| Email Desktop Publishing Course by Jonathan Lang | | CONTENTS | |
APPENDIX B
Graphic File Formats
| Bitmap Graphics File Formats .ART PFS First Publisher Clip Art .BAS Basic Bload/Bsave (also basic programs) .BLD BLoaD .BMP Windows/OS/2 Paintbrush Bitmap (also 24-bit) .BPX Lumena BigPix .CA NewsRoom Pro .CAL CALS Raster .CEL Autodesk Animator Cel .CLP Paul Mace Grasp .cMP JPEG Bitmap .cpt Tagged Image Format Files (TIFF) .CUT Dr. Halo, Cut files .DAT PrintShop .DD Commodore 64 Doodle .DCS Unknown 32 bit format .DIB Device Independant Bitmap .EPS Encapsulated Post Script .GIF Compuserve Graphics Interchange format .HPC(L) Hewlett Packard's LaserJet Graphics .icb Truevision Targa, 16, 24, 32 bit sizes .IFF Amiga Interchange Format File (graphics) .IFF Delux Paint .IMG GEM/Ventura Paint .IMG IBM Image support Facility .JFF JPEG Bitmap .JIF JPEG Bitmap .JPG JPEG Bitmap .JTF JPEG Bitmap .LBM Deluxe Paint II Interleaved Bit Map .MAC Apple Macintosh MacPaint .MAK Apple Macintosh Macpaint, No Header .MSP Microsoft Windows Paint .NAM Printshop .PAT CorelDraw fill pattern .PCC ZSoft PaintBrush Clipboard .PCD Kodak Photo-CD .PCL HP Laserjet (See HPCL) .PCQ RIX EGA/VGA Paint .PCX Zsoft PC PaintBrush .PGA IBM Professional Graphics Adaptor image file .PI1 Atari Degas uncompressed images .PI2 Atari Degas uncompressed images .PIC Mouse systems PC Paint .PIC Paul Mace Grasp/Pictor .PIX Inset Systems .PNG Portable Network Graphics / Fireworks .PP5 Picture Publisher 5 .PP4 Picture Publisher 4 .PRN Postscript, any print image file .PSP PaintShop Pro RAS Sun Workstation bitmap .RLE Compuserve, Microsoft Run Length Encoded .SDR Printmaster .sep Tagged Image Format Files (TIFF) .SHP Printmaster, Newsmaster .SHW Harvard Graphics Slideshow .TGA Truevision Targa, 16, 24, 32 bit sizes .TIF Tagged Image Format Files (TIFF) .vda Truevision Targa, 16, 24, 32 bit sizes .vst Truevision Targa, 16, 24, 32 bit sizes .WPG Word Perfect Graphics |
Vector Graphics File Formats |
Graphic Format Information
Compuserve Bitmaps *.GIF
GIF files were designed to create the smallest possible image files for
uploading and downloading from electronic Bulletin Board Systems (BBS). There
are two GIF file versions; 87a and 89a. Version 87a was the first of the two
versions to appear. Version 89a added new features to the 87a format. Both versions
may use an encoding method referred to as interlacing. When an image is saved
by using four passes instead of just one, it is called interlacing. On each
pass, certain lines of the image are saved to the file. If the program decoding
a GIF file displays the image as it is decoded, the user will be able to see
the four passes of the decoding cycle. This will allow the user to get a good
idea of what the image will look like before even half of the image is decoded.
Some communication programs allow the user to download GIF files and view them
as they are downloaded. If the image is interlaced, the user will be able to
decide if the image is one they like before half of the download is complete.
If the user does not like the image, the download can be aborted. This results
in the saving of time and money for the person downloading the image.
Format Characteristics
Dr.Halo, *.CUT
The CUT format comes from the Dr. Halo program. The CUT format does not
contain palette information. The palette information for a CUT file is contained
in a PAL file that has the same name (but with the PAL file extension). If no
PAL file with the same name is contained in the same directory, the file is
assumed to be a greyscale image.
Format Characteristics
Format Characteristics
EPS (Placeable), *.EPS, *.PS, *.AI
EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) files are vector graphic files made up of
PostScript commands. Since PostScript is a language for describing objects to
a printer, there is typically a header (a separate portion of the EPS file)
used to display a graphic on the screen. This header is normally in TIFF format.
If the EPS file does not have a header, the picture does not display but prints
correctly to a PostScript printer. If the EPS file contains a header, even if
you do not have a PostScript printer, the picture displays and prints. If the
EPS file does not contain a header and you try to print the file to a printer
that is not PostScript, the picture does not print. The EPS file may contain
bitmap or vector graphics as well as text.
GEM Paint, Ventura Publisher, *.IMG
IMG files were designed to work with the GEM environment. The files were
originally the result of the GEM Paint program. Since the application Ventura
Publisher worked in the GEM environment, it also supported the IMG file format.
In order to maintain compatibility, various other desktop publishing applications
have added support for importing this format.
