identify

Identify image file characteristics

TLDR

View documentation for the original command

$ tldr magick identify

-verbose
    Display detailed image information.

-quiet
    Suppress output messages.

-version
    Display ImageMagick version information.

-format
    Specify the output format using ImageMagick's format specifiers.

-help
    Display extended usage information.

DESCRIPTION

The `identify` command is a command-line utility, part of the ImageMagick suite, used to describe the format and characteristics of one or more image files. It provides detailed information such as image dimensions, file size, color space, resolution, compression type, and various other metadata.

The command supports a wide range of image formats, including JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, and many others. It's a crucial tool for tasks involving image processing, manipulation, and analysis. The `identify` command is often used in scripting environments to automate image-related workflows.

The output is highly configurable, allowing users to tailor the displayed information to their specific needs. This flexibility makes it invaluable for tasks ranging from basic image inspection to complex image analysis and debugging.

CAVEATS

The ImageMagick suite is powerful but can be resource-intensive. Processing very large images may require significant memory. Ensure sufficient RAM is available, or adjust the ImageMagick configuration to use disk caching if necessary.

FORMAT SPECIFIERS

The `-format` option uses special escape sequences to output specific image properties. For instance, `%w` outputs the image width, `%h` outputs the height, and `%f` outputs the filename. Combine these to create customized output.

HISTORY

The `identify` command is a part of the ImageMagick software suite, which was initially developed by John Cristy at DuPont in 1987. ImageMagick was designed to convert, edit, and display bitmap images. The `identify` tool plays a fundamental role in analyzing images prior to other manipulations. The command and overall suite are now maintained by ImageMagick Studio LLC.