Talk:Graphics

in this list (http://justsolve.archiveteam.org/index.php/Graphics) JPG is listed as a BMP format. I would argue its not a bit mapped image format. Raster yes, bmp no....


 * Does 'Raster' need to be a separate category then? Dan Tobias (talk) 07:36, 12 November 2012 (UTC)


 * Is this distinction (which I understand from a technical point of view, I should add) really relevant enough to warrant a separate category? Perhaps the solution is to rename the whole category to raster graphics formats? --Nitro2k01 (talk) 12:41, 12 November 2012 (UTC)


 * I'd support renaming category to Raster. swanQ


 * Done. -- Rhetoric X (talk) 19:40, 12 November 2012 (UTC)

(JPEG2000 code stream)
I've moved this into 'raster' (from unclassified). Argument: if its a the graphics aspect we care about its a raster image, if its the code stream, it might actually be a data object, not graphics.

Container formats - does they belong here?
e.g. PDF, RIFF Argument: its a container/structure format, not a graphics format. If PDF belongs, why not MS DOC, or .RAR? 2nd Argument (PDF): If it does belong here, is it raster or vector? I would suggest that it 'vectors' the objects, which themselves are raster/vector (not sure PDF supports the embedding of vector types?)
 * I think the short answer is something like "if in doubt, put it in both categories". There's no harm having both "Document Formats" and "Graphics Formats" linking to PDF, for example --Darkstar (talk) 09:31, 21 November 2012 (UTC)

what about 'straddling' formats?
PNG and PS could be argued into either or both camps. PS files are output as raster objects, but contained inside the file object as vector objects (as I understand it..) and I think PNG is in a similar position. Are we classifying the input or output object...
 * PS/EPS/PDF etc. are vector formats. The fact that they are displayed as raster on screen (or on a printer) is a limitation of the hardware and has nothing to do with the format. PNG are raster formats. The only "ambiguous" formats that might be open to discussion are those that can have raster and vector layers inside the same file (e.g. PSD) --Darkstar (talk) 09:30, 21 November 2012 (UTC)

I'm planning to eliminate the "Combined Raster/Vector" category. A format can be listed in both Raster and Vector categories if necessary, but most are morally either one or the other. Jsummers (talk) 15:14, 25 August 2013 (UTC)


 * PostScript is a programming language, and includes vector graphics operations (and also an operator to load raster images, too), so it can output zero or more pages of graphics (it can also output data to stdout and to other files). PDF is a vector format (with raster graphics, too), but is mainly a page description format (and some implementations of PostScript produce output in PDF format; other implementations use raster formats for output). PNG is a raster format only. I think that most formats with both vector and raster are usually mainly vector formats; raster images is just one of the shapes that may be drawn (PSD may be an exception; I do not know enough about that format to answer this). --Zzo38 (talk) 06:13, 22 March 2022 (UTC)

Animated Graphics
Where is the difference between an "animated image" and a video file? IMHO a simple GIF (or MNG for example) should qualify for "animated image", while FLI, FLC etc. are more of a video format. The line is a bit arbitrary though, as there are good examples of complete "videos" as GIF files, and some video files are nothing more than still image with a bit of animation. --Darkstar (talk) 18:58, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

SWF
I notice SWF is listed in the "unclassified" section (though it doesn't have an article yet). What category does it belong in? Is it a graphic format, a video format, an executable/app/applet format, or what? Dan Tobias (talk) 04:46, 16 February 2013 (UTC)

Graphics compression formats
I've had trouble deciding whether graphics-specific compression formats should have a primary category of Graphics, or Compression. And if they should be listed on the Graphics page, the Compression page, or both. It doesn't help that some formats (e.g. JBIG, CCITT Group 3) blur the line between graphics formats and compression formats.

I've been putting them all in the Graphics category, but now I think that, at a minimum, compression formats that are always embedded in another file format (e.g. PackBits) should have a primary category of Compression. And I think I'll go further, and include some formats that can be used as a file format, if they are not typically used that way. But I'm not planning to move the whole list of graphics compression formats to the Compression page. Jsummers (talk) 18:08, 10 November 2015 (UTC)

Icons/Cursors/Avatars vs. Skins/Themes
Shouldn't the CursorFX and CursorXP entries go in the Icons/Cursors/Avatars section rather than the Skins/Themes one? Or should those two sections be merged because they're related and overlap? Dan Tobias (talk) 06:37, 17 December 2019 (UTC)
 * You're right that they were in the wrong section, and I've moved them accordingly. The Icons, Cursors, & Avatars section could be renamed to show that it includes formats holding thumbs, icons, and other small images (what I think its intention is) or something like that, but, in any case, cursors and thematic icons fit in both that category and the skins one. I don't think it makes sense to outright merge them; the less ambiguous entries in each, e.g. Winamp Skin and Thumbs.db, don't resemble each other at all. Effect2 (talk) 09:54, 17 December 2019 (UTC)

Morse code based format used in Murdoch Mysteries
In a recent episode of the TV show Murdoch Mysteries, they used a format for monochrome raster pictures where the letters and numbers are converted to Morse code and then the dots and dashes correspond to clear and set pixels (ignoring spaces between words), for example " " represents one clear pixel, one set pixel, ten clear pixels, one set pixel, and then one clear pixel (and " " represents the same sequence of pixels). I implemented this format on my computer a few days ago. Is there a name for this format? --Zzo38 (talk) 20:51, 21 March 2022 (UTC)
 * I don't know; does that TV show mention a name when it brings up the format? It might go in Fictional file formats in this site along with other file formats mentioned in fictional programs. Dan Tobias (talk) 02:14, 22 March 2022 (UTC)
 * It did not mention a name for that format as far as I could tell (that is why I do not know what name it has, if any). However, it isn't purely fictional, because I implemented it. (Other previously fictional formats might also be later made with actual implementations, too.) --Zzo38 (talk) 03:08, 22 March 2022 (UTC)