Using the convert command, you can modify image files without having to open an image editor. Credit: Sandra Henry-Stocker Most of us probably know how wonderful a tool Gimp is for editing images, but have you ever thought about manipulating image files on the command line? If not, let me introduce you to the convert command. It easily coverts files from one image format to another and allows you to perform many other image manipulation tasks, as well — and in a lot less time than it would take to make these changes uses desktop tools. Let’s look at some simple examples of how you can make it work for you. Converting files by image type Coverting an image from one format to another is extremely easy with the convert command. Just use a convert command like the one in this example: $ convert arrow.jpg arrow.png The arrow.png image should look the same as the original arrow.jpg file, but the file will have the specified file extension and be different in size. The convert command will use the file name you provide (in this case, arrow.png) to determine what type of file you want to end up with and reformat the image accordingly. If you doubt that the proper conversion could possibly happen as quickly and easily as it does, you can always use the od command to examine the beginning of each of your files. od -bc arrow.jpg | head -6 0000000 377 330 377 340 000 020 112 106 111 106 000 001 001 000 000 001 377 330 377 340 Related content how-to How to find files on Linux There are many options you can use to find files on Linux, including searching by file name (or partial name), age, owner, group, size, type and inode number. By Sandra Henry Stocker Jun 24, 2024 8 mins Linux opinion Linux in your car: Red Hat’s milestone collaboration with exida With contributions from Red Hat and critical collaborators, the safety and security of automotive vehicles has reached a new level of reliability. By Sandra Henry Stocker Jun 17, 2024 5 mins Linux how-to How to print from the Linux command line: double-sided, landscape and more There's a lot more to printing from the Linux command line than the lp command. Check out some of the many available options. By Sandra Henry Stocker Jun 11, 2024 6 mins Linux how-to Converting between uppercase and lowercase on the Linux command line Converting text between uppercase and lowercase can be very tedious, especially when you want to avoid inadvertent misspellings. Fortunately, Linux provides a handful of commands that can make the job very easy. By Sandra Henry Stocker Jun 07, 2024 5 mins Linux PODCASTS VIDEOS RESOURCES EVENTS NEWSLETTERS Newsletter Promo Module Test Description for newsletter promo module. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe