diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 4164099b..5fdb7f50 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -690,6 +690,26 @@ if test x"$magick6" = x"yes"; then
   LIBS="$save_LIBS"
 fi
 
+if test x"$magick6" = x"yes"; then
+  # GM uses SetImageAttribute(), IM uses SetImageProperty()
+  save_LIBS="$LIBS"
+  LIBS="$LIBS $MAGICK_LIBS"
+  AC_CHECK_FUNCS(SetImageProperty,
+    AC_DEFINE(HAVE_SETIMAGEPROPERTY,1,
+	      [define if your magick has SetImageProperty.]))
+  LIBS="$save_LIBS"
+fi
+
+if test x"$magick6" = x"yes"; then
+  # GM is missing InheritException
+  save_LIBS="$LIBS"
+  LIBS="$LIBS $MAGICK_LIBS"
+  AC_CHECK_FUNCS(InheritException,
+    AC_DEFINE(HAVE_INHERITEXCEPTION,1,
+	      [define if your magick has InheritException.]))
+  LIBS="$save_LIBS"
+fi
+
 # have flags to turn load and save off independently ... some people will want
 # save but not load, for example
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([magickload], 
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/magick.c b/libvips/foreign/magick.c
index 40c6939e..500132b1 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/magick.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/magick.c
@@ -82,13 +82,6 @@ magick_set_property( Image *image, const char *property, const char *value,
 	(void) SetImageProperty( image, property, value, exception );
 }
 
-int
-magick_set_image_colorspace( Image *image, const ColorspaceType colorspace,
-	ExceptionInfo *exception)
-{
-	return( SetImageColorspace( image, colorspace, exception ) );
-}
-
 void
 magick_inherit_exception( ExceptionInfo *exception, Image *image ) 
 {
@@ -149,19 +142,20 @@ magick_set_image_size( Image *image, const size_t width, const size_t height,
 int
 magick_import_pixels( Image *image, const ssize_t x, const ssize_t y,
 	const size_t width, const size_t height, const char *map,
-	const StorageType type,const void *pixels, ExceptionInfo *exception )
+	const StorageType type, const void *pixels, ExceptionInfo *exception )
 {
 	(void) exception;
 
 	/* GM does not seem to have a simple equivalent, unfortunately.
+	 *
+	 * Looks like we'd need to call 
 	 *
 	 *   extern MagickExport PixelPacket
 	 *     *SetImagePixels(Image *image,const long x,const long y,
 	 *                       const unsigned long columns,const unsigned
 	 *                       long rows);
 	 *
-	 * gets a pointer into the image which we can then write to, use that
-	 * perhaps?
+	 * then repack pixels into that area using map and storage_type. 
 	 */
 	return( ImportImagePixels( image, x, y, width, height, map,
 		type, pixels ) );
@@ -172,21 +166,19 @@ magick_set_property( Image *image, const char *property, const char *value,
 	ExceptionInfo *exception )
 {
 	(void) exception;
+#ifdef HAVE_SETIMAGEPROPERTY
 	(void) SetImageProperty( image, property, value );
-}
-
-int
-magick_set_image_colorspace( Image *image, const ColorspaceType colorspace,
-	ExceptionInfo *exception )
-{
-	(void) exception;
-	return( SetImageColorspace( image, colorspace ) );
+#else /*!HAVE_SETIMAGEPROPERTY*/
+	(void) SetImageAttribute( image, property, value );
+#endif /*HAVE_SETIMAGEPROPERTY*/
 }
 
 void
 magick_inherit_exception( ExceptionInfo *exception, Image *image ) 
 {
+#ifdef HAVE_INHERITEXCEPTION
 	InheritException( exception, &image->exception );
+#endif /*HAVE_INHERITEXCEPTION*/
 }
 
 #endif /*HAVE_MAGICK6*/
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/magick.h b/libvips/foreign/magick.h
index 97690f81..507e7e11 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/magick.h
+++ b/libvips/foreign/magick.h
@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@ Image *magick_acquire_image( const ImageInfo *image_info,
 	ExceptionInfo *exception );
 void magick_acquire_next_image( const ImageInfo *image_info, 
 	Image *image, ExceptionInfo *exception );
-int magick_set_image_size( Image *image, const size_t width, const size_t height,
-	ExceptionInfo *exception );
+int magick_set_image_size( Image *image, 
+	const size_t width, const size_t height, ExceptionInfo *exception );
 int magick_import_pixels( Image *image, const ssize_t x, const ssize_t y,
 	const size_t width, const size_t height, const char *map,
 	const StorageType type,const void *pixels, ExceptionInfo *exception );