describeimage

DescribeImage

Use LLMs that are running locally (or on a server defined in OLLAMA_HOST) to describe the given images.

This repository contains a command line utility that can be used to describe images with Ollama.

Requirements

Run-time requirements

• Ollama (the service must be up and running, and there must be enough memory and CPU and/or GPU available to be able to use the user-configured LLM model for vision tasks (for example the llava model).
• llm-manager can be used to configure which model to use for the vision task (the -m flag can also be used).

Build-time requirements

• Go 1.22 or later

Installation

go install github.com/xyproto/describeimage@latest

The executable ends up in ~/go/bin unless Go has been configured to place it somewhere else.

Models

The default vision model is qwen2.5vl:3b (~3.5 GB).

For machines with >4G VRAM, these might also give good results:

• gemma3:4b (~3.3 GB)
• llava-llama3:8b (~5.5 GB)
• llama3.2-vision:latest (~7.9 GB)

Set the vision model in ~/.config/llm-manager/llm.conf or /etc/llm.conf, or pass it with the -m flag.

Example use

describeimage meloncat.jpg

The image shows a cat with a humorous and unusual appearance. The cat's head is covered by a large, green watermelon slice that has been cut to fit snugly over its head. The cat's eyes are visible through the watermelon, and it appears to be looking directly at the camera with a somewhat disgruntled or unimpressed expression. The background is simple and does not distract from the cat and its watermelon headpiece.

(note that it's really an oversized lime)

describeimage horses.png

The image depicts a serene pastoral scene with a group of horses grazing in a lush green field. In the background, majestic mountains rise against a clear blue sky, partially covered by a few scattered clouds. The landscape is framed by a line of trees, adding depth and contrast to the scene. The overall atmosphere is peaceful and idyllic, capturing the beauty of nature and the tranquility of rural life.

General info

• Version: 1.5.1
• License: BSD-3
• Author: Alexander F. Rødseth <xyproto@archlinux.org>