How do I install the Image Forge skill?

Run npx skillmds add tools-only/image-forge in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

What does the Image Forge skill do?

Precision image editing using ImageMagick 7, sips, rembg, and Pillow with intelligent routing to AI semantic editing (Gemini/nano-banana-pro) for content-aware operations. This skill should be used when performing any image manipulation task including cropping, resizing, compositing, annotating, format conversion, color adjustment, batch processing, montage creation, or when combining deterministic edits with AI-powered semantic edits. It is listed under Productivity on SkillMD.

Is Image Forge safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Image Forge?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Image Forge free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Image Forge?

tools-only (@tools-only) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Image Forge by tools-only — Agent Skill

Name: Image Forge
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: tools-only

Image Forge

Pixel-precise image editing with three-tier routing: deterministic CLI tools for exact operations, AI models for semantic edits, vision models for analysis.

Routing Decision

Use AI when the edit requires understanding what is in the image. Use ImageMagick when the edit requires knowing exactly what to do to the pixels.

Tier 1: Deterministic (magick, sips, rembg)

Use for operations with exact, numeric parameters:

Task	Tool	Command
Resize to exact dimensions	magick	`magick in.jpg -resize 800x600! out.jpg`
Resize fit (preserve aspect)	magick	`magick in.jpg -resize 800x600 out.jpg`
Resize fill + crop	magick	`magick in.jpg -resize 800x600^ -gravity center -extent 800x600 out.jpg`
Resize shrink only	magick	`magick in.jpg -resize '800x600>' out.jpg`
Crop at offset	magick	`magick in.jpg -crop 600x400+100+50 +repage out.jpg`
Center crop	magick	`magick in.jpg -gravity center -crop 600x400+0+0 +repage out.jpg`
Auto-trim whitespace	magick	`magick in.jpg -fuzz 10% -trim +repage out.jpg`
Format convert	magick	`magick in.png -quality 85 out.jpg`
Add text	magick	`magick in.jpg -fill white -pointsize 36 -annotate +10+50 'Text' out.jpg`
Composite overlay	magick	`magick bg.png fg.png -geometry +50+100 -composite out.png`
Watermark	magick	`magick photo.jpg wm.png -gravity SouthEast -geometry +10+10 -compose Dissolve -define compose:args=25 -composite out.jpg`
Adjust brightness/contrast	magick	`magick in.jpg -brightness-contrast 10x20 out.jpg`
Adjust saturation	magick	`magick in.jpg -modulate 100,130,100 out.jpg`
Grayscale	magick	`magick in.jpg -colorspace Gray out.jpg`
Sepia	magick	`magick in.jpg -sepia-tone 80% out.jpg`
Blur	magick	`magick in.jpg -blur 0x3 out.jpg`
Sharpen	magick	`magick in.jpg -sharpen 0x1 out.jpg`
Remove background	rembg	`rembg i in.jpg out.png`
Strip metadata	magick	`magick in.jpg -strip out.jpg`
Set DPI	magick	`magick in.jpg -density 300 out.jpg`
Batch resize	`batch_ops.py`	`python3 scripts/batch_ops.py *.jpg --op resize --width 800 --output resized/`
Montage/contact sheet	magick	`magick montage *.jpg -geometry 200x200+5+5 -tile 4x out.jpg`
Quick format convert (macOS)	sips	`sips -s format jpeg in.png --out out.jpg`
Quick resize (macOS)	sips	`sips -Z 800 in.jpg --out out.jpg`

Tier 2: AI Semantic (nano-banana-pro / Gemini)

Delegate to the nano-banana-pro skill when the edit requires understanding image content:

Remove a person/object from a photo
Change sky, weather, time of day
Apply artistic style transfer
Inpaint/outpaint regions
Generate new image from scratch
Content-aware fill after object removal

Tier 3: Vision Analysis (Claude Read tool)

Use the Read tool to inspect images before/after edits:

Verify an edit succeeded
Describe image contents
Check composition and framing
Identify colors, objects, text in image

Scripts

All scripts are in ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/. Run with python3.

image_info.py — Inspect Image Metadata

python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/image_info.py photo.jpg
python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/image_info.py photo.jpg --field dimensions
python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/image_info.py photo.jpg --field width

Returns clean JSON: dimensions, format, color space, depth, alpha, DPI, ICC profile, EXIF.

image_pipeline.py — Declarative Edit Pipeline

Write a JSON spec, get a single chained magick command. No intermediate files.

