PCX - Revision history

Dan Tobias at 15:34, 13 January 2026

2026-01-13T15:34:27Z

Thorsted: /* Software */

2026-01-11T00:19:51Z

‎Software

Jsummers at 16:24, 8 April 2025

2025-04-08T16:24:12Z

Jsummers: Minor restructuring

2025-04-06T18:31:11Z

Minor restructuring

Jsummers: /* Specifications */

2025-04-06T18:27:19Z

‎Specifications

Jsummers: /* Sample files */

2025-04-06T18:23:40Z

‎Sample files

Jsummers at 18:19, 6 April 2025

2025-04-06T18:19:34Z

Jsummers: /* See also */

2025-04-06T18:13:08Z

‎See also

Jsummers: /* Links */

2025-04-06T18:11:09Z

‎Links

Sembiance: /* Software */

2024-06-06T14:04:37Z

‎Software

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 |pronom={{PRONOM|fmt/86}}, {{PRONOM|fmt/87}}, {{PRONOM|fmt/88}}, {{PRONOM|fmt/89}}, {{PRONOM|fmt/90}}
 |kaitai struct=pcx
 |released=~1984
 }}

@@ Line 83: / Line 83: @@
 ** [http://toastytech.com/guis/PC%20Paintbrush%20for%20Windows%201.05%20(3.5).zip {PC Paintbrush for Windows} v1.05] (for Windows 1.x and 2.x)
 ** [http://toastytech.com/guis/pbrushwin122.zip {PC Paintbrush Plus for Windows} v1.22] (for Windows 2.x)
 == Sample files ==

@@ Line 75: / Line 75: @@
 * [[Konvertor]]
 * [[Netpbm]]: ppmtopcx, pcxtoppm
-* [http://www.irfanview.com/ IrfanView]
+* [https://www.irfanview.com/  IrfanView] (may require PlugIns package)
 * [[XnView]]
 * [[FFmpeg]]
@@ Line 85: / Line 85: @@
 == Sample files ==
-* http://samples.libav.org/image-samples/pcx/
+* https://samples.ffmpeg.org/image-samples/pcx/
 * {{CdTextfilesURL|clipart1996/}} ...
-* http://samples.libav.org/image-samples/pcx/cga/ - Examples of (bits=2, planes=1)
+* https://samples.ffmpeg.org/image-samples/pcx/cga/ - Examples of (bits=2, planes=1)
 * {{CdTextfilesURL|hof91/icondemo/animals.pcx}} - Example of (bits=1, planes=3, version=3)
 * {{CdTextfilesURL|hof91/icondemo/shuttle1.pcx}} - Example of (bits=1, planes=4, version=3)

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 |released=~1984
 }}
-'''PCX''' was the native image format of a DOS-based program ''PC Paintbrush'' from ZSoft Corporation, and was for a time (especially the late 1980s) a very popular image format among users of IBM PC compatibles and the PC/MS-DOS operating system. Much clip art was distributed in this format. However, it was tied closely to platform-specific attributes such as the particular graphic modes available in early PCs, and later lost ground to more platform-independent graphic formats like [[GIF]], [[JPEG]], and [[PNG]].
+'''PCX''' is the native image format of the DOS-based program ''PC Paintbrush'' from ZSoft Corporation.
 PC Paintbrush was licensed to Microsoft, and it evolved into the Paint/Paintbrush application included with Windows. The versions for Windows 3.0 through Windows 95 support PCX format. There was also a product named ''Microsoft Paintbrush 2.0''.
 It's not clear what PCX stands for, if anything. Some non-authoritative sources claim "PiCture eXchange", others "Personal Computer eXchange".
 == Format details ==
@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 Some PCX encoders use a separate field, at offset 70, for the pixel dimensions of the target screen mode. However, some PCX files have other data or garbage there.
 == See also ==

