ImageMagick includes a number of command-line utilities for manipulating images. Most of you are probably accustomed to editing images one at a time with a graphical user interface (GUI) with such programs as gimp or Photoshop. However, a GUI is not always convenient. Suppose you want to process an image dynamically from a web script or you want to apply the same operations to many images or repeat a specific operation at different times to the same or different image. For these types of operations, the command-line image processing utility is appropriate.

In the paragraphs below, find a short description for each command-line tool.Click on the program name to get details on the program usage and a list of command-line options that alters how the program performs. If you are just getting acquianted with ImageMagick, start at the top of the list, the convert program, and work your way dowm. Also be sure to peruse Anthony Thyssen's tutorial on how to use ImageMagick utilities to convert, compose, or edit images from the command-line.

## convert

convert between image formats as well as resize an image, blur, crop, despeckle, dither, draw on, flip, join, re-sample, and much more.

## identify

describes the format and characteristics of one or more image files.

## mogrify

resize an image, blur, crop, despeckle, dither, draw on, flip, join, re-sample, and much more. Mogrify overwrites the original image file, whereas, convert writes to a different image file.

## composite

overlaps one image over another.

## montage

create a composite image by combining several separate images. The images are tiled on the composite image optionall adorned with a border, frame, image name, and more.

## compare

mathematically and visually annotate the difference between an image and its reconstruction.

## display

displays an image or image sequence on any X server.

## animate

animates an image sequence on any X server.

## import

saves any visible window on an X server and outputs it as an image file. You can capture a single window, the entire screen, or any rectangular portion of the screen.

## conjure

interprets and executes scripts written in the Magick Scripting Language (MSL).

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