HSI Raw

File Format
Name	HSI Raw
Ontology	Electronic File Formats Graphics HSI Raw
Extension(s)	.raw
Released	~1991

HSI Raw is a simple raster image format associated with the Image Alchemy software from Handmade Software. There are several versions of the format. Images are usually uncompressed, and either 8-bit palette color, or 24-bit truecolor. Other image types, and PackBits compression, are possible, but are not documented.

The Image Alchemy documentation states that "HSI Raw format was originally intended as an internal format to Image Alchemy."

HSI presumably stands for "Handmade Software Inc."

Notes

HSI Raw is a full-fledged image format, not a raw bitmap format. Note that Image Alchemy also supports raw bitmap formats (which might also use the .raw file extension), in conjunction with its BIF description format.

MPlayer bitmap font format uses an extension of HSI Raw, to support images wider than 65535 pixels. The origin of this extension is unknown.

Identification

Files begin with ASCII "mhwanh".

Related formats

• MPlayer bitmap font

Specifications

• Image Alchemy documentation
  • alchemy.pdf, Appendix F
  • ALCH162.ZIP → MANUAL.EXE (LHA self-extracting archive) → alchemy.doc, Appendix F

Software

• XnView
• ALCH162.ZIP - Image Alchemy demo (MS-DOS)