Securimage produces a wide range of image styles through its configuration options. The same core library generates dramatically different-looking CAPTCHAs depending on the settings you use — colors, fonts, distortion level, background images, and the number of confounding lines drawn over the characters.
The gallery below illustrates some of the key configuration dimensions:
Out of the box, Securimage renders coloured characters on a white background with moderate distortion and a few arc lines. The default settings work on all servers with GD installed.
<?php
// securimage_show.php
$img->image_bg_color = new Securimage_Color('#ffffff');
$img->text_color = new Securimage_Color('#000000');
$img->line_color = new Securimage_Color('#666666');
$img->perturbation = 0.6;
<?php
$img->image_bg_color = new Securimage_Color('#1a1a2e');
$img->text_color = new Securimage_Color('#e0e0e0');
$img->line_color = new Securimage_Color('#4a4a6a');
$img->perturbation = 0.75;
$img->num_lines = 8;
<?php
$img->image_bg_color = new Securimage_Color('#fafafa');
$img->text_color = new Securimage_Color('#333333');
$img->perturbation = 0.4; // less distortion
$img->num_lines = 2; // fewer lines
$img->code_length = 4; // shorter code
$img->charset = 'ABCDEFGHKLMNPRSTUVWXYZ'; // no ambiguous chars
<?php
$img->charset = '23456789'; // no 0 or 1 (ambiguous)
$img->code_length = 6;
$img->perturbation = 0.8;
<?php
$img->code_length = rand(4, 7);
$img->num_lines = rand(4, 12);
$img->perturbation = (rand(60, 90) / 100); // 0.6 to 0.9
The best way to see what a configuration looks like is to try it. Download Securimage from GitHub, modify securimage_show.php, and load it directly in your browser.
See the full customisation guide for a complete list of all configurable properties.
Image CAPTCHAs like Securimage add friction to your forms. If you're looking for something invisible or more modern, see our CAPTCHA alternatives guide — covering Cloudflare Turnstile, hCaptcha, honeypot techniques, and more.