Image Alchemy
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Image Alchemy is a 1990s-era command-line utility for image processing and image format conversion. It was developed by Handmade Software, Inc.
It is commercial software, but demo versions were released whose only limitation is that they do not support images larger than 640×480 pixels. Supported platforms include MS-DOS, Windows console, Macintosh, various Unix systems, and apparently OS/2.
It has good documentation of its supported formats, and is capable of writing (not just reading) the large majority of them.
Contents |
Versions
The downloads are mostly MS-DOS demos.
| Version | Date | Download |
|---|---|---|
| 1.3 | 1991-02-05 | [1] |
| 1.4 | ~1991-03 | [2] |
| 1.5 | ~1991-11 | |
| 1.5.1 | ~1991-12 | [3] |
| 1.6.1 | ~1992 | [4] |
| 1.6.2 | ~1992/93 | [5] |
| 1.7 | ~1993 | [6] |
| 1.7.7 | ~1994 | [7] |
| 1.8 | ~1995 | [8] (OS/2: [9]) |
| 1.9.1 | ~1996 | [10] (OS/2: [11]) |
| 1.10 | ~1997 | [12] |
| 1.11 | ~1998 | [13] → [14] (documentation: [15]) |
| 1.12.2-Windows | 2001-11-01 | |
| 1.13 | 2003-05-15 | |
| 1.14 | 2005-07-06 |
Documentation
- alchemy.pdf - For version 1.11
Most of the demo distributions (see the Versions section above) include a documentation file named ALCHEMY.DOC (which may be inside a MANUAL.EXE LHA self-extracting archive) or ALCHEMY.PDF. There may also be supplemental documentation in ADDENDUM.* or UPDATE.* files.
Native formats
- BIF (.bif)
- HSI Raw (.raw)
- Histogram (.hst) (refer to HSI Raw)
- HSI JPEG (.hsi, .jpg)
- HSI Palette (.pal)
- Multi-Image Palette (.pal)
Supported formats
This list is from version 1.11.
| Image Alchemy format | Extensions | Refer to | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADEX | .img, .rle | ||
| Adobe PDF | |||
| Adobe Photoshop | .psd | PSD | |
| Alias PIX / Vivid IMG | .img, .als | Alias PIX, Vivid IMG | |
| Alpha Microsystems BMP | .bmp | Alpha Microsystems BMP | |
| Alps | .prn | ||
| Autodesk PIC/CEL | .pic, .cel | ||
| Autologic | .gm, .gm2, .gm4 | ||
| AVHRR | .sst | ||
| AVS X | .x | AVS X image | |
| Binary (BIF) | .bif, .raw | BIF (Image Alchemy), Raw bitmap | |
| Calcomp CCRF | .crf, .ccrf, .prn | ||
| CALS | .cal | CALS raster | |
| Core IDC | .idc | ||
| Cubicomp PictureMaker | .r8, .g8, .b8, .a8 | ||
| Dr. Halo CUT | .pal, .cut | Dr. Halo | |
| Encapsulated PostScript | .epsi, .eps, .epi | Encapsulated PostScript | |
| Epson Stylus | .prn | ||
| ER Mapper Raster | .ers, (none) | ER Mapper Raster | |
| Erdas LAN/GIS/IMG | .lan, .gis, .img | ERDAS LAN/GIS, ERDAS Imagine IMG | IMG support is read-only. |
| Explore TDI | .tdi | Maya IFF | read-only |
| Fargo Primera | .prn | ||
| FBM | .fbm | FBM image | |
| First Publisher ART | .art | ART (PFS: First Publisher) | |
| FLC | .flc, .fli | FLIC | read-only |
| Freedom of Press | .fop, .001, ... | Freedom of Press | |
| Gem VDI Image | .img | GEM Raster | |
| GIF | .gif | GIF | |
| GOES | .goe | (GARS, McIDAS) | |
| Histogram | .hst | HSI Raw | |
| Hitachi Raster | .hrf | ||
| HP PCL | .pcl | PCL | |
| HP PhotoSmart | .prn | ||
| HP Raster Transfer Language (RTL) | .rtl | ||
| HP-48sx Graphic Object (GROB) | .grb, .asc | GROB | |
| HSI JPEG | .hsi, .jpg | HSI JPEG | |
| HSI Palette | .pal | ||
| HSI Raw | .raw | HSI Raw | |
| IBM Picture Maker | .pic | ||
| IDRISI | .img, .doc | ||
| IFF/ILBM | .lbm, .iff, .ilbm | ILBM | |
| Imaging Technology | .img | ||
| Img Software Set | .img, .p, .a | Img Software Set | |
| Intergraph | .rgb | Intergraph Raster | |
| JEDMICS CCITT4 | .c4 | JEDMICS C4 | |
| Jovian VI | .vi | Jovian Logic VI | |
| JPEG | .jpg | JPEG | |
| Lumena CEL | .cel | Lumena CEL | |
| Macintosh PICT | .pict, .pic | PICT | |
| MacPaint | .mac | MacPaint | |
| MIFF | .miff, .mif | MIFF | |
| Mimaki MRL-1 | .mrl | ||
| MTV | .mtv | MTV ray tracer bitmap | |
| Multi-Image Palette | .pal | ||
| OS/2 BMP | .bmp | BMP | |
| OS/2 Icon | .ico | OS/2 Icon | |
| PCPaint/Pictor | .pic, .clp | PCPaint PIC | |
| PCX | .pcx, .dcx, .p13 | PCX, DCX | |
| PDS | .ibg, .imq | PDS | |
| PhotoCD | .pcd | Photo CD | read-only |
| Pixar PIC | .pic | Pixar picture | |
| Pixel Power Collage | (varies) | ||
| PNG | .png | PNG | |
| Portable BitMap (PBM) | .pnm, .pbm, .pgm, .ppm | Netpbm formats | |
| Puzzle | .pzl, .puzzle, .cm | Puzzle image (X11) | |
| Q0 | .q0, .rgb, .fal | Q0 | |
| QDV | .qdv | QDV (Giffer) | |
| QRT Raw | .raw | QRT Ray Tracer bitmap | |
| Raster Graphics | .rg | "Used by Raster Graphics printers" | |
| RIX | .scx, .rix | ColoRIX | |
| RLC | .rlc | ||
| Scitex CT / Iris CT | .ct | Scitex CT | |
| Scodl | .scd | ||
| SGI Image | .sgi | SGI (image file format) | |
| Sharp GPB | .img | ||
| Spaceward | .r, .g, .b, .a | ||
| SPOT Image | .hdr, .bil, .clr, .dat, .stx | ||
| Stork | .idx, .pre, .tab | "Used by Stork's color proofing machines" | |
| Sun Icon | .icon, .ico | Sun icon | |
| Sun Raster | .rast, .ras, .im, .im1, .im8, .im24, .im32 | Sun Raster | |
| Targa | .tga | TGA | |
| TIFF | .tiff, .tif | TIFF | |
| US Patent Image | .pat | ||
| Utah RLE | .rle | Utah RLE | |
| Verity Image Format (VIF) | .vif | Verity Image | |
| VIFF | .xv | VIFF | |
| VITec | .vit | VITec | |
| Wavefront RLA | .rla, .rlb | RLA | read-only |
| Windows BMP | .bmp | BMP | |
| WPG | .wpg | WordPerfect Graphics | |
| XBM | .xbm, .bm | XBM | |
| XIM | .xim | Xim | |
| XPM | .xpm, .pm | XPM | |
| XWD | .xwd | XWD |
Links
- Handmade Software website (2006 archive)