# Create spec
cat > /tmp/pipeline.json << 'EOF'
{
    "input": "photo.jpg",
    "output": "result.png",
    "steps": [
        {"op": "resize", "width": 800, "height": 600, "mode": "fill"},
        {"op": "brightness_contrast", "brightness": 5, "contrast": 10},
        {"op": "annotate", "text": "Title", "gravity": "South", "pointsize": 36, "fill": "white", "stroke": "black", "strokewidth": 2},
        {"op": "composite", "overlay": "watermark.png", "gravity": "SouthEast", "opacity": 25},
        {"op": "quality", "value": 90},
        {"op": "strip"}
    ]
}
EOF

# Dry run (print command)
python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/image_pipeline.py /tmp/pipeline.json --dry-run

# Execute
python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/image_pipeline.py /tmp/pipeline.json

Available operations:

Op	Parameters
`resize`	`width`, `height`, `mode` (fit/fill/exact/shrink/enlarge/percent), `filter`
`crop`	`w`/`width`, `h`/`height`, `x`, `y`, `gravity`
`trim`	`fuzz` (%)
`annotate`	`text`, `font`, `pointsize`, `fill`, `stroke`, `strokewidth`, `gravity`, `x`, `y`
`composite`	`overlay`, `gravity`, `x`, `y`, `opacity`, `compose`, `resize`
`rotate`	`angle`, `background`
`blur`	`sigma`, `radius`
`sharpen`	`sigma`, `radius`
`unsharp`	`sigma`, `radius`, `amount`, `threshold`
`modulate`	`brightness`, `saturation`, `hue` (100 = no change)
`brightness_contrast`	`brightness`, `contrast`
`levels`	`black`, `white`, `gamma`
`gamma`	`value`
`sigmoidal_contrast`	`strength`, `midpoint`
`colorize`	`color`, `amount` (%)
`sepia`	`threshold` (%)
`grayscale`	(none)
`negate`	(none)
`auto_level`	(none)
`normalize`	(none)
`auto_orient`	(none)
`flip` / `flop`	(none)
`border`	`color`, `size`
`extent`	`width`, `height`, `background`, `gravity`
`shadow`	`opacity`, `sigma`, `x`, `y`
`transparent`	`color`, `fuzz` (%)
`alpha_remove`	`background`
`alpha_set`	(none)
`quality`	`value` (1-100)
`strip`	(none)
`density`	`value` (DPI)
`draw`	`primitive`, `fill`, `stroke`, `strokewidth`
`raw`	`args` (string or array of raw magick args)

smart_crop.py — Gravity-Based Smart Crop

python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/smart_crop.py photo.jpg --target 800x600
python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/smart_crop.py photo.jpg --target 800x600 --gravity north
python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/smart_crop.py photo.jpg --target 1080x1080 --output cropped/
python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/smart_crop.py photo.jpg --target 800x600 --dry-run

Gravities: center, north, south, east, west, northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast.

batch_ops.py — Parallel Batch Processing

python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/batch_ops.py *.jpg --op resize --width 800 --output resized/
python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/batch_ops.py *.png --op format --to jpg --quality 85 --output converted/
python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/batch_ops.py *.jpg --op thumbnail --width 200 --height 200 --output thumbs/
python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/batch_ops.py *.jpg --op strip --output clean/
python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/batch_ops.py *.jpg --op watermark --overlay wm.png --opacity 25 --output marked/
python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/batch_ops.py *.jpg --op resize --width 800 --parallel 8 --output resized/

Operations: resize, thumbnail, format, strip, auto_orient, watermark, crop.

montage_builder.py — Contact Sheets

python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/montage_builder.py *.jpg --output contact.jpg
python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/montage_builder.py *.jpg --cols 3 --thumb 300x300 --label --output grid.jpg
python3 ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/scripts/montage_builder.py *.jpg --background '#1a1a2e' --border 2 --output dark_grid.jpg

Quick Recipes

Social Media Crops

# Instagram square
magick in.jpg -resize 1080x1080^ -gravity center -extent 1080x1080 instagram.jpg

# Instagram story
magick in.jpg -resize 1080x1920^ -gravity center -extent 1080x1920 story.jpg

# Twitter/X header
magick in.jpg -resize 1500x500^ -gravity center -extent 1500x500 header.jpg

# OG image
magick in.jpg -resize 1200x630^ -gravity center -extent 1200x630 og.jpg

Watermark

# Text watermark
magick photo.jpg -fill 'rgba(255,255,255,0.3)' -gravity SouthEast \
  -font Helvetica -pointsize 24 -annotate +10+10 '© 2026' out.jpg

