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catimg

display images in the terminal using Unicode characters

TLDR

Display image in terminal

$ catimg [image.png]

Set custom width

$ catimg -w [80] [image.jpg]

Double resolution

$ catimg -r 2 [image.png]

Disable 24-bit color

$ catimg -t [image.gif]

SYNOPSIS

catimg [options] image

DESCRIPTION

catimg renders images directly in the terminal using Unicode block characters and ANSI color codes. It supports JPEG, PNG, and GIF formats, with animated GIF playback via configurable loop counts.The tool requires no external dependencies and works over SSH connections, making it useful for previewing images on remote servers or in minimal environments without a graphical display. Image resolution can be adjusted with width, height, and resolution multiplier options to balance detail against terminal size.

PARAMETERS

-w width

Display width (default: terminal width)

-r factor

Resolution multiplier (e.g., 2 for double)

-t

Disable 24-bit color (use 256 colors)

-H height

Set display height

-l loops

GIF animation loops (0 for infinite)

INSTALLATION

$ git clone https://github.com/posva/catimg.git
cd catimg
cmake .
sudo make install

SIMILAR TOOLS

chafa

Advanced terminal graphics

timg

Terminal image/video viewer

tiv

Terminal image viewer

imcat

Image to terminal

INSTALL

sudo apt install catimg

sudo dnf install catimg

sudo pacman -S catimg

sudo apk add catimg

sudo zypper install catimg

brew install catimg

nix profile install nixpkgs#catimg

CAVEATS

Uses Unicode block characters for rendering. Quality depends on terminal font and color support. Works best in terminals with 24-bit color support.

SEE ALSO

chafa(1), timg(1), tiv(1)

RESOURCES