What is ImageMagick

Command-line tools and libraries for processing, converting, and editing images in 200+ formats.

ImageMagick is command-line tools and libraries for processing, converting, and editing images in 200+ formats. Run them in a terminal, call them from any language, or drop them into a CI pipeline to convert, resize, composite, and filter without a GUI, on any OS.

This documentation is for developers and system administrators who need to process images in scripts, build pipelines, or server-side workflows.

It ships on Linux, macOS, and Windows. These pages focus on ImageMagick 7 and the magick driver command.

v7 docs: Migrating from v6? Standalone convert / mogrify are now invoked through magick. See the v6 → v7 porting guide.

Who is this for?

Developers

Embed ImageMagick in upload pipelines, build steps, CI jobs, or server-side scripts so image work never depends on a desktop app.

Sysadmins

Batch-resize, convert formats, strip metadata, and enforce policies across thousands of files with repeatable shell or PowerShell loops.

Photographers

Automate resizing, watermarking, and format exports from the same commands every time, with no Lightroom session required for bulk output.

Use cases

Each example is a single command you can copy; paths are placeholders.

Square thumbnails from mixed aspect ratios

magick input.jpg -resize 200x200^ -gravity center -extent 200x200 thumb.jpg

-resize 200x200^ fills at least 200×200, then -extent crops to an exact square from the center.

Batch convert a folder of JPEGs to WebP

mkdir -p web
magick mogrify -path web -format webp -quality 85 *.jpg

Writes WebP files into web/ next to each JPEG basename. The numeric -quality value is explained under -quality on the common options page. For subfolders, mixed formats, and -auto-orient, see the batch resize guide.

Quick checks on an upload before you trust it

magick identify -verbose upload.png | grep -E 'Geometry|Format'

On PowerShell, use Select-String instead of grep:

magick identify -verbose upload.png | Select-String -Pattern 'Geometry|Format'

Run your first command

Hands-on install, verification, and your first convert/resize commands belong in Getting started so this page stays an overview. There you will install ImageMagick, confirm ImageMagick 7 with magick --version, and walk through resize and format conversion with full examples.

Find what you need

Setting up for the first time?

Install ImageMagick on your OS, confirm magick --version, and run your first convert/resize commands in under five minutes.

Have a folder of images to process?

Batch resize, convert to WebP or JPEG, strip metadata, fix phone rotation, and cap JPEG size for the web.

Building a multi-step pipeline?

Chain resize, metadata stripping, watermarking, and format conversion into one reusable command and loop.

Look up syntax and flags

Geometry syntax reference

Understand what 800x600>, 50%, and WxH! do for -resize, -crop, and -extent, plus offsets and the other modifier flags covered on the reference page.

Common options reference

-strip, -quality, -auto-orient, -gravity, -background, and -composite with syntax, typical values, and one example each.

Fix a problem

Troubleshoot common errors

Missing delegates, authorization failures, cache limits, wrong colors, and platform-specific shell escaping.

Ask the community

Search past threads or post a new question on GitHub Discussions.