# Image watermark at 25%
magick photo.jpg wm.png -gravity SouthEast -geometry +10+10 \
  -compose Dissolve -define compose:args=25 -composite out.jpg

Borders and Shadows

# Solid border
magick in.jpg -bordercolor '#333' -border 10 out.jpg

# Drop shadow
magick in.png \( +clone -background black -shadow 60x5+5+5 \) \
  +swap -background none -layers merge +repage shadow.png

Color Effects

# Vintage
magick in.jpg -modulate 105,80,100 -fill '#704214' -colorize 15% \
  -sigmoidal-contrast 3x60% vintage.jpg

# High contrast B&W
magick in.jpg -colorspace Gray -sigmoidal-contrast 10x50% bw.jpg

Geometry Syntax Quick Reference

Syntax	Meaning
`800x600`	Fit within box, preserve aspect
`800x600!`	Force exact (distort)
`800x600>`	Shrink only if larger
`800x600<`	Enlarge only if smaller
`800x600^`	Fill box (minimum dimension matches)
`50%`	Scale by percentage
`+X+Y`	Offset from gravity anchor

Shell escaping: Quote geometry with >, <, ^:

magick in.jpg -resize '800x600>' out.jpg

Critical Reminders

Always +repage after -crop — Virtual canvas offset persists without it
-modulate order is B,S,H — Brightness, Saturation, Hue (not H,S,L)
Settings persist, operators execute immediately — Order matters in magick commands
Use rembg for background removal — rembg i input.jpg output.png (add -a for alpha matting)
Quote geometry — >, <, ^ are shell metacharacters
-alpha off is permanent in IM7 — Use -alpha deactivate/-alpha activate for temporary toggle
Inspect before editing — Run image_info.py first to know dimensions, format, alpha state
Pipeline for multi-step — Use image_pipeline.py instead of chaining shell commands

References

Detailed references in ~/.claude/skills/image-forge/references/:

magick-reference.md — Complete ImageMagick 7 command reference (resize, crop, color, text, drawing, batch, identify)
compositing.md — All compositing operators (Duff-Porter, mathematical, lighting, HSL, special)
recipes.md — 30+ recipes (borders, shadows, watermarks, social sizing, color effects, sprites, batch patterns)

Dependencies

Tool	Version	Install
ImageMagick	7.1.2-7 (Q16-HDRI)	`brew install imagemagick`
rembg	2.0.72	`uv pip install rembg`
sips	macOS built-in	—
Pillow	10.4.0	`uv pip install Pillow`

Image Forge

File contents

Image Forge

Routing Decision

Tier 1: Deterministic (magick, sips, rembg)

Tier 2: AI Semantic (nano-banana-pro / Gemini)

Tier 3: Vision Analysis (Claude Read tool)

Scripts

image_info.py — Inspect Image Metadata

image_pipeline.py — Declarative Edit Pipeline

smart_crop.py — Gravity-Based Smart Crop

batch_ops.py — Parallel Batch Processing

montage_builder.py — Contact Sheets

Quick Recipes

Social Media Crops

Watermark

Borders and Shadows

Color Effects

Geometry Syntax Quick Reference

Critical Reminders

References

Dependencies

Frequently asked questions

Image Forge

File contents

Image Forge

Routing Decision

Tier 1: Deterministic (magick, sips, rembg)

Tier 2: AI Semantic (nano-banana-pro / Gemini)

Tier 3: Vision Analysis (Claude Read tool)

Scripts

image_info.py — Inspect Image Metadata

image_pipeline.py — Declarative Edit Pipeline

smart_crop.py — Gravity-Based Smart Crop

batch_ops.py — Parallel Batch Processing

montage_builder.py — Contact Sheets

Quick Recipes

Social Media Crops

Watermark

Borders and Shadows

Color Effects

Geometry Syntax Quick Reference

Critical Reminders

References

Dependencies

Related skills

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the Image Forge skill?

What does the Image Forge skill do?

Is Image Forge safe to use?

Which AI agents work with Image Forge?

Is Image Forge free to use?

Who published Image Forge?