display

display [options] image_file [image_file...]

-backdrop
    Displays the image on the root window of the X server.

-delay
    Sets a delay between images when displaying a sequence, in 1/100ths of a second (e.g., -delay 200 for 2 seconds).

-geometry
    Specifies the initial window size and position (e.g., 800x600+100+50).

-loop
    Controls the number of times a slideshow repeats; 0 for infinite looping.

-resize
    Resizes the image to the specified geometry (e.g., 50% or 1024x768) before display.

-title
    Sets the title of the image window displayed on the X server.

-update
    Continuously updates the displayed image every N seconds (useful for monitoring changing files).

-verbose
    Prints detailed information about the image being displayed to standard output.

-monochrome
    Displays the image in black and white.

-flip
    Creates a vertical mirror image of the input.

The display command is an integral part of the ImageMagick software suite, designed for viewing and interactively manipulating image files on an X Window System display. It supports an extensive array of image formats, allowing users to open and inspect virtually any image file.

Beyond simple viewing, display offers a rich set of interactive capabilities accessible via mouse clicks and keyboard shortcuts directly from the image window. Users can zoom, pan, rotate, resize, apply basic image effects, save in different formats, and even print. Its interactive nature makes it a powerful tool for quick image inspection and basic editing tasks, particularly favored in command-line environments and scripting workflows.

The display command requires an active X Window System environment to function, as it presents images within a graphical window. It cannot be used on headless servers without an X server. For extremely large images or complex interactive operations, it can be resource-intensive, potentially consuming significant memory and CPU. While offering interactive editing capabilities, these are basic compared to dedicated image editing software.

Once an image is displayed, users can right-click on the image to access a comprehensive menu of operations, or use keyboard shortcuts for tasks like zooming, panning, rotating, saving, and printing. This interactivity transforms display from a mere viewer into a dynamic tool for on-the-fly adjustments and explorations.

display can be used to view multiple images sequentially, acting as a simple slideshow viewer. This is controlled via the -delay option to set the transition time between images, and the -loop option to specify how many times the sequence should repeat, allowing for automated image presentations.

The display command is a foundational component of the ImageMagick software suite. ImageMagick was initially developed by John Cristy at E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, with its first public release in 1990. display has been a core utility since the early days, serving as an interactive front-end for ImageMagick's powerful image processing capabilities on Unix-like systems, primarily within the X Window System environment. Its ongoing development has mirrored that of ImageMagick, continually expanding its support for new formats and features.

convert(1), mogrify(1), identify(1), montage(1), compare(1), eog(1), feh(1)