How to Install ImageMagick on Fedora Linux

ImageMagick lets you resize, crop, convert, and batch-process images directly from the command line. When you install ImageMagick on Fedora, you get version 7 with the unified magick command and automatic security updates from the default repositories. Common use cases include converting hundreds of JPG files to PNG or WebP for web optimization, generating thumbnails for galleries, adding watermarks to protect images, and creating animated GIFs from image sequences.

Install ImageMagick on Fedora

Fedora offers two ways to install ImageMagick: the DNF package manager for a quick setup with automatic updates, or compiling from source for the latest upstream release with custom build options.

Method	Channel	Version	Updates	Best For
DNF Package Manager	Fedora Repos	7.1.1.x (stable)	Automatic via dnf upgrade	Most users who want easy setup and automatic updates
Compile from Source	GitHub Releases	7.1.2.x (latest upstream)	Manual recompilation required	Developers needing cutting-edge features or custom builds

The DNF method works best for most users because Fedora already ships ImageMagick 7 with the unified magick command and automatic security patches. Only compile from source if you specifically need features not yet in the repository version or require custom compilation flags.

Install ImageMagick with DNF

The DNF method installs ImageMagick 7 from Fedora’s official repositories, giving you the unified magick command, automatic security updates, and minimal maintenance.

Update System Packages

First, refresh your package cache and update existing packages to prevent dependency conflicts:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

If you need to set up sudo privileges, see how to add a user to sudoers on Fedora.

Install ImageMagick Package

Install ImageMagick along with its required libraries:

sudo dnf install ImageMagick

For HEIC and AVIF image format support (iPhone photos, modern web images), also install the HEIC plugin:

sudo dnf install ImageMagick-heic

Verify Installation

Confirm ImageMagick installed correctly by checking the version:

magick --version

You should see output similar to:

Version: ImageMagick 7.1.1-47 Q16-HDRI x86_64 22763 https://imagemagick.org
Copyright: (C) 1999 ImageMagick Studio LLC
License: https://imagemagick.org/script/license.php
Features: Cipher DPC HDRI Modules OpenMP(4.5)
Delegates (built-in): bzlib cairo djvu fftw fontconfig freetype gslib gvc heic jbig jng jp2 jpeg jxl lcms lqr ltdl lzma openexr pangocairo png ps raqm raw rsvg tiff webp wmf x xml zip zlib zstd

Fedora provides ImageMagick 7, which uses the unified magick command instead of the legacy convert, identify, and mogrify commands. The legacy commands still work but display a deprecation warning. For new scripts and workflows, always use the magick command.

Compile ImageMagick from Source on Fedora

Compiling from source installs the latest ImageMagick release and allows you to customize build options such as enabling specific image format support or performance flags. This method requires more steps but provides maximum flexibility.

Install Build Dependencies

Install all build dependencies using dnf builddep, which automatically pulls the compiler toolchain and development libraries required for ImageMagick:

sudo dnf builddep ImageMagick

This installs GCC, essential build tools, libtool-ltdl-devel (required for --with-modules), and all image format libraries including HEIC, JXL, and OpenEXR support. Install Git on Fedora as well if it is not already present:

sudo dnf install git

Clone the Repository

Detect the latest stable release tag from the official GitHub repository, then clone it into a dedicated build directory:

IMAGEMAGICK_VER=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/ImageMagick/ImageMagick/releases/latest | grep -oP '"tag_name": "\K[^"]+')
echo "Latest version: $IMAGEMAGICK_VER"
git clone --depth 1 --branch "$IMAGEMAGICK_VER" https://github.com/ImageMagick/ImageMagick.git "$HOME/imagemagick-build"
cd "$HOME/imagemagick-build"

The --depth 1 flag creates a shallow clone without full history, reducing download size. You can also browse the tags page to pick a specific release version instead.

Configure the Build

Run the configure script to detect your system configuration and prepare the build:

./configure --with-modules

The --with-modules flag enables dynamic loading of image format coders. Review the configuration summary at the end to confirm the image formats you need are detected. The default --prefix is /usr/local, which keeps source-built binaries separate from DNF packages.

Compile and Install

Compile ImageMagick using all available CPU cores:

make -j$(nproc)

Once compilation finishes, install ImageMagick system-wide:

sudo make install

Update Library Cache

Update the dynamic linker to find the new ImageMagick libraries:

sudo ldconfig /usr/local/lib

Without this step, you may encounter “cannot open shared object file” errors when running ImageMagick commands.

Verify Source Installation

Confirm the installation by checking the version:

/usr/local/bin/magick --version

You should see output similar to:

Version: ImageMagick 7.1.2-13 Q16-HDRI x86_64 https://imagemagick.org
Copyright: (C) 1999 ImageMagick Studio LLC
License: https://imagemagick.org/license/
Features: Cipher DPC HDRI Modules OpenMP(4.5)
Delegates (built-in): bzlib djvu fontconfig freetype gvc heic jbig jng jp2 jpeg jxl lcms lqr ltdl lzma openexr pangocairo png raqm raw tiff webp wmf x xml zip zlib zstd

Source builds may list fewer delegates than the DNF package if some development libraries are not installed. The delegate list depends on which -devel packages dnf builddep pulled in. Add missing delegates by installing the corresponding -devel package and recompiling.

