
Here is a table of image formats ImageMagick can read and/or
write. Support for some of the formats are delegated to libraries or external
programs. README mentions where to find
these distributions.
| Tag | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AVS | AVS X image file | n/a |
| BMP | Microsoft Windows bitmap image file | n/a |
| BMP24 | Microsoft Windows 24-bit bitmap image file | n/a |
| CGM | Computer Graphics Metafile | requires ralcgm; read only |
| CMYK | Raw cyan, magenta, yellow, and black bytes | use -size command line option to specify width and height |
| DCM | Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine image file format | read only |
| DCX | ZSoft IBM PC multi-page Paintbrush file | n/a |
| DIB | Microsoft Windows bitmap image file | n/a |
| EPDF | Encapsulated Portable Document Format | n/a |
| EPI | Adobe Encapsulated PostScript Interchange format | requires Ghostscript to read |
| EPS | Adobe Encapsulated PostScript file | requires Ghostscript to read |
| EPS2 | Adobe Level II Encapsulated PostScript file | requires Ghostscript to read |
| EPSF | Adobe Encapsulated PostScript file | requires Ghostscript to read |
| EPSI | Adobe Encapsulated PostScript Interchange format | requires Ghostscript to read |
| EPT | Adobe Encapsulated PostScript Interchange format with TIFF preview | requires Ghostscript to read |
| FAX | Group 3 | n/a |
| FIG | TransFig image format | requires TransFig |
| FITS | Flexible Image Transport System | n/a |
| FPX | FlashPix Format | requires FlashPix SDK |
| GIF | CompuServe graphics interchange format | 8-bit color |
| GIF87 | CompuServe graphics interchange format | 8-bit color (version 87a) |
| GPLT | Gnuplot plot files | requires gnuplot3.5.tar.Z |
| GRADATION | Gradual passing from one shade to another | specify the desired shading as the filename (e.g. gradation:red-blue) |
| GRANITE | Granite texture. | n/a |
| GRAY | Raw gray bytes | use -size command line option to specify width and height |
| HDF | Hierarchical Data Format | requires HDF4.1r2.tar.gz |
| HISTOGRAM | Histogram of the image | n/a |
| HPGL | HP-GL plotter language | requires hp2xx-3.2.0.tar.gz |
| HTML | Hypertext Markup Language with a client-side image map | requires html2ps to read |
| ICO | Microsoft icon | read only |
| ICC | International Color Consortium color profile | To read, use -profile with convert |
| ILBM | Amiga IFF | n/a |
| IPTC | Newswire profile | To read, use -profile with convert |
| JBIG | Joint Bi-level Image experts Group file interchange format | requires jbigkit-1.0.tar.gz |
| JPEG | Joint Photographic Experts Group JFIF format | requires jpegsrc.v6b.tar.gz |
| JPEG24 | Joint Photographic Experts Group JFIF format | promote grayscale JPEG image to 24-bit |
| LABEL | text image format | specify the desired text as the filename (e.g. label:This is a label) |
| MAP | colormap intensities and indices | n/a |
| MAN | Unix reference manual pages | n/a |
| MIFF | Magick image file format | n/a |
| MNG | Multiple-image Network Graphics | requires libpng-1.02.tar.gz |
| MPEG | Motion Picture Experts Group file interchange format | requires mpeg2vidcodec_v12.tar.gz |
| M2V | Motion Picture Experts Group file interchange format (version 2) | requires mpeg2vidcodec_v12.tar.gz |
| MTV | MTV Raytracing image format | n/a |
| NETSCAPE | Netscape 216 color cube. | n/a |
| NULL | NULL image | useful for creating blank tiles with montage |
| PBM | Portable bitmap format (black and white) | n/a |
| PCD | Photo CD | the maximum resolution written is 768x512 pixels |
| PCDS | Photo CD | decode with the sRGB color tables |
| PCL | Page Control Language | write only |
| PCX | ZSoft IBM PC Paintbrush file | n/a |
| Portable Document Format | requires Ghostscript to read | |
| PGM | Portable graymap format (gray scale) | n/a |
| PICT | Apple Macintosh QuickDraw/PICT file | n/a |
| PIX | Alias/Wavefront RLE image format | read only |
| PLASMA | plasma fractal image. | Specify the base color as the filename (e.g. plasma:blue-yellow). Use fractal to initialize to a random value (e.g. plasma:fractal) |
| PNG | Portable Network Graphics | requires libpng-1.02.tar.gz |
| PNM | Portable anymap | use +compress to produce ASCII renditions |
| PPM | Portable pixmap format (color) | n/a |
| PREVIEW | show a preview an image enhancement, effect, or f/x | specify the desired preview with the -preview option) |
| Send image to your computer printer | n/a | |
| PS | Adobe PostScript file | requires Ghostscript to read |
| PSD | Adobe Photoshop bitmap file | n/a |
| PS2 | Adobe Level II PostScript file | requires Ghostscript to read |
| PS3 | Adobe Level III PostScript file | requires Ghostscript to read |
| PTIF | Pyramid encoded TIFF | requires tiff-v3.5.4.tar.gz |
| PWP | Seattle File Works multi-image file | n/a |
| P7 | Xv's visual schnauzer format | n/a |
| RAD | Radiance image file | n/a |
| RGB | Raw red, green, and blue bytes | use -size command line option to specify width and height |
| RGBA | Raw red, green, blue, and matte bytes | use -size command line option to specify width and height |
| RLA | Alias/Wavefront image file | read only |
| RLE | Utah Run length encoded image file | read only |
| SCAN | Import image from a scanner device | requires SANE Specify the device name and path as the filename (e.g. scan:mustek:/dev/scanner) |
| SCT | Scitex Continuous Tone Picture image file | n/a |
| SFW | Seattle File Works image file | n/a |
| SGI | Irix RGB image file | n/a |
| SHTML | Hypertext Markup Language with a client-side image map | write only |
| STEGANO | Steganographic image | use -size command line option to specify width, height, and offset of the steganographic image |
| SUN | SUN Rasterfile | n/a |
| TGA | Truevision Targa image file | n/a |
| TIFF | Tagged Image File Format | requires tiff-v3.5.4.tar.gz |
| TIFF24 | 24-bit Tagged Image File Format | requires tiff-v3.5.4.tar.gz |
| TILE | Tile image with a texture | read only |
| TIM | PSX TIM file | read only |
| TTF | TrueType font file | requires freetype-1.1.tar.gz |
| TXT | Raw text file | n/a |
| UIL | X-Motif UIL table | n/a |
| UYVY | Interleaved YUV | use -size command line option to specify width and height |
| VICAR | n/a | read only |
| VID | Visual Image Directory | n/a |
| VIFF | Khoros Visualization image file | n/a |
| WIN | Select image from or display image to your computer screen | n/a |
| WMF | Windows Meta File | requires wmft.png |
| X | Select image from or display image to your X server screen | n/a |
| XC | Constant image of X server color | use -size command line option to specify width and height |
| XBM | X Windows system bitmap, black and white only | n/a |
| XPM | X Windows system pixmap file (color) | n/a |
| XWD | X Windows system window dump file (color) | n/a |
| YUV | CCIR 601 4:1:1 file | use -size command line option to specify width and height |
On some platforms, ImageMagick automatically processes these extensions: .gz for Zip compression, .Z for Unix compression, .bz2 for block compression, and .pgp for PGP encryption. For example, a PNM image called image.pnm.gz is automatically uncompressed with the gzip program and the image is subsequently read.