Arch Linux

Sotanaht

Member

Registered: 2012-01-14

Posts: 29

ImageMagick 'import' command returning mostly black images

I've been having this issue on my desktop running Arch, and now it's happening on my netbook running a fresh install of ArchBang, so I figured it's time to get help.  I've been using ImageMagick's 'import' command to take screenshots, and they all come out somewhat like this.

http://imgur.com/8W1g2

I'm using the command 'import root ~/screenshot.png', which lets me select a box to capture.
It seems that unless I make the box over the same window that I ran the command from, I get nothing but black, and if I do make the box over the same window, I get something like the image linked above.

Both machines are running OpenBox.  The netbook is using intel drivers, and the desktop is using ati catalyst, and neither are having any video issues.  I really don't know what could be causing this issue.

/dev/zero

Member

From: Melbourne, Australia

Registered: 2011-10-20

Posts: 1,247

Re: ImageMagick 'import' command returning mostly black images

It works for me in wmii.

Are you calling it from a terminal or from an openbox menu entry? Do other screenshot programs such as scrot work? Have you tried another window manager? When was the last time you did a full system update?

You should (always) give more information about what you've already tried to solve it, what you've googled, etc. We like people to demonstrate a little capacity for doing their own hands-on problem solving instead of treating this like a helpdesk.

Sotanaht

Member

Registered: 2012-01-14

Posts: 29

Re: ImageMagick 'import' command returning mostly black images

I've been using it both in a terminal and in a Python app I've been working on, and my system is fully up-to-date.  I just tried testing the screenshot tool that comes with ArchBang, and it works.  It uses "scrot -s " to take the screenshot, so I think I'll just use that from now on.  I wonder what could be causing the black screenshots though.

/dev/zero

Member

From: Melbourne, Australia

Registered: 2011-10-20

Posts: 1,247

Re: ImageMagick 'import' command returning mostly black images

I've been using it both in a terminal and in a Python app I've been working on, and my system is fully up-to-date.  I just tried testing the screenshot tool that comes with ArchBang, and it works.  It uses "scrot -s " to take the screenshot, so I think I'll just use that from now on.  I wonder what could be causing the black screenshots though.

Maybe I've uncovered part of the problem. I just used the import command to take a screenshot; it shows up okay in sxiv, but then when I edit it in Gimp I get the message:

PNG Image Message

The PNG file specifies an offset that caused the layer to be positioned outside the image.

Indeed, in gimp I see a yellow anttrail (for the image) sitting outside the checkered background area.

IOW, IMO, it's an imagemagick bug.