running imagemagick convert (console application) from python

imagemagick, imagemagick-convert, python, python-3.x, subprocess

Solution

I figured it out: It turns out that windows has its own `convert.exe` program in `PATH`.

The following code prints `b'C:\\Windows\\System32\\convert.exe\r\n'`:

try:
    print(subprocess.check_output(["where",'convert'],stderr=subprocess.STDOUT,shell=True))
except CalledProcessError as e:
    print(e)
    print(e.output)

Running the same code in a terminal shows that imagemagick's `convert` shadows Windows' `convert`:

C:\Users\Navin>where convert                                                    
C:\Program Files\ImageMagick-6.8.3-Q16\convert.exe                              
C:\Windows\System32\convert.exe                                                 

.

I did not restart python after installing ImageMagick so its `PATH` still pointed to the Windows version.

Using the full path works:

try:
    cmd= ['C:\Program Files\ImageMagick-6.8.3-Q16\convert','-size','30x40','xc:white','-fill','white','-fill','black','-font','fonts\Helvetica Regular.ttf','-pointsize','40','-gravity','South','-draw',"text 0,0 'P'",'draw_text.gif']
    print(str.join(' ', cmd))
    print('stdout: {}'.format(subprocess.check_output(cmd,shell=True,stderr=subprocess.STDOUT)))
except CalledProcessError as e:
    print(e)
    print(e.output)

Problem

Original source