see

See action can be used to view any file (usually image) on default mailcap explorer

$ see [filename]

$ run-mailcap --action=view [filename]

see [options] [file ...]
or
xli [options] [file ...]

-display
    Specify the X server display to use for image output.

-geometry
    Set the initial position and size of the image display window (e.g., 800x600+100+50).

-fit
    Shrink the image to fit within the display window if it's larger than the window, preserving aspect ratio.

-fullscreen
    Display the image in fullscreen mode, attempting to fill the entire screen.

-gamma
    Apply gamma correction to the image. A value of 1.0 is default; values greater than 1.0 brighten, less than 1.0 darken.

-rotate
    Rotate the image by a specified angle (90, 180, or 270 degrees clockwise).

-zoom
    Zoom the image by a specified factor (e.g., 2 for double size, 0.5 for half size).

-background
    Set the background color of the window behind the image (e.g., black, #RRGGBB).

-fork
    Detach the command from the controlling terminal and run it in the background.

-version
    Display version information for xli and exit.

-help
    Display a summary of command-line options and exit.

The see command, often a symbolic link or alias for xli (X Load Image), is a venerable utility designed for displaying various image formats on an X Window System display. It offers core functionalities such as loading images from files, resizing them to fit specific window geometries or fullscreen, rotating by set angles, and applying basic gamma correction. While it lacks advanced image editing capabilities, its strength lies in its simplicity and direct integration with the X environment, making it ideal for quick, no-frills image viewing. It provides support for a range of popular image formats including GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, XBM, and XPM, ensuring compatibility with many image types encountered in Unix-like systems. Its primary purpose is to efficiently render image data into an X display window, either interactively or through scripting.

The see command is primarily dependent on the X Window System. It is an older utility and may not be installed by default on modern Linux distributions, which often favor more contemporary image viewers like eog or feh. While functional for basic viewing, it lacks advanced features found in modern image manipulation software. Its usage implies an active graphical X session.

The see command (via xli) supports a variety of image formats including GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, XBM (X BitMap), XPM (X PixMap), PBM/PGM/PPM (Netpbm formats), and others. This makes it versatile for displaying a wide range of legacy and modern image files within the X environment.

The see command's lineage traces back to early X Window System utilities, specifically as a common symbolic link or alias for xli (X Load Image). xli itself evolved from xloadimage, which was one of the first image display programs for X. It became a staple in X installations during the late 1980s and 1990s, serving as a simple and effective tool for image viewing before the advent of comprehensive desktop environments and their integrated viewers. While still available in some repositories, its prominence has decreased with the rise of more feature-rich alternatives.

xli(1), xsetroot(1), xv(1), feh(1), eog(1), xdg-open(1)