"improper image header @ error/bmp.c/ReadBMPImage/966 when converting PDF to JPG on cPanel (works locally)"

[Deadcoder001]

When attempting to convert a PDF to JPG using Imagick on a cPanel shared hosting environment, I consistently receive the following error:

improper image header `/tmp/magick-XXXX' @ error/bmp.c/ReadBMPImage/966

• The same code and PDF file work perfectly on my local machine.
• The error only occurs on cPanel hosting.
• Both ImageMagick and Ghostscript are installed on the server.
• convert -list format shows PDF rw+ and JPG rw- are supported.
• The error appears with both the PHP Imagick extension and with shell convert.

Steps to reproduce

1. Upload a color PDF to the cPanel shared server.
2. Run the following PHP code:

   $imagick = new Imagick();
   $imagick->setResolution(150, 150);
   $imagick->readImage('input.pdf[0]');
   $imagick->setImageFormat('jpg');
   $imagick->writeImage('output.jpg');

   or run from SSH:

   convert -density 150 input.pdf[0] -quality 90 output.jpg
   

3. Observe the error in the output.

What I have tried

• Confirmed the PDF and JPG formats are available in ImageMagick (convert -list format).
• Verified Ghostscript is installed (gs -version).
• Ensured the output file has a .jpg extension and explicitly set the format in code.
• Checked /tmp directory permissions and space.
• Tried with multiple PDF files (all work locally).
• Tried using both PHP code and direct shell commands.

Environment

• Hosting: cPanel Shared Hosting
• PHP version: (put your PHP version here)
• Imagick version: (put your Imagick version here)
• ImageMagick version: (put your ImageMagick version here)
• Ghostscript version: (put your Ghostscript version here)

Questions

• Is this a known issue with Imagick or ImageMagick on shared/cPanel hosting?
• Are there any known workarounds or configuration changes I can request from my host?
• Is there additional debugging I can do to isolate the cause?

[dlemstra]

Closing this because you are asking this in the wrong project.