Format Characteristics
JPEG Bitmap, *.JPG, JFF, JTF, CMP, JIF
The Joint Photographic Expert Group created a new format known as JPEG.
For sometime the JPEG format existed as only a series of required steps to compress
an image. No standard was given as to how the resulting compressed image should
be saved to a file. As a result many JPEG files were being created but could
not be read by any other application. Finally, a group of computer industry
leaders developed a standard that is known as JPEG File Interchange Format (JFIF).
Originally these new JFIF files used the extension of JPG. The latest standard
by the JFIF group calls for the use of JIF as the file name extension. Unless
you have an application that requires the use of JPG you should use the JIF
file name extension. The JPEG file format only supports 24 bits per pixel and
8 bits per pixel greyscaled images.
Format Characteristics
Kodak Photo-CD, *.PCD
The PCD file is the Kodak Photo CD file format. This allows photographs
to be placed on CDs for use with compact disks players that are connected to
computers and televisions. The images are placed on the CDs by photofinishers
that use the Kodak Photo CD imaging workstation. Five different sizes of each
image are placed on the CD. When you open a PCD file you will be prompted for
which of the five sizes you would like to open. The largest size, 2048x3072
at 24 bits per pixel requires 18.9 megs of memory to load.
Format Characteristics
Macintosh MacPaint, *.MAC
MAC files come from the Macintosh program MacPaint. Large libraries of clip
art exist in the MAC format. When the MAC files started migrating from the Macintosh
to the PC world, a header was added to the file format. The MAC format requires
an image width of 576 pixels and a height of 720 lines.
Format Characteristics
PC Paintbrush *.PCX, *.PCC
PCX files were originally created for use with the Zsoft Paintbrush program.
With no standard to the industry, this format became the standard by default.
This format is supported by more applications than any other format.
Format Characteristics
Sun Workstation, *.RAS
RAS files are Sun Microsystems raster file format files. There are three
types of RAS files:
Type 0 - Old style.
Type 1 - Modern style.
Type 2 - Experimental.
Format Characteristics
Run Length Encoded, *.RLE
The RLE format comes in two types:
1) CompuServe Format
The CompuServe format is very limited in what it can hold. Images must always
be 1 bit-per-pixel and the size of the image must be either 256 by 192 or 128
by 96.
2) Windows Format
Windows RLE files are Windows "DIB" files that use one of the RLE compression
routines. Thus, saving an image as a DIB or BMP, using one of the RLE compressions
would produce an identical file as saving the image as an RLE file. The only
difference would be the file name extension. An RLE image file may be used as
a replacement opening screen for Windows.
Format Characteristics
TARGA Bitmaps, *.TGA
The Targa TGA format was developed by Truevision for their Targa and Vista
products. It is an industry standard although not as widely supported as PCX
or TIFF formats. TGA files may be saved as non-compressed or compressed (run-length
encoded).
Format Characteristics
Tagged Image File Format, *.TIF
TIFF 5.0 Bitmaps, TIFF Four Color
The Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) was designed to become the standard format.
In order to become the standard, the format was designed to handle just about
any possibility. The result of this design provided the flexibility of an infinite
number of possibilities of how a TIFF image is saved. Therefore, no application
can claim to support all TIFF variations. The best that an application can do
is to support as many TIFF variations as possible, but there will always be
an obscure variation that will cause a problem for some application.
The TIFF format differentiates between types of images. These categories are: black and white, greyscaled and colored.
Format Characteristics
The TIFF format can use one of six encoding routines. These encoding routines
are: No-compression, Huff- man, Pack Bits, LZW, Fax Group 3, and Fax Group 4.
Windows Bitmaps, *.BMP
The BMP and DIB files are known as "Device Independent Bitmap" files, or
"DIB's". These files exist in two different formats:
1) OS/2 Format
The OS/2 formats were the first of the two different formats designed. Images saved using this format may be used with OS/2's Presentation Manager. OS/2 BMP and DIB files are not compressed (RGB encoded).2) Windows Format
An enhanced "DIB" file format was released with Microsoft Windows. Windows BMP and DIB files may be saved using no compression (RGB encoded) or using run length encoded compression (RLE encoded). Compression may only be used on 4 and 8 bits-per-pixel images. These files commonly use different extensions for their file names: BMP or DIB according to where they are used. Although their file name extensions are different, the files themselves are the same (within either OS/2 or Windows). BMP files can be created with Windows' Paintbrush and used as "wallpaper" for the background when running Windows. See your Windows manual about using BMP files as wallpaper. DIB files can be used as image files in the Windows environment. They can also be applied to computer multimedia systems that are emerging in the marketplace.
Format Characteristics
WordPerfect Graphic, *.WPG
The WPG format is the format used by WordPerfect. It first appeared with the
release of WordPerfect 5.0. With the release of version 5.1, the format was
changed. A WPG file may contain an image made up of vector data or raster data
(a bitmapped image).
Format Characteristics
| APPENDIX B : Graphic File Formats | | CONTENTS | |