downgrade ghostscript to get convert etc working

[Emanuel Berg]

It seems convert doesn't work on Debian Buster, I get an error for
this command

convert -composite $bg $fg -gravity center comp.png

namely this message: "convert-im6.q16: no images defined `comp.png'
@ error/convert.c/ConvertImageCommand/3258."

I heard the solution is downgrade ghostscript but
'aptitude versions' only shows one version, 9.27 (or
9.27~dfsg-2+deb10u3).

Do I need to add additional sources or how do
I downgrade to a version that doesn't have the bug?

TIA

[Jonas Smedegaard]

Quoting Emanuel Berg (2020-03-07 23:07:16)

Post by Emanuel Berg
It seems convert doesn't work on Debian Buster, I get an error for
this command
convert -composite $bg $fg -gravity center comp.png
namely this message: "convert-im6.q16: no images defined `comp.png'
@ error/convert.c/ConvertImageCommand/3258."
I heard the solution is downgrade ghostscript but
'aptitude versions' only shows one version, 9.27 (or
9.27~dfsg-2+deb10u3).
Do I need to add additional sources or how do
I downgrade to a version that doesn't have the bug?

The solution is *not* to downgrade: It is a security-related change.

The solution is therefore to fix the Postscript code.

That said, if you insist on doing a potentially dangerous _workaround_
then there's https://snapshot.debian.org/


- Jonas

[Emanuel Berg]

Post by Jonas Smedegaard
The solution is *not* to downgrade: It is
a security-related change.

OK, but here they say:

Debian Buster (10) just came into Soft Freeze stage, after Full
freeze it will be too late and this newly introduced bug will
not be fixed for Debian Buster ...

Have you tried downgrading from GS 9.26 to 9.23 or 9.24. I have
heard of issues with 9.26 ...

http://www.imagemagick.org/discourse-server/viewtopic.php?t=35121

[didier gaumet]

Hello,

I have not tried this and do not use imagemagick directly (it is
installed as a dependance on my system): perhaps you can deinstall
imagemagick and install graphicsmagick-imagemagick-compat instead?

(Sorry, Emmanuel, my mistake, I dit click on "answer" and sent tp you a
private mail)

[Curt]

Post by Jonas Smedegaard
The solution is *not* to downgrade: It is a security-related change.
The solution is therefore to fix the Postscript code.
That said, if you insist on doing a potentially dangerous _workaround_=20
then there's https://snapshot.debian.org/

Couldn't he just edit the policy.xml file? Or is this unrelated to
the "not authorized" error I've seen elsewhere.

[Marco Möller]

If the newer version (currently v9.50 in bullseye (testing)) would solve
the problem, then you may want to ask if someone could place this newer
version from bullseye into the buster-backports repository. Afterwards
you could install the backported version 9.50 from there without hassle.
This would be the Debian way to follow first. Only if not succeeding
this way, then think about tinkering.

More information on this concept can be found here:
https://backports.debian.org/
The corresponding mailing list is this one:
https://lists.debian.org/debian-backports/

Good luck! Marco.

[Jonas Smedegaard]

Quoting Marco Möller (2020-03-08 13:26:25)

Post by Marco Möller
If the newer version (currently v9.50 in bullseye (testing)) would
solve the problem, then you may want to ask if someone could place
this newer version from bullseye into the buster-backports repository.
Afterwards you could install the backported version 9.50 from there
without hassle. This would be the Debian way to follow first. Only if
not succeeding this way, then think about tinkering.
https://backports.debian.org/
https://lists.debian.org/debian-backports/

Above advice is sensible in general.

For this particular issue, look into upgrading _other_ parts of the
command chain than Ghostscript, however (as per my previous post).


- Jonas

[Emanuel Berg]

Has this problem been mentioned in the BTS, you think? I found
this [1] but no one seems to match this situation exactly what
I can see (?)

Can any of you guys reproduce it? I'm on buster [2] with
imagemagick 6.9 [3]

command:

convert -composite bg.png fg.png -gravity center out.png

error message:

convert-im6.q16: no images defined `comp.png' @ error/convert.c/ConvertImageCommand/3258.


[1] https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?dist=unstable;package=imagemagick

[2]
Linux ebih 4.19.0-6-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 4.19.67-2+deb10u2 (2019-11-11) x86_64 GNU/Linux

No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Debian
Description: Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)
Release: 10
Codename: buster

PRETTY_NAME="Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)"
NAME="Debian GNU/Linux"
VERSION_ID="10"
VERSION="10 (buster)"
VERSION_CODENAME=buster
ID=debian
HOME_URL="https://www.debian.org/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://www.debian.org/support"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.debian.org/"

[3]
Version: ImageMagick 6.9.10-23 Q16 x86_64 20190101 https://imagemagick.org
Copyright: © 1999-2019 ImageMagick Studio LLC
License: https://imagemagick.org/script/license.php
Features: Cipher DPC Modules OpenMP
Delegates (built-in): bzlib djvu fftw fontconfig freetype heic jbig jng jp2 jpeg lcms lqr ltdl lzma openexr pangocairo png tiff webp wmf x xml zlib

[David Wright]

Post by Emanuel Berg
Has this problem been mentioned in the BTS, you think? I found
this [1] but no one seems to match this situation exactly what
I can see (?)
Can any of you guys reproduce it? I'm on buster [2] with
imagemagick 6.9 [3]

No.

Post by Emanuel Berg
convert -composite bg.png fg.png -gravity center out.png

For gravity to work, I had to place it first, otherwise I get
northwest. I just used a couple of screenshots and a couple
of PDFs, placing the smaller on the larger each time.
$ convert -gravity center -composite /tmp/bg.png /tmp/fg.png /tmp/out.png
$ convert -gravity center -composite /tmp/bg.png /tmp/fg.pdf /tmp/out.png
$ convert -gravity center -composite /tmp/bg.pdf /tmp/fg.png /tmp/out.png
$ convert -gravity center -composite /tmp/bg.pdf /tmp/fg.pdf /tmp/out.png
$ uname -a
Linux wren 4.19.0-8-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 4.19.98-1 (2020-01-26) x86_64 GNU/Linux
$ lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Debian
Description: Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)
Release: 10
Codename: buster
$ cat /etc/os-release
PRETTY_NAME="Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)"
NAME="Debian GNU/Linux"
VERSION_ID="10"
VERSION="10 (buster)"
VERSION_CODENAME=buster
ID=debian
HOME_URL="https://www.debian.org/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://www.debian.org/support"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.debian.org/"
$ convert -version
Version: ImageMagick 6.9.10-23 Q16 x86_64 20190101 https://imagemagick.org
Copyright: © 1999-2019 ImageMagick Studio LLC
License: https://imagemagick.org/script/license.php
Features: Cipher DPC Modules OpenMP
Delegates (built-in): bzlib djvu fftw fontconfig freetype heic jbig jng jp2 jpeg lcms lqr ltdl lzma openexr pangocairo png tiff webp wmf x xml zlib
$

PS your kernel is out-of-date.

Cheers,
David.