Install ImageMagicK on OSX Lion

Homebrew, OSX Posted on

Yay! Not only has Apple taken us a few steps back in terms of the operating system, but they've also broken my favorite memory-leaking image-manipulation tool - ImageMagick!

Thankfully, I've come up with a way to get it working again (although the process is slightly bassackwards):

Using Homebrew

If you are using Homebrew as a package manager for Mac, you'll need to perform the following steps to get ImageMagicK working on OSX Mountain Lion:

  1. Remove any existing versions of ImageMagick:

    $ brew uninstall imagemagick
    
  2. Update Homebrew

    $ brew update
    
  3. Install the latest Xcode from the App Store (it's free now?)

  4. Clean up using the command

    $ brew cleanup
    
  5. Ensure brew is roaring

    $ brew doctor
    

And delete any files that end in .a or .la

  1. (Re)install ImageMagick

    $ brew install imagemagick
    

Using MacPorts

If you are using MacPorts as a package manager for Mac, you'll need to perform the following steps to get ImageMagicK working on OSX Mountain Lion:

  1. Remove any existing versions of ImageMagick:

    $ port uninstall imagemagick
    
  2. Update MacPorts

    $ port selfupdate
    
  3. Install the latest Xcode from the App Store (it's free now?)

  4. (Re)install ImageMagick

    $ port install imagemagick
    

Without a Package Manager

  1. Download Homebrew

  2. See Part 1

About Seth

Seth Vargo is a Distinguished Software Engineer at Google. Previously he worked at HashiCorp, Chef Software, CustomInk, and some Pittsburgh-based startups. He is the author of Learning Chef and is passionate about reducing inequality in technology. When he is not writing, working on open source, teaching, or speaking at conferences, Seth advises non-profits.