# ImageMagick: Command-line Tools: Import
ImageMagick® is a software suite to create, edit, and compose bitmap images. It can read, convert and write images in a variety of formats (about 100) including GIF, JPEG, JPEG-2000, PNG, PDF, PhotoCD, TIFF, and DPX. Use ImageMagick to translate, flip, mirror, rotate, scale, shear and transform images, adjust image colors, apply various special effects, or draw text, lines, polygons, ellipses and Bézier curves. ImageMagick is free software delivered as a ready-to-run binary distribution or as source code that you can freely use, copy, modify, and distribute. Its license is compatible with the [cut: 1167 characters, first 599 kept]
Author: ImageMagick Studio LLC
Keywords: command-line, tools:, import, ImageMagick, ImageMagic, MagickCore, MagickWand, PerlMagick, Magick++, RMagick, PythonMagick, JMagick, TclMagick, Image, Magick, Magic, Wand

Use the `import` program to capture some or all of an X server screen and save the image to a file. See Command Line Processing for advice on how to structure your `import` command or see below for example usages of the command.

## Example Usage

We list a few examples of the `import` command here to illustrate its usefulness and ease of use. To get started, lets import an image in the JPEG format:

      import rose.jpg

To capture the entire X server screen in the Postscript image format:

      import -window root screen.ps

You can find additional examples of using `import` in Graphics from the Command Line. Further discussion is available in More Graphics from the Command Line and Examples of ImageMagick Usage.

## Option Summary

The `import` command recognizes these options. Click on an option to get more details about how that option works.

Option | Description
--- | ---
-adjoin | join images into a single multi-image file
-annotate geometry text | annotate the image with text
-border | include image borders in the output image
-channel type | apply option to select image channels
-colors value | preferred number of colors in the image
-colorspace type | set image colorspace
-comment string | annotate image with comment
-compress type | image compression type
-contrast | enhance or reduce the image contrast
-crop geometry | preferred size and location of the cropped image
-debug events | import copious debugging information
-define format:option | define one or more image format options
-delay value | import the next image after pausing
-density geometry | horizontal and vertical density of the image
-depth value | image depth
-descend | obtain image by descending window hierarchy
-display server | get image or font from this X server
-dispose method | GIF disposal method
-dither | apply Floyd/Steinberg error diffusion to image
-encoding type | text encoding type
-endian type | endianness (MSB or LSB) of the image
-frame | include window manager frame
-geometry geometry | preferred size or location of the image
-gravity type | horizontal and vertical text placement
-help | print program options
-identify | identify the format and characteristics of the image
-interlace type | type of image interlacing scheme
-interpolate method | pixel color interpolation method
-label name | assign a label to an image
-limit type value | pixel cache resource limit
-log format | format of debugging information
-monitor | monitor progress
-monochrome | transform image to black and white
-negate | replace every pixel with its complementary color
-page geometry | size and location of an image canvas (setting)
-quality value | JPEG/MIFF/PNG compression level
-quantize colorspace | reduce image colors in this colorspace
-quiet | suppress all error or warning messages
-quiet | suppress all error or warning messages
-repage geometry | size and location of an image canvas
-resize geometry | resize the image
-rotate degrees | apply Paeth rotation to the image
-sampling-factor geometry | horizontal and vertical sampling factor
-scene value | image scene number
-screen | select image from root window
-set attribute value | set an image attribute
-silent | operate silently, i.e. don't ring any bells
-strip | strip image of all profiles and comments
-support factor | resize support: > 1.0 is blurry, < 1.0 is sharp
-transparent-color color | transparent color
-trim | trim image edges
-type type | image type
-verbose | print detailed information about the image
-version | print version information
-virtual-pixel method | access method for pixels outside the boundaries of the image
-window id | select window with this id or name

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