Getting Started on a PC

[livfoss]

I'm the guy who couldn't get IM started on a Mac (see earlier post) so I thought I'd try my luck on the PC. The installation seemed to go OK, and although I can open the IM display window, I can't start IM from the CMD screen or anywhere else. The system doesn't seem to know ImageMagick is there. I tried typing exactly what it says in the examples, and I got "$magick is not recognised..." same with just using "magick". I just want to use the prog as a conversion program at this stage, but it behaves so unlike all the apps I've ever used on either of the platforms that I just don't know how to proceed. Later I want to do really difficult stuff, like invoke IM from another app and hijack its result - but you have to crawl before you can walk. Any help appreciated.

[fmw42]

Did you install the binary or the source?

I don't use windows so cannot be of much help.

But see

http://www.imagemagick.org/script/binar ... hp#windows
http://www.imagemagick.org/download/www ... ml#windows

http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/windows/

[livfoss]

Thanks for the mail. I installed the most common binary, which is a .exe file (i.e nominally a Windows app). However after installation it doesn't seem to be a Windows app at all - at least I can't find it to start it, and the command-line start didn't work for me. I am profoundly ignorant of apps that don't work through the common interfaces I'm used to... I thought that IM would act like any old Windows app, but it really doesn't. I am very willing to learn, but so far no luck. It's late here, I'll try some more digging tomorrow.

[fmw42]

Did you install the right version for your Windows system -- see http://www.imagemagick.org/script/binar ... hp#windows

Did you see the note at the bottom of the Windows binary install page:

"If you have any problems, install the Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (x86) or Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (x64). 64-bit Windows requires both packages (x86 & x64)."

Note IM runs from the command line, i.e. terminal or DOS/COMMAND Window.

Perhaps one of the Windows IM users can give you further pointers tomorrow.

[Bonzo]

I installed the most common binary, which is a .exe file (i.e nominally a Windows app).

Whats this supposed to mean - most if not all windows files are .exe ones.

Are you expecting a GUI as you do not get one and have to run it from the command prompt as Fred says.

See this page: http://www.rubblewebs.co.uk/imagemagick ... indows.php

[livfoss]

I installed the most common binary, which is a .exe file (i.e nominally a Windows app).

Whats this supposed to mean - most if not all windows files are .exe ones.

Are you expecting a GUI as you do not get one and have to run it from the command prompt as Fred says.

See this page: http://www.rubblewebs.co.uk/imagemagick ... indows.php

Well, I just followed what I saw on the web site, and downloaded and executed

ImageMagick-6.6.9-5-Q16-windows-dll.exe

I then tried to follow these instructions

To verify ImageMagick is working properly, type the following in an MS-DOS Command Prompt window:

$magick> convert logo: logo.gif $magick> identify logo.gif $magick> imdisplay

And being just an ordinary (and very rusty) user of Windows (I"m a Mac guy really), I couldn't even get to the point of seeing

$magick

at the beginning of the line..

However I rather think that Mr Rubble is going to get me out of this mess. Will report back. It is curious though that this seems so difficult to me when there must be thousands of users of IM who just got it going, no trouble.

As to using a command-line interface: I was brought up with them unimaginably long ago, and don't see it as a problem as long as I can understand how it works, which for me is not the individual functionality, but the context in which one works.

Thanks for your response.

[anthony]

the $magick> is just a prompt. It is the rest that you tpe into a CLI window.

WARNING: you may need to specify c:\...\convert
That is replace the ... with where it is installed. The reason is there is a Microsoft "convert" command, in the windows directory that will not do what you expect.

See IM Examples, Windows Usage
http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/windows/