1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
The Independent JPEG Group's JPEG software
|
|
|
|
==========================================
|
|
|
|
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
README for release 6 of 2-Aug-95
|
|
|
|
================================
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
This distribution contains the sixth public release of the Independent JPEG
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
Group's free JPEG software. You are welcome to redistribute this software and
|
|
|
|
to use it for any purpose, subject to the conditions under LEGAL ISSUES, below.
|
|
|
|
|
1992-12-09 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
Serious users of this software (particularly those incorporating it into
|
1994-12-06 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
larger programs) should contact IJG at jpeg-info@uunet.uu.net to be added to
|
|
|
|
our electronic mailing list. Mailing list members are notified of updates
|
|
|
|
and have a chance to participate in technical discussions, etc.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
This software is the work of Tom Lane, Philip Gladstone, Luis Ortiz, Jim
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
Boucher, Lee Crocker, Julian Minguillon, George Phillips, Davide Rossi,
|
|
|
|
Ge' Weijers, and other members of the Independent JPEG Group.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
IJG is not affiliated with the official ISO JPEG standards committee.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
DOCUMENTATION ROADMAP
|
|
|
|
=====================
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This file contains the following sections:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OVERVIEW General description of JPEG and the IJG software.
|
|
|
|
LEGAL ISSUES Copyright, lack of warranty, terms of distribution.
|
|
|
|
REFERENCES Where to learn more about JPEG.
|
|
|
|
ARCHIVE LOCATIONS Where to find newer versions of this software.
|
|
|
|
RELATED SOFTWARE Other stuff you should get.
|
|
|
|
FILE FORMAT WARS Software *not* to get.
|
|
|
|
TO DO Plans for future IJG releases.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other documentation files in the distribution are:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User documentation:
|
|
|
|
install.doc How to configure and install the IJG software.
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
usage.doc Usage instructions for cjpeg, djpeg, jpegtran,
|
|
|
|
rdjpgcom, and wrjpgcom.
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
*.1 Unix-style man pages for programs (same info as usage.doc).
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
wizard.doc Advanced usage instructions for JPEG wizards only.
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
change.log Version-to-version change highlights.
|
|
|
|
Programmer and internal documentation:
|
|
|
|
libjpeg.doc How to use the JPEG library in your own programs.
|
|
|
|
example.c Sample code for calling the JPEG library.
|
|
|
|
structure.doc Overview of the JPEG library's internal structure.
|
|
|
|
filelist.doc Road map of IJG files.
|
|
|
|
coderules.doc Coding style rules --- please read if you contribute code.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Please read at least the files install.doc and usage.doc. Useful information
|
|
|
|
can also be found in the JPEG FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) article. See
|
|
|
|
ARCHIVE LOCATIONS below to find out where to obtain the FAQ article.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
If you want to understand how the JPEG code works, we suggest reading one or
|
|
|
|
more of the REFERENCES, then looking at the documentation files (in roughly
|
|
|
|
the order listed) before diving into the code.
|
1991-12-12 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
OVERVIEW
|
|
|
|
========
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
This package contains C software to implement JPEG image compression and
|
1991-12-12 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
decompression. JPEG (pronounced "jay-peg") is a standardized compression
|
1992-12-09 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
method for full-color and gray-scale images. JPEG is intended for compressing
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
"real-world" scenes; line drawings, cartoons and other non-realistic images
|
|
|
|
are not its strong suit. JPEG is lossy, meaning that the output image is not
|
|
|
|
exactly identical to the input image. Hence you must not use JPEG if you
|
|
|
|
have to have identical output bits. However, on typical photographic images,
|
|
|
|
very good compression levels can be obtained with no visible change, and
|
|
|
|
remarkably high compression levels are possible if you can tolerate a
|
|
|
|
low-quality image. For more details, see the references, or just experiment
|
|
|
|
with various compression settings.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This software implements JPEG baseline, extended-sequential, and progressive
|
|
|
|
compression processes. Provision is made for supporting all variants of these
|
|
|
|
processes, although some uncommon parameter settings aren't implemented yet.
|
|
|
|
For legal reasons, we are not distributing code for the arithmetic-coding
|
|
|
|
variants of JPEG; see LEGAL ISSUES. We have made no provision for supporting
|
|
|
|
the hierarchical or lossless processes defined in the standard.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
We provide a set of library routines for reading and writing JPEG image files,
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
plus two sample applications "cjpeg" and "djpeg", which use the library to
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
perform conversion between JPEG and some other popular image file formats.
