fim

TLDR

View images in framebuffer or terminal

$ fim [image.jpg]

View all images in a directory

$ fim [path/to/directory/]

View images recursively and sorted

$ fim -R [path/to/directory/] --sort

Force ASCII art output (for terminal without graphics)

$ fim -t [image.jpg]

Enable autozoom to fit images to screen

$ fim -a [image.jpg]

Run slideshow with 5-second intervals

$ fim --slideshow [5] [path/to/directory/]

Specify output device explicitly

$ fim --output-device [sdl|fb|aa|ca] [image.jpg]

SYNOPSIS

fim [OPTIONS] [--] IMAGEPATH [IMAGEPATHS...]

FIM (Fbi IMproved) is a versatile image viewer that works across different graphical environments. It automatically selects the most suitable display method: SDL under X, framebuffer on console, or ASCII art (via aalib/libcaca) when no graphical output is available.
FIM supports common image formats natively (BMP, PCX) and through libraries (JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, PPM, WEBP, AVIF). Additional formats are supported via external converters. The companion script fimgs can display PDF, PostScript, DVI, and compressed archives containing images.
The viewer is keyboard-oriented with no graphical menus. It features an internal command language for scripting and customization, and can interact with standard input/output for pipeline integration.

PARAMETERS

-a, --autozoom

Automatically pick a reasonable zoom factor for each image.

-t, --no-framebuffer

Use ASCII art driver (libcaca for color, aalib for monochrome).

-R

Recursively load images from directories.

--sort

Sort the file list alphabetically.

--slideshow SECONDS

Run slideshow mode, pausing specified seconds between images.

--output-device DEVICE

Force output device: fb (framebuffer), sdl, gtk, aa (aalib), ca (libcaca), dumb.

-c COMMAND

Execute command after startup.

-F FILE

Execute commands from script file.

--no-auto-scale

Disable automatic scaling.

-h, --help

Display help message.

KEYBINDINGS

h, j, k, l or Cursor keys

Scroll large images left, down, up, right.

+, -

Zoom in / zoom out.

n, PgDn

Next image.

p, PgUp

Previous image.

Tab

Toggle output console visualization.

q, ESC

Quit.

CAVEATS

Framebuffer access typically requires appropriate permissions (video group membership or root). ASCII art output quality depends on terminal capabilities and the aalib/libcaca libraries. Some image formats require additional libraries to be installed.

HISTORY

FIM was developed by Michele Martone as an improved version of fbi (Linux framebuffer imageviewer), originally created by Gerd Hoffmann. FIM extends fbi with multiple output backends, an internal scripting language, and enhanced features while maintaining keyboard-driven operation suitable for console use.

fim