The gist

gallery-dl is a command-line program created by mikf for downloading image galleries and collections from a wide range of hosting sites. It is a cross-platform tool designed for users who need a powerful, scriptable way to archive images from sources like Twitter, Pixiv, and DeviantArt. It solves the problem of manually saving images from complex online galleries by automating the entire process, offering extensive configuration for precise control.

What it does

Download image galleries and collections from hundreds of supported websites.
Filter content by various criteria, such as manga chapter numbers or tags.
Authenticate with websites using username/password, browser cookies, or OAuth.
Customize output filenames with powerful formatting options.
Extract direct image URLs without downloading the files.
Search remote resources like Pastebin for URLs to download from.

How it works

gallery-dl is a free, open-source Python application operated from the command line. Users provide one or more URLs to image galleries as input, and the program saves the images to a local directory. It can be installed via package managers like Pip, Homebrew, and Chocolatey, or run as a standalone executable or Docker container. The tool is configured using JSON-based files for extensive customization of its behavior.

Best for

gallery-dl is best for developers, archivists, and power users who need to programmatically download large collections of images from various online galleries and social media sites.

Watch out for

As a command-line-only tool, it lacks a graphical user interface, which may present a steep learning curve for users not comfortable working in a terminal.