Carbon Based Studio

All documentation

Image Controller

Installation, settings, NextGen workflow, and troubleshooting for Carbon Based Studio Image Controller.

Back to Image Controller

Overview

This guide covers installation, settings tabs, workflows, licensing, and troubleshooting for Carbon Based Studio Image Controller.
Settings are at Carbon Based > Image Controller.

Image Controller is a licensed product. After purchase, activate your license key on the License tab to receive plugin updates. Your key is in your order email or My Account > Licenses on carbonbasedstudio.com.

Installation

  1. Install from Plugins > Add New or upload to wp-content/plugins/.
  2. Activate Carbon Based Studio Image Controller.
  3. Confirm Carbon Based appears in the admin menu with Image Controller as a submenu.
  4. Open the License tab and activate your license key.

Requirements: WordPress 6.0+, PHP 8.0+ (PHP 8.1+ for AVIF). Optional: Imagick for TIFF conversion and best WebP quality; WooCommerce or standalone Action Scheduler for background scans on large libraries.

Settings overview

TabPurpose
NextGen ImagesWebP/AVIF formats, quality, upload/regen hooks, Conversion Coverage scan, bulk Generate NextGen, optional background jobs.
Regenerate ThumbnailsFile-type filters, Thumbnail Coverage scan, unused-thumbnail cleanup, bulk regen (and Regen + Delete Unused), Media Library bulk actions.
Disable Thumbnail SizesStop WordPress creating selected intermediate sizes on upload and regen.
Media Upload SettingsMax width/height on upload; optional TIFF allow + JPEG conversion (Imagick).
AdvancedBulk delete mirrored nextgen files, .htaccess rewrite rules (write/remove/test), Action Scheduler status, rewrite environment diagnostic, debug logging, uninstall data option.
LicenseActivate license key, check status (Active / Expired / Revoked), check for updates, in-place plugin update when entitled; renew link when expired.
InformationHow coverage and storage lines work, nextgen paths and delivery, background jobs, Media Library actions, deactivate vs uninstall behaviour.

NextGen workflow

  1. On NextGen Images, enable WebP and/or AVIF and set quality sliders. Save settings.
  2. Run Scan Coverage to see donut charts per format. After a completed scan, storage lines show on-disk mirrors, matched originals, and savings.
  3. Coverage uses file types selected on the Regenerate Thumbnails tab (JPG/PNG/GIF).
  4. Run Generate NextGen. With Skip files already converted, choose Re-scan library first (most accurate) or Use last Scan Coverage results (faster when coverage is current).
  5. On sites with Action Scheduler, enable Run in background or Run conversion in background so jobs continue when you leave the page. Checkbox states save with Save settings.
  6. On Advanced, confirm .htaccess rewrite rules are present (or configure equivalent rules on Nginx). Use Rewrite Rules Test for a non-destructive sample check.
  7. Verify delivery in a supporting browser; add ?original to an image URL to compare against the original file.

Coverage states include pending (mirror missing), partial (main nextgen OK; some thumbnail sizes missing or skipped), and waived (nextgen creation skipped because the mirror would be larger than the original).

Thumbnails & disk usage

On Disable Thumbnail Sizes, check sizes you do not need. Checked sizes are not generated on upload or regen.

On Regenerate Thumbnails:

  • Thumbnail Coverage - fast filesystem scan; run after changing disabled sizes.
  • Unused Thumbnail Files - finds on-disk files for currently disabled sizes; preview before delete.
  • Regenerate or Regen + Delete Unused - optional skip when all sizes already exist on disk.
  • GIF is unchecked by default to protect animated GIFs from being flattened.
  • Media Library - per-row Regenerate Thumbnails and bulk action; Delete NextGen removes both WebP and AVIF for that attachment.

Media upload & TIFF

On Media Upload Settings, set maximum width/height to resize large uploads automatically.

TIFF uploads are enabled by default. TIFF support requires the Imagick PHP extension; TIFF files convert to JPEG in the library when enabled.

License & updates

  1. Open Carbon Based > Image Controller > License.
  2. Paste your license key and click Activate license.
  3. Click Check for updates to refresh status and see whether a newer version is available.
  4. When entitled, click Update to version … for an in-place update (no redirect to the Plugins screen).
  5. Expired - use Renew license; updates are blocked until renewed.
  6. Revoked - contact support if you believe this is an error.

Troubleshooting

  • Nextgen not serving (Apache) - confirm files exist under wp-content/cbs-nextgen/, rewrite rules are present on Advanced, and page cache is cleared.
  • Nextgen not serving (Nginx) - .htaccess rules do not apply; configure server rules to serve mirrors from cbs-nextgen/ or use the Rewrite environment diagnostic on Advanced for a JSON report.
  • Bulk job interrupted - resume from the banner or re-run the scan; for browser AJAX, check PHP max_execution_time on large libraries. Prefer background mode when Action Scheduler is ready.
  • Background job stalled - check Action Scheduler status on Advanced; ensure WP-Cron or server cron runs. From WP-CLI: wp cbsic run-queue.
  • AVIF unavailable - requires PHP 8.1+ and imageavif(); a warning appears on the NextGen tab when unsupported.
  • TIFF fails - verify Imagick is installed and enabled.
  • Updates not offered - open License; activate the key, check status, and renew if expired.
  • Need the original - add ?original to the image URL.

Support

Include WordPress version, PHP version, plugin version (Information tab header), and license status when contacting support. For rewrite issues, attach JSON from Advanced > Rewrite environment diagnostic (optional DOCUMENT_ROOT override on Nginx).