ImageMagick TIF Problem

cinderelmo · July 18th, 2007, 05:32 PM

I've spent the better part of a day trying to solve this on my own, including extensive searching of the forums here, the ImageMagick home, and my Host's tech support. Here is what I have;

*Using ImageMagick, and I need to use it due to large number of TIF files I handle.
*It works fine for JPG and GIF files. Upload works fine, thumbnails, etc.
*It does not work for TIF files.
*I am using the web interface (upload photos/browse/select .tif file/hit upload). Uploading to the server first (bulk upload) doesn't work either.
*My host has confirmed the system-wide install of ImageMagick has the tif library installed (I'm on a shared server). They have sent me this;

Quote:

/usr/bin/convert identify -list format

Format Module Mode Description

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
------

TIF* TIFF rw+ Tagged Image File Format (42)

TIFF* TIFF rw+ Tagged Image File Format (42)

*Error code is something that is commonly associated with file permission errors, but I've checked and rechecked permissions on all files and folders.

Quote:

Error creating thumbnail! Error code: 1

Command:

"/usr/bin/mogrify" -size 150x19 -quality 70 -geometry 150x19 '/home/folder/sitename.com/data/525/thumbs/sept2007.tif'

Questions:

+ Is it possible that convert could work, but mogrify could not work on TIF files? Is there a way to test my host's mogrify command's ability to work with TIF files, other than it's apparent failure in my Photopost install? I have shell access.
+ If error code 1 suggests a file permission error, why does it fail only on TIF uploads?
+ I have phpinfo dump.
+ Can provide test login if needed.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Chuck S · July 19th, 2007, 10:06 AM

I use Imagemagick with tif files no problem

Maybe your imagemagick has not been installed with tif support correctly for sharing

Here is how we install Imagemagick or suggest

http://www.photopost.com/howtoinstall-php.html

cinderelmo · July 20th, 2007, 03:44 PM

I've continued with my investigation. My host reinstalled ImageMagick with their default set of products, and said if it didn't work I was basically on my own. It didn't help resolve my issue.

I have limited expertise in Unix but I can follow the directions easily enough on the page for installing ImageMagick on a virtual server using my shell account. However, for whatever reason it only lists JPG support on your virtual server page, and apparently there is something special needed for installing TIFF support on a shared account. I tried kludging the instructions for the root access server TIFF section, but it just isn't working.

Any chance you could update the shared server page instructions to include TIFF support? Failing that, I'd like to pay for advanced install services to get this last thing working. The rest of the program works flawlessly...but without tiff support it is useless for me.

Thanks.

For clarity, what I'm doing is trying to set up IM on a shared server, with TIFF support. I follow the instructions, and when I do the configure in the TIFF directory, it asks me for my local directories, which I include. After the make process it puts the tiff.h into my local include directory...so that part seems to be working.

When I go to run the configure file for the main IM proggy, I always end up with this for TIFF;

Quote:

TIFF..............--with-tiff=yes..................no

No TIFF support.

Chuck S · July 20th, 2007, 06:54 PM

http://www.photopost.com/howtoinstall-php.html

Our support pages have direct information how to compile imagemagick with tiff support but you need root server access to do tiff support. Nothing much we can do with an advanced install agreement if you dont have root access

cinderelmo · July 21st, 2007, 09:43 AM

Thanks for the response. So you are saying that if my host won't support tiff with their install of IM, there is no way I can set up IM/tiff using the virtual server? I'm not trying to be difficult, but your instructions are ambiguous about this;

[from the IM virtual server install page]

Quote:

Note: I would recommend installing ImageMagick without .TIF or .PNG support unless you absolutely need it, since the non-root install procedure is easier without it.

Note that it does not say .TIF support is impossible without root access, it just suggests it is more difficult. If it is not possible I'll have to switch hosts so I can use PP, so you can understand why I want to exhaust every possibility before I do that.

Thanks again for your support.

