Graphic Workshop self-displaying picture

File Format
Name	Graphic Workshop self-displaying picture
Ontology	Electronic File Formats Graphics Graphic Workshop self-displaying picture
Extension(s)	.exe
Released	1991

Graphic Workshop self-displaying picture is a family of raster graphics formats associated with the Graphic Workshop lines of image processing software from Alchemy Mindworks.

It is in the form of a DOS or Windows 3.x EXE file that displays the image when executed. Quite possibly there are newer formats as well, but more research is needed.

The DOS format was introduced in Graphic Workshop 6.0.

The Windows 3.x format was introduced in Graphic Workshop for Windows 1.1h. Note that Graphic Workshop for Windows also supports the DOS format.

Identification

Undetermined. For DOS EXE format, a software name like "GraphicWorkshop 7.0" or "GWS/Windows 1.1u" appears at offset 541.

Software

• Graphic Workshop (read/write)
  • Graphic Workshop 6.0
  • Graphic Workshop 7.0f
  • Graphic Workshop for Windows 1.1u
  • Graphic Workshop Professional

In Windows versions of the format, the image may be stored as a standard BITMAP resource, so it can be read by any suitable resource viewer software. Image is usually (always?) 640x480 with 4 bpp per pixel, uncompressed.

Sample files

DOS EXE:

• BGI20.ZIP → most EXE files
• INFODSK3.ZIP → most EXE files
• HERBAGE.ZIP → *.EXE
• dmenu2.zip → DALOGO.EXE
• MTRCYCLE.ZIP → README.EXE

Windows 3.x EXE:

• GWSWN11U.ZIP → gwswn11u.exe → CLICKME*.EXE