|
|
|
|
The library is intended to be reused in other applications.
|
|
|
|
|
1992-12-09 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
In order to support file conversion and viewing software, we have included
|
|
|
|
considerable functionality beyond the bare JPEG coding/decoding capability;
|
|
|
|
for example, the color quantization modules are not strictly part of JPEG
|
|
|
|
decoding, but they are essential for output to colormapped file formats or
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
colormapped displays. These extra functions can be compiled out of the
|
|
|
|
library if not required for a particular application. We have also included
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
"jpegtran", a utility for lossless transcoding between different JPEG
|
|
|
|
processes, and "rdjpgcom" and "wrjpgcom", two simple applications for
|
|
|
|
inserting and extracting textual comments in JFIF files.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The emphasis in designing this software has been on achieving portability and
|
1992-12-09 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
flexibility, while also making it fast enough to be useful. In particular,
|
|
|
|
the software is not intended to be read as a tutorial on JPEG. (See the
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
REFERENCES section for introductory material.) Rather, it is intended to
|
|
|
|
be reliable, portable, industrial-strength code. We do not claim to have
|
|
|
|
achieved that goal in every aspect of the software, but we strive for it.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
We welcome the use of this software as a component of commercial products.
|
|
|
|
No royalty is required, but we do ask for an acknowledgement in product
|
|
|
|
documentation, as described under LEGAL ISSUES.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
LEGAL ISSUES
|
|
|
|
============
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
In plain English:
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
1. We don't promise that this software works. (But if you find any bugs,
|
|
|
|
please let us know!)
|
|
|
|
2. You can use this software for whatever you want. You don't have to pay us.
|
|
|
|
3. You may not pretend that you wrote this software. If you use it in a
|
|
|
|
program, you must acknowledge somewhere in your documentation that
|
|
|
|
you've used the IJG code.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
In legalese:
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
The authors make NO WARRANTY or representation, either express or implied,
|
|
|
|
with respect to this software, its quality, accuracy, merchantability, or
|
|
|
|
fitness for a particular purpose. This software is provided "AS IS", and you,
|
|
|
|
its user, assume the entire risk as to its quality and accuracy.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1995-03-14 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
This software is copyright (C) 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, Thomas G. Lane.
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
All Rights Reserved except as specified below.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
Permission is hereby granted to use, copy, modify, and distribute this
|
|
|
|
software (or portions thereof) for any purpose, without fee, subject to these
|
|
|
|
conditions:
|
|
|
|
(1) If any part of the source code for this software is distributed, then this
|
|
|
|
README file must be included, with this copyright and no-warranty notice
|
|
|
|
unaltered; and any additions, deletions, or changes to the original files
|
|
|
|
must be clearly indicated in accompanying documentation.
|
|
|
|
(2) If only executable code is distributed, then the accompanying
|
|
|
|
documentation must state that "this software is based in part on the work of
|
|
|
|
the Independent JPEG Group".
|
|
|
|
(3) Permission for use of this software is granted only if the user accepts
|
|
|
|
full responsibility for any undesirable consequences; the authors accept
|
|
|
|
NO LIABILITY for damages of any kind.
|
1993-02-17 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
These conditions apply to any software derived from or based on the IJG code,
|
|
|
|
not just to the unmodified library. If you use our work, you ought to
|
|
|
|
acknowledge us.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
Permission is NOT granted for the use of any IJG author's name or company name
|
|
|
|
in advertising or publicity relating to this software or products derived from
|
|
|
|
it. This software may be referred to only as "the Independent JPEG Group's
|
|
|
|
software".
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
We specifically permit and encourage the use of this software as the basis of
|
|
|
|
commercial products, provided that all warranty or liability claims are
|
|
|
|
assumed by the product vendor.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
ansi2knr.c is included in this distribution by permission of L. Peter Deutsch,
|
|
|
|
sole proprietor of its copyright holder, Aladdin Enterprises of Menlo Park, CA.
|
|
|
|
ansi2knr.c is NOT covered by the above copyright and conditions, but instead
|
|
|
|
by the usual distribution terms of the Free Software Foundation; principally,
|
|
|
|
that you must include source code if you redistribute it. (See the file
|
|
|
|
ansi2knr.c for full details.) However, since ansi2knr.c is not needed as part
|
|
|
|
of any program generated from the IJG code, this does not limit you more than
|
|
|
|
the foregoing paragraphs do.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-12-06 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
The configuration script "configure" was produced with GNU Autoconf. It
|
|
|
|
is copyright by the Free Software Foundation but is freely distributable.