Chuck S · July 21st, 2007, 11:53 AM

There are root instructions and non-root instructions linked on the page I listed. Root access has JPG, PNG and TIFF support and non root only has JPG support so I think that quite clearly states if you do not have root access you can not support TIFF images

cinderelmo · August 13th, 2007, 03:50 PM

Update. I've moved to a new host who assures me that the TIFF module is properly running. I've reinstalled PP, set processor to ImageMagick, and uploaded my first TIF images. The upload itself succeeded. However, the thumbnail and medium images are both listed as .tif files on the server - which cannot be seen by my browser. The result is broken thumbs. (as a test, JPG works fine.)

Is there something I'm missing here? My understanding of formats like this is that the original is uploaded to the server, but JPG's are created for the thumbnails and the "vieweable" versions of the TIFs. But when you download the file, it comes down as a the original TIF format. I feel close to solving this!

TIA.

Chuck S · August 13th, 2007, 04:17 PM

do you have links

Chuck S · August 13th, 2007, 04:17 PM

I would still saw they have not installed tif support

cinderelmo · August 13th, 2007, 11:23 PM

http://www.armchaircp.com/

I've asked them to send me the output of the configure for ImageMagick so I can see if TIFF is in fact there. I'm not sure if there is a more definitive method to test for this, other than by the failure of it. My last host also had trouble telling me if TIFF was supported. They said it was at first, but later said that if it wasn't working then they must not have it installed and I was on my own. LOL.

New host is IX Web Hosting.

Chuck S · August 14th, 2007, 11:19 AM

The definitive way to test this is to configure imagemagick and see if you can manipulate a tif image

Obviously your host is having issues because if Imagemagick is installed correctly with tif support it will work with tif images. I know I have installed Imagemagick many times. If tif image support does not work within the program it is not configured to do tif's

Not much I can do to help here other than point to the Imagemagick installation instructions. This is a server level program like PHP and is one of the requirements to operate the program. If Imagemagick does not work you need to use GD2 or in your case since it works for gif png and jpg images just remove tif as an allowable image type in upload options

cinderelmo · August 14th, 2007, 12:12 PM

Thanks Chuck. I'm working with my host to solve this. If he can't fix it, I'll move to another. However, my production team only works with TIF's, so GD2 is useless for me as an alternative.

Chuck S · August 14th, 2007, 12:38 PM

I use westhost.com

cinderelmo · August 21st, 2007, 12:32 AM

I'm curious if there is any way I can insert code in image-inc.php file which will allow me to debug the mogrify command to learn more about why it isn't properly creating jpg images for thumbnails. The debug option in the admin panel isn't reporting anything when I upload these tifs, although clearly there is a breakdown somewhere.

I'll keep that host in mind if this one doesn't work out.

Chuck S · August 21st, 2007, 10:55 AM

You could look at the imagemagick site to see if there is a debug setting I am not personally sure about that one.

In my testing clearly Imagemagick works if you have the proper server graphics libraries installed. When you install Imagemagick on the configure section it will tell you what graphics libraries are configured for it to use. Tif support is only added if you have properly installed the tif libraries.

cinderelmo · September 12th, 2007, 12:52 PM

This is easily the most frustrating software installation I've ever done. I do not blame Photopost itself though, as this is an ImageMagick issue entirely. Hosts apparently have no clue what it takes to install ImageMagick properly, and I've gone through several hosts now who have assured me they have TIF support...only to install photopost and have it take a dump on TIF images.

The latest one is Lunarpages.

www.armchairp.com/index.php

user=test
pass=test

You can clearly see what my problem is with this one (and the others). TIFs appear as text rather than the images themselves.

My install procedure went well. I added the .tif extension to the line where it says "Acceptable image file types?" but I have a feeling that if tiff support was offered, this line would have been filled in for me? I'm posting this in the hopes someone can tell me that I'm doing something wrong on my end...before I go back to the host once again and tell them to stop telling me they offer something which they clearly do not.

Finally, why not just go with Westhost.com who I know supports tiffs? They don't offer enough space. I've got a huge archive of TIFS.

Chuck S · September 12th, 2007, 02:12 PM

I am with a host called westhost and you can compile software at root level and install Imagemagick yourself. Thats the type of hosts I would recommend. Those where at bear miminum you have a vds server meaning you have complete control over your install. If one follows the instructions posted under support on how to install Imagemagick with root access and follows those instructions will have a working imagemagick that supports tiff images.