I don’t know anything about imagemagick, I have a need to convert images that users upload to gif format and resize and optimize said images as well. Before I look further into it, can someone please clarify whether imagemagick is a software or a standalone script? Meaning do I need to have it installed on my server or can I just uload the files and use the script’s commands?
I’m referring to imagemagick for PHP.
It depends what you mean by “install.”
If you are talking about the PHP extensions, then yeah, those have to be “installed.”
If you are talking about the standalone binary programs, then no, they don’t have to be “installed.” If you can find a copy of the programs designed for the exact type and version of the operating system your server runs, you could place them somewhere accessible, give them execute permissions, and call them from your script. However, some shared hosting providers prohibit you from running compiled binaries in any way whatsoever, so this might not be such a good idea.
Your best bet is going to be either convincing your hosting provider to install it, or switching providers to one that already has it installed.