|
1991-12-12 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
It appears that the arithmetic coding option of the JPEG spec is covered by
|
|
|
|
patents owned by IBM, AT&T, and Mitsubishi. Hence arithmetic coding cannot
|
|
|
|
legally be used without obtaining one or more licenses. For this reason,
|
|
|
|
support for arithmetic coding has been removed from the free JPEG software.
|
|
|
|
(Since arithmetic coding provides only a marginal gain over the unpatented
|
|
|
|
Huffman mode, it is unlikely that very many implementations will support it.)
|
|
|
|
So far as we are aware, there are no patent restrictions on the remaining
|
|
|
|
code.
|
1991-12-12 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
|
1995-03-14 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
WARNING: Unisys has begun to enforce their patent on LZW compression against
|
|
|
|
GIF encoders and decoders. You will need a license from Unisys to use the
|
|
|
|
included rdgif.c or wrgif.c files in a commercial or shareware application.
|
|
|
|
At this time, Unisys is not enforcing their patent against freeware, so
|
|
|
|
distribution of this package remains legal. However, we intend to remove
|
|
|
|
GIF support from the IJG package as soon as a suitable replacement format
|
|
|
|
becomes reasonably popular.
|
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
We are required to state that
|
|
|
|
"The Graphics Interchange Format(c) is the Copyright property of
|
|
|
|
CompuServe Incorporated. GIF(sm) is a Service Mark property of
|
|
|
|
CompuServe Incorporated."
|
1992-03-16 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
REFERENCES
|
|
|
|
==========
|
|
|
|
|
1992-12-09 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
We highly recommend reading one or more of these references before trying to
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
understand the innards of the JPEG software.
|
1992-12-09 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The best short technical introduction to the JPEG compression algorithm is
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
Wallace, Gregory K. "The JPEG Still Picture Compression Standard",
|
|
|
|
Communications of the ACM, April 1991 (vol. 34 no. 4), pp. 30-44.
|
|
|
|
(Adjacent articles in that issue discuss MPEG motion picture compression,
|
1992-12-09 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
applications of JPEG, and related topics.) If you don't have the CACM issue
|
1994-12-06 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
handy, a PostScript file containing a revised version of Wallace's article
|
|
|
|
is available at ftp.uu.net, graphics/jpeg/wallace.ps.gz. The file (actually
|
|
|
|
a preprint for an article that appeared in IEEE Trans. Consumer Electronics)
|
|
|
|
omits the sample images that appeared in CACM, but it includes corrections
|
|
|
|
and some added material. Note: the Wallace article is copyright ACM and
|
|
|
|
IEEE, and it may not be used for commercial purposes.
|
1992-12-09 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A somewhat less technical, more leisurely introduction to JPEG can be found in
|
|
|
|
"The Data Compression Book" by Mark Nelson, published by M&T Books (Redwood
|
|
|
|
City, CA), 1991, ISBN 1-55851-216-0. This book provides good explanations and
|
|
|
|
example C code for a multitude of compression methods including JPEG. It is
|
|
|
|
an excellent source if you are comfortable reading C code but don't know much
|
|
|
|
about data compression in general. The book's JPEG sample code is far from
|
|
|
|
industrial-strength, but when you are ready to look at a full implementation,
|
|
|
|
you've got one here...
|
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
The best full description of JPEG is the textbook "JPEG Still Image Data
|
|
|
|
Compression Standard" by William B. Pennebaker and Joan L. Mitchell, published
|
|
|
|
by Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1993, ISBN 0-442-01272-1. Price US$59.95, 638 pp.
|
|
|
|
The book includes the complete text of the ISO JPEG standards (DIS 10918-1
|
|
|
|
and draft DIS 10918-2). This is by far the most complete exposition of JPEG
|
|
|
|
in existence, and we highly recommend it.
|
1992-12-09 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The JPEG standard itself is not available electronically; you must order a
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
paper copy through ISO. (Unless you feel a need to own a certified official
|
|
|
|
copy, we recommend buying the Pennebaker and Mitchell book instead; it's much
|
|
|
|
cheaper and includes a great deal of useful explanatory material.) In