The latest articles on DEV Community by Alex | Tshirts I Want (@alex_nguyen). https://dev.to/alex_nguyen https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4024907%2Fc821fab2-94ad-4671-baf6-547988deb9c1.png https://dev.to/alex_nguyen en Alex | Tshirts I Want Sat, 25 Jul 2026 16:33:13 +0000 https://dev.to/alex_nguyen/how-i-built-a-free-image-downloader-collector-extension-for-designers-graphic-apparel-creators-39li https://dev.to/alex_nguyen/how-i-built-a-free-image-downloader-collector-extension-for-designers-graphic-apparel-creators-39li <p>As a developer and creator involved in graphic apparel design at <a href="https://tshirtsiwant.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tshirts I Want</a>, I constantly find myself browsing visual inspiration across platforms like Pinterest, Behance, and Unsplash. </p> <p>Whether researching graphic t-shirt artwork, vintage typography, or visual design mockups, the repetitive process of right-clicking and manually saving images one by one felt incredibly slow. </p> <p>Existing solutions were either bloatware, hidden behind subscriptions, or required running heavy desktop apps. So, I decided to build a lightweight, open-source solution: <strong>Image Downloader &amp; Collector</strong>.</p> <h3> 🚀 What Does It Do? </h3> <p><strong>Image Downloader &amp; Collector</strong> is a browser extension built with <strong>Manifest V3</strong> designed to make visual asset collection effortless for designers, creators, and shoppers.</p> <p>Key features include:</p> <ul> <li> ⚡ <strong>Mouse Hover Quick Action Bar</strong>: Hover over any image on any webpage to instantly reveal <strong>Quick Download</strong> and <strong>Save to Collection</strong> action buttons.</li> <li> 🔖 <strong>Custom Folder Bookmarking</strong>: Pin images directly into custom collection folders (<em>e.g., T-Shirt Ideas, Wallpapers, Graphic Artwork</em>) without downloading right away.</li> <li> 📦 <strong>1-Click ZIP Batch Downloader</strong>: Access your dashboard to select and download an entire collection folder as a single ZIP archive.</li> <li> 🔍 <strong>High-Res Source Detection</strong>: Automatically parses <code>srcset</code>, <code>data-src</code>, and un-scaled CDN parameters to fetch the highest-resolution original image available.</li> <li> 🔒 <strong>Privacy-First</strong>: 100% local processing with <code>chrome.storage.local</code>. Zero user tracking.</li> </ul> <h3> 🛠️ Tech Stack &amp; Architecture </h3> <p>Built with pure Vanilla JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS3 following modern Manifest V3 guidelines:</p> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight plaintext"><code> json { "manifest_version": 3, "name": "Image Downloader &amp; Collector - Batch Save", "permissions": ["storage", "downloads"], "host_permissions": ["&lt;all_urls&gt;"] } </code></pre> </div> javascript webdev chrome design