montage

View documentation for the original command

$ tldr magick montage

montage [options] input_file1 [input_file2 ...] output_file

-background color
    Set the background color for empty regions or image padding.

-geometry WxH+X+Y
    Define the preferred image size and offset for each image in the montage.

-tile colsxrows
    Specify the number of columns and rows in the tile grid (e.g., 4x3).

-label text
    Apply an annotation text label to each image.

-pointsize N
    Set the font size for labels.

-font name
    Specify the font to use for labels.

-title text
    Set an overall title for the entire montage.

-frame WxH+X+Y
    Add a decorative frame around each image within the montage.

-thumbnail WxH
    Resize images to a specified thumbnail size before adding them to the montage.

-shadow
    Add a shadow effect beneath each image.

-bordercolor color
    Set the color of the border around each image.

-borderwidth N
    Define the width of the border around each image.

-interline-spacing N
    Adjust the spacing between lines of multi-line text labels.

-mode concatenate|frame|compare
    Control how images are arranged. concatenate is common for simple grids.

The montage command, part of the ImageMagick suite, is a powerful utility for arranging multiple individual images into a single, cohesive composite image. It's commonly used to create contact sheets, photo albums, or image galleries where thumbnails or smaller versions of multiple images are displayed together. Users can control various aspects of the output, such as image spacing, borders, labels, titles, background color, and the geometric arrangement of tiles. It supports a vast array of image formats for both input and output, making it highly versatile for automated image processing and visual presentation.

Memory Usage:
Processing many high-resolution images can consume significant memory and CPU resources, potentially leading to performance issues on systems with limited resources.

Output Size:
The resulting montage image can become very large depending on the number and size of input images and the chosen geometry, potentially leading to large file sizes.

ImageMagick Dependency:
The montage command is an integral part of the ImageMagick software suite and requires ImageMagick to be installed on the system to function.

Creating contact sheets from digital photos.
Generating thumbnail galleries for websites.
Automating the creation of image grids for reports or presentations.

montage supports over 200 image formats, including JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, BMP, SVG, and many others, allowing for flexible input and output options.

montage is an integral part of the ImageMagick software suite, which was first released in 1987 by John Cristy at E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. ImageMagick was initially designed to convert 24-bit images to 8-bit images for display on systems with 8-bit color displays. Over the decades, it has grown into a comprehensive, open-source library and suite of command-line tools for manipulating images, with montage specifically addressing the need to combine multiple visual elements into a single composite view. Its usage has become widespread in web development, scientific imaging, and automated image processing workflows due to its versatility and robustness.

convert(1), identify(1), display(1), composite(1)