Adding Text to Images Using Linux Command Line

[Eli]

Sometimes you want to annotate an image to suit some needs. To add text on images using ImageMagick with the Linux command line, follow steps below.

Before installing any software, it is recommended to update your system to ensure you have the latest package information. Open Terminal and run the an appropriate command depending on your Linux distribution:

Fo Ubuntu Linux:

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1. sudo apt-get update

For RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux), CentOS, and Fedora systems:

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1. sudo dnf update

For Arch Linux:

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1. pacman -Syy

Install ImageMagick if it is not already installed on your system

• For Ubuntu or Debian:
  
  
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  1. sudo apt-get install imagemagick

• For RHEL, CentOS or Fedora:
  
  
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  1. sudo yum install imagemagick or
  2. sudo dnf install ImageMagick

• For Arch Linux:
  
  
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  1. sudo pacman -S imagemagick

To confirm that ImageMagick has been installed successfully:

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1. magick -version

Add Text to Image

Open the terminal and navigate to the directory where the image is located. Use the convert command followed by the image filename to apply text:

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1. convert original_image.jpg -gravity location -pointsize fontsize -fill color -annotate +X_offset+Y_offset "text" modified_image.jpg

You can adjust the font, color, and position of your text by modifying the command parameters. For example, you can use a different font by adding the -font parameter:

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1. convert original_image.jpg -gravity location -pointsize fontsize -font Times-Roman -fill color -annotate +X_offset+Y_offset "text" modified_image.jpg

Where

• original_image.jpg: Replace it with the actual image filename.
• gravity location: Specifies the position to anchor the text (e.g., NorthWest, Center, South).
• fill: Specifies the color of the text.
• annotate: is the position of the text.
• pointsize fontsize: Determines the size of the text.
• +X_offset+Y_offset: Sets the X and Y offsets in pixels. It indicates the X and Y coordinates of the text relative to the top left corner of the image.
• "text": Replace it with the desired text.
• modified_image.jpg: Replace it with the desired output image filename.

As an example, execute the following command and the modified image with the added text will be saved in the current directory:

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1. convert original_image.png -gravity SouthEast -pointsize 36 -font Times-Roman -fill darkblue -annotate +50+50 "www.tssfl.com" photo_with_text.jpg

Note: You can experiment with different options to achieve the desired look and feel for the added text.

See attached example of the original and the annotated images.