animate
Display images as an animation
SYNOPSIS
animate [options...] [file]...
PARAMETERS
-background color
Window background color.
-colormap type
Shared or private colormap.
-colors number
Preferred number of colors.
-colorspace type
Colorspace (e.g., RGB, Gray).
-delay number
Pause number centiseconds between frames (default 0).
-density geometry
Horizontal/vertical resolution in pixels/inch.
-depth number
Image depth in bits (8/16).
-display server
X11 display server.
-dispose method
GIF disposal method (0-3).
-dither method
Dithering method.
-endian type
Endianness (MSB/LSB).
-font name
X11 font name.
-geometry geometry
Window width x height +x+y.
-help
Print usage summary.
-interlace method
Interlace (None, Line, Plane, Partition).
-label name
Assign label to images.
-limit type value
Pixel cache resource limit.
-loop number
Loop animation number times (default infinite).
-mattecolor color
Frame matte color.
-pause number
Initial pause in centiseconds.
-remote command
Remote operation command.
-size geometry
Input image geometry.
-update number
Display update interval in seconds.
DESCRIPTION
The animate command, part of the ImageMagick toolkit, displays a sequence of images rapidly to simulate animation. Load images from files, URLs, or stdin, and play them in a window with controls for speed, looping, pausing, and navigation.
It supports GIF, PNG, JPEG, and many formats. Key features include adjustable frame delay, window geometry, color reduction, and enhancements like sharpening or contrast. Pause with spacebar, navigate frames with arrow keys, resize with mouse, and exit with ESC or 'q'.
Ideal for previewing animations before editing or converting with other ImageMagick tools. Runs on X11; supports remote displays via -display. Handles multi-frame images automatically, treating each as a frame.
CAVEATS
Requires X11 server; not for headless systems. High memory use with large sequences. Deprecated in favor of display for some uses.
KEYBOARD CONTROLS
Left/right arrows: previous/next frame.
Up/down: first/last frame.
Space: pause/resume.
ESC/q: quit.
Drag: pan.
Wheel: zoom.
EXAMPLES
animate movie.miff
Play animation.
animate -delay 20 -loop 0 *.png
Animate PNGs at 1/5 fps, infinite loop.
HISTORY
Introduced in ImageMagick 5.x (early 2000s); evolved from earlier display tools. ImageMagick originated 1991 by John Cristy.
