identify.im6

identify [options] file [file ...]

-verbose
    Display detailed image information.

-format
    Specify the output format. Use percent escapes to customize output.

-ping
    Efficiently determine image attributes without loading the entire image into memory.

-regard-warnings
    Pay attention to warning messages.

-quiet
    Suppress all warning messages.

file
    The image file(s) to identify.

The `identify` command, part of the ImageMagick suite, is a versatile tool for obtaining detailed information about image files. It analyzes image files and reports on various attributes, including format, dimensions, color space, bit depth, resolution, and file size. This allows users to quickly understand the characteristics of an image without needing to open it in a dedicated image editor. The command can process multiple images at once, providing summaries for each. It's commonly used in scripting for automated image processing tasks, such as validation, format conversion, and optimization. ImageMagick is a powerful suite of tools which support a large variety of formats. `identify` is an essential part of it to inspect images before further modifications are applied. The level of verbosity can be controlled to obtain more specific data if needed.

The exact output and supported options can vary slightly depending on the version of ImageMagick installed.

The `-format` option allows extensive customization of the output. It uses percent escapes to represent different image attributes. For example, `%w` represents the image width, `%h` the height, `%f` the filename, and `%m` the image format.
Example:
`identify -format '%wx%h %f' image.jpg`
would output something like `1024x768 image.jpg`.

identify can report information about the color profile embedded in an image, allowing to debug possible color mismatches.
Example: identify -verbose image.jpg will display ICC profile data, if available.

convert(1), mogrify(1)