Test the installation with a quick image conversion using the built-in logo:

/usr/local/bin/magick logo: logo.gif && ls -la logo.gif

You should see a new logo.gif file (approximately 28 KB):

-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 28576 Feb 12 12:00 logo.gif

Create an ImageMagick Update Script

Source-compiled software requires manual updates. Save the following script to automate future ImageMagick upgrades:

cat << 'EOF' > "$HOME/imagemagick-build/update-imagemagick.sh"
#!/bin/bash
# ImageMagick source update script
# Usage: bash ~/imagemagick-build/update-imagemagick.sh

set -e

BUILD_DIR="$HOME/imagemagick-build"
REPO_URL="https://api.github.com/repos/ImageMagick/ImageMagick/releases/latest"

# Run as regular user; sudo is used only for install steps
if [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "Error: Run this script as a regular user, not root."
    exit 1
fi

# Check required tools
for cmd in curl git make gcc; do
    if ! command -v "$cmd" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        echo "Error: $cmd is required but not installed."
        exit 1
    fi
done

# Detect latest version
LATEST_VER=$(curl -s "$REPO_URL" | grep -oP '"tag_name": "\K[^"]+')  
if [ -z "$LATEST_VER" ]; then
    echo "Error: Could not fetch the latest version from GitHub."
    exit 1
fi

CURRENT_VER=$(/usr/local/bin/magick --version 2>/dev/null | head -1 | grep -oP '[\d.]+-\d+' || echo "none")

echo "Current version: $CURRENT_VER"
echo "Latest version:  $LATEST_VER"

if [ "$CURRENT_VER" = "$LATEST_VER" ]; then
    echo "ImageMagick is already up to date."
    exit 0
fi

echo "Updating ImageMagick to $LATEST_VER..."

# Clean previous build
cd "$BUILD_DIR"
if [ -d ".git" ]; then
    sudo make uninstall 2>/dev/null || true
    cd ..
    rm -rf "$BUILD_DIR"
fi

# Clone, build, and install
git clone --depth 1 --branch "$LATEST_VER" \
    https://github.com/ImageMagick/ImageMagick.git "$BUILD_DIR"
cd "$BUILD_DIR"
./configure --with-modules
make -j$(nproc)
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig /usr/local/lib

echo "ImageMagick updated to $(/usr/local/bin/magick --version | head -1)"
EOF
chmod +x "$HOME/imagemagick-build/update-imagemagick.sh"

Run the script whenever you want to check for and apply updates:

bash ~/imagemagick-build/update-imagemagick.sh

Essential ImageMagick Commands on Fedora

ImageMagick 7 uses the unified magick command that replaces the legacy standalone utilities. The table below shows common operations and their modern syntax.

Command	Purpose	Example
magick	Unified command for all image operations (recommended)	magick input.jpg output.png
magick convert	Convert between formats or apply transformations	magick convert image.jpg -resize 50% small.jpg
magick identify	Display image format, dimensions, and metadata	magick identify image.png
magick mogrify	Modify images in place without creating copies	magick mogrify -resize 800x600 *.jpg
magick composite	Combine multiple images into one	magick composite overlay.png base.png result.png
magick montage	Create image grids or contact sheets	magick montage *.jpg -geometry 100x100 grid.png
magick compare	Highlight differences between two images	magick compare old.png new.png diff.png
magick import	Capture screenshots (X11 only)	magick import screenshot.png
magick display	View images in a window (X11 only)	magick display image.jpg
magick animate	Display image sequences as animation	magick animate *.gif

Fedora uses GNOME on Wayland by default. The magick import and magick display commands require X11 and run through XWayland, but magick import cannot capture the full Wayland desktop. Use GNOME Screenshot or gnome-screenshot for full-screen captures instead.

Legacy commands like convert and identify still work in ImageMagick 7 but display deprecation warnings. Update your scripts to use the magick prefix for forward compatibility.

Process Images with ImageMagick on Fedora

The examples below demonstrate common ImageMagick tasks for format conversion, batch processing, and image manipulation using the unified magick command.

Convert Image Formats

Convert a JPG image to PNG format when you need lossless compression or transparency support:

magick input.jpg output.png

ImageMagick automatically detects the output format from the file extension. This works with over 200 image formats including WebP, HEIC, JPEG-XL, PDF, and SVG.

Convert HEIC Images to JPG

iPhone and modern cameras save photos in HEIC format. Convert them to JPG for broader compatibility:

magick input.heic output.jpg

For batch conversion of all HEIC files in a directory:

magick mogrify -format jpg *.heic

HEIC support requires the ImageMagick-heic package for DNF installations (sudo dnf install ImageMagick-heic). Source builds include HEIC automatically when libheif-devel is installed via dnf builddep.

Convert Images to WebP

Convert images to WebP format for faster web page loading times:

magick input.png -quality 80 output.webp

The -quality 80 flag sets the compression level, balancing file size and image quality. WebP typically produces files 25-35% smaller than equivalent JPGs.

