macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install hqxlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 9571
Install hqx with Homebrew, dnf
Magnification filter designed for pixel art. Version 1.2 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with dnf: sudo dnf install hqx.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install hqxFedora Rawhide package metadata · hqx · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
overview
Package summary
Magnification filter designed for pixel art
Project links
Commands and aliases
- hqx
history
Project history and usage
hqx is a C library and command-line tool for the hq2x, hq3x, and hq4x pixel-art scaling filters. The upstream README describes hqx as a fast, high-quality magnification filter designed for pixel art.
Project history
The grom358 implementation packages Maxim Stepin's hqx pixel-art scaling family as a buildable Unix library and CLI. Its NEWS file says version 1.0 added 24-bit color support, a command-line tool using the DevIL image library, and an autotools build system.
The README explains the algorithmic shape: each source pixel is evaluated against its 3-by-3 neighborhood, color differences are calculated in YUV space, a 256-entry lookup table selects interpolation patterns, and the result preserves sharp edges better than nearest-neighbor scaling for sprites and line art.
Adoption history
The README ties hqx to emulator culture, naming Nestopia, bsnes, ZSNES, Snes9x, and FCE Ultra as users of the algorithm family. Homebrew and Fedora packaging make the grom358 library/CLI available outside emulator source trees.
How it is used
The documented CLI usage is `hqx -s scaleBy input output`, where the scale is 2, 3, or 4. The library API exposes functions such as `hq4x_32` after `hqxInit()`, allowing applications to scale RGB bitmaps directly.
The filter is intended for images with sharp edges, such as pixel art, line graphics, and cartoon sprites, rather than photographs.
Why package nerds care
hqx matters because it packages a once-emulator-specific graphics algorithm as a reusable system library and filter command. That is exactly the sort of niche media primitive package managers keep alive: small, old-school, useful when you need it, and awkward to rederive from scratch.
Its significance is also historical: hq2x/hq3x/hq4x belong to the era when emulator authors competed to make low-resolution console graphics look acceptable on higher-resolution displays without losing pixel-art structure.
Timeline
- 2001-2002: Archived HiEnd3D hq2x material carries Maxim Stepin copyright dates.
- 1.0: The grom358 NEWS file records 24-bit color support, the DevIL-based command-line tool, and autotools build support.
- 1.2: Homebrew packages the grom358 hqx implementation as version 1.2.
Related projects
- hq2x, hq3x, and hq4x are the three scaling filters implemented by the package.
- DevIL is the image library required by the documented command-line build.
- Nestopia, bsnes, ZSNES, Snes9x, and FCE Ultra are emulator projects named in the upstream README as users of the hqx algorithm family.
- Scale2x and 2xSaI are neighboring pixel-art scaling algorithms shown alongside hq2x in preserved HiEnd3D comparison material.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
hqx | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-08-03
manager version1.2
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:hqx |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.2 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/grom358/hqx |
| Repository | https://github.com/grom358/hqx |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
dnf95%
hqx 1.2-14.fc45
High quality upscaling program for pixel-art
https://github.com/grom358/hqx
sudo dnf install hqx- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: hqx
- 5 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hqx
dnf95%
libhqx 1.2-14.fc45
High quality upscaling library for pixel-art
https://github.com/grom358/hqx
sudo dnf install libhqx- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: hqx
- 2 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hqx
dnf95%
libhqx-devel 1.2-14.fc45
Development files for libhqx
https://github.com/grom358/hqx
sudo dnf install libhqx-devel- License: LGPL-2.1-or-later
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: hqx
- 4 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hqx
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation