wrapper

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/pilkit) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/pilkit/)