Create Thumbnails

Generate a 200×200 pixel thumbnail while preserving aspect ratio for image previews or galleries:

magick input.png -thumbnail 200x200 thumbnail.png

Using -thumbnail strips metadata and optimizes the image for web use, resulting in smaller file sizes than -resize.

Resize Images

Resize an image to exactly 800×600 pixels when you need precise dimensions regardless of aspect ratio:

magick input.png -resize 800x600! output.png

The exclamation mark forces exact dimensions, ignoring aspect ratio. Omitting it allows ImageMagick to maintain the original proportions within the specified bounds.

Add Text Watermarks

Overlay text on an image to protect copyright or add attribution:

magick input.png -font Arial -pointsize 36 -fill black -gravity southeast -annotate +10+10 "Copyright 2026" output.png

This places the text in the bottom-right corner with a 10-pixel margin. The -gravity option controls positioning relative to image edges.

Batch Process Multiple Files

Convert all JPG files in a directory to PNG when migrating image formats for an entire project:

magick mogrify -format png *.jpg

When using -format, mogrify creates new files with the specified extension while leaving the original JPG files unchanged.

Batch resize all JPG images in a directory to a maximum width of 1920 pixels while preserving aspect ratio:

magick mogrify -resize 1920x *.jpg

For more examples and advanced techniques, see Examples of ImageMagick Usage.

Without the -format flag, mogrify overwrites the original files. For example, magick mogrify -resize 50% *.jpg permanently replaces each JPG with a resized version. Always back up important images before batch processing with mogrify.

Troubleshoot ImageMagick Installation Issues on Fedora

Command Not Found After Installation

If you see magick: command not found after installing ImageMagick, the cause depends on your installation method:

• DNF installation: Verify the package is installed with dnf list installed ImageMagick. If missing, install it with sudo dnf install ImageMagick.
• Source installation: The binary installs to /usr/local/bin/magick by default. Check that /usr/local/bin is in your PATH by running echo $PATH. If missing, add it to your shell configuration: echo 'export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc

Library Loading Errors After Source Installation

If you see a shared library error after compiling from source, the dynamic linker cannot find the ImageMagick libraries:

magick: error while loading shared libraries: libMagickCore-7.Q16HDRI.so.10: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

First, verify the library files exist:

ls /usr/local/lib/libMagick*

If the files exist, then update the library cache:

sudo ldconfig /usr/local/lib

If the error persists, add /usr/local/lib to the library path permanently:

echo '/usr/local/lib' | sudo tee /etc/ld.so.conf.d/imagemagick.conf
sudo ldconfig

Verify the fix by running:

/usr/local/bin/magick --version

You should see the ImageMagick version output without any library errors.

Missing Image Format Support

If ImageMagick cannot process certain image formats, the required delegate library was not detected during configuration. Check which formats are enabled using the grep command to filter the output:

magick identify -list format | grep -i "jpeg\|png\|webp\|heic\|jxl"

You should see output listing supported formats with rw- or rw+ indicators:

     HEIC  HEIC      r--   High Efficiency Image Format (1.20.1)
     JPEG* JPEG      rw-   Joint Photographic Experts Group JFIF format (libjpeg-turbo 3.1.1)
      JXL* JXL       rw+   JPEG XL (ISO/IEC 18181) (libjxl 0.11.1)
      PNG* PNG       rw-   Portable Network Graphics (libpng 1.6.50)
     WEBP* WEBP      rw+   WebP Image Format (libwebp 1.6.0)

If your desired format is missing (no entry or --- instead of rw-), install the corresponding development package:

sudo dnf install libheif-devel  # For HEIC/HEIF support
sudo dnf install libjxl-devel   # For JPEG-XL support

After installing the missing libraries, return to the ImageMagick source directory and recompile:

cd "$HOME/imagemagick-build"
./configure --with-modules
make -j$(nproc)
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig /usr/local/lib

Verify the format is now enabled:

magick identify -list format | grep -i heic

Remove ImageMagick from Fedora

Remove DNF Installation

If you installed ImageMagick via DNF, remove it with:

sudo dnf remove ImageMagick ImageMagick-heic

Verify ImageMagick is removed:

magick --version

You should see:

bash: magick: command not found...

Remove Source Installation

If you compiled from source, navigate to the build directory and uninstall:

cd "$HOME/imagemagick-build"
sudo make uninstall
sudo ldconfig

Verify removal:

magick --version

You should see:

bash: magick: command not found

The following command permanently deletes the source build directory and any custom modifications you made to it. Back up any custom configuration before proceeding.

Delete the source directory and clean up any library configuration files:

rm -rf "$HOME/imagemagick-build"
sudo rm -f /etc/ld.so.conf.d/imagemagick.conf
sudo ldconfig

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

ImageMagick is ready for batch image processing on Fedora. Start with format conversions like magick input.jpg output.webp, then use mogrify for batch resizing and HEIC-to-JPG conversion across entire directories. For multimedia projects, pair ImageMagick with FFmpeg for video processing on Fedora or GIMP for advanced image editing on Fedora.