@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 == Specifications ==
-* [http://www.fileformat.info/format/pcx/spec/a10e75307b3a4cc49c3bbe6db4c41fa2/view.htm ZSoft Technical Reference Manual, Revision 5]
+* [https://www.fileformat.info/format/pcx/spec/a10e75307b3a4cc49c3bbe6db4c41fa2/view.htm ZSoft Technical Reference Manual, Revision 5]
-* [http://www.martinreddy.net/gfx/2d/PCX.txt ZSoft Technical Reference Manual]
+* [https://www.martinreddy.net/gfx/2d/PCX.txt ZSoft Technical Reference Manual]
 ** [http://www.textfiles.com/programming/FORMATS/pcx.txt PCX excerpt from the above document]
 * [http://www.textfiles.com/programming/FORMATS/pix_fmt.txt Picture format docs (of a number of formats including PCX)]
-* [http://www.shikadi.net/moddingwiki/PCX_Format PCX Format], from the DOS Game Modding Wiki
+* [https://moddingwiki.shikadi.net/wiki/PCX_Format PCX Format], from the DOS Game Modding Wiki
-* [http://www.drdobbs.com/pcx-graphics/184402396 Dr. Dobb's: PCX Graphics]
+* [https://www.drdobbs.com/pcx-graphics/184402396 Dr. Dobb's: PCX Graphics]
-* [http://www.fysnet.net/pcxfile.htm PCX graphics files explained]
+* [https://www.fysnet.net/pcxfile.htm PCX graphics files explained]
 == Metaformat files ==

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 |released=~1984
 }}
-'''PCX''' (Personal Computer eXchange) was the native image format of a DOS-based program ''PC Paintbrush'' from ZSoft Corporation, and was for a time (especially the late 1980s) a very popular image format among users of IBM PC compatibles and the PC/MS-DOS operating system. Much clip art was distributed in this format. However, it was tied closely to platform-specific attributes such as the particular graphic modes available in early PCs, and later lost ground to more platform-independent graphic formats like [[GIF]], [[JPEG]], and [[PNG]].
+'''PCX''' was the native image format of a DOS-based program ''PC Paintbrush'' from ZSoft Corporation, and was for a time (especially the late 1980s) a very popular image format among users of IBM PC compatibles and the PC/MS-DOS operating system. Much clip art was distributed in this format. However, it was tied closely to platform-specific attributes such as the particular graphic modes available in early PCs, and later lost ground to more platform-independent graphic formats like [[GIF]], [[JPEG]], and [[PNG]].
 PC Paintbrush was licensed to Microsoft, and it evolved into the Paint/Paintbrush application included with Windows. The versions for Windows 3.0 through Windows 95 support PCX format. There was also a product named ''Microsoft Paintbrush 2.0''.
 == Identification ==
@@ Line 37: / Line 39: @@
 === Resolution ===
-The PCX header has X- and Y-"resolution" fields, which you might think would help to display PCX images at the correct aspect ratio. Unfortunately, these fields are all but useless. If not set to zero, they might contain any of the following:
+The PCX header has X- and Y-"resolution" fields (at offset 12), which you might think would help to display PCX images at the correct aspect ratio. Unfortunately, these fields are not reliable. If not set to zero, they might contain any of the following:
 * The dots per inch
 * The pixel dimensions of the target screen mode
 * The pixel dimensions of the image itself
-* A failed attempt at one of the above things
+* An obsolete copy of one of the above things.
 == See also ==

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 == See also ==
-* [[DCX]] - A multi-image form of PCX
+* [[DCX]]
-* [[Word for DOS screen capture]] - Similar format
+* [[Word for DOS screen capture]]
 == Specifications ==

@@ Line 86: / Line 86: @@
 * [[Wikipedia:PC Paintbrush|Wikipedia: PC Paintbrush]]
 * [[Wikipedia:Microsoft Paint|Wikipedia: Microsoft Paint]]
-* [http://www.danielsays.com/ss-gallery-dos-pc-paintbrush-310.html PC Paintbrush 3.10], from Daniel's Legacy Computer Collections
+* [https://danielslegacycomputercollections.com/ssg-dos-pc-paintbrush-310.html PC Paintbrush 3.10], from Daniel's Legacy Computer Collections
-* [http://www.danielsays.com/ss-gallery-dos-ms-paintbrush-20.html Microsoft Paintbrush 2.0], from Daniel's Legacy Computer Collections
+* [https://danielslegacycomputercollections.com/ssg-dos-microsoft-paintbrush-20.html Microsoft Paintbrush 2.0], from Daniel's Legacy Computer Collections
-* [http://www.betaarchive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29671 BetaArchive forum post about PC Paintbrush and PCX]
+* [https://www.betaarchive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29671 BetaArchive forum post about PC Paintbrush and PCX]
 * [https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_mindsetPCP_4931746 PC Paintbrush manual]
 * [http://www.theohupkens.nl/English/PCX.htm The PCX File Format: Very Old and Somewhat Gray]
 [[Category:Microsoft]]

@@ Line 67: / Line 67: @@
 * [[XnView]]
 * [[FFmpeg]]
 * [http://snisurset.net/code/abydos/ abydos]
 * [http://toastytech.com/guis/win1x2x.html Applications for Windows 1.x and 2.x] ("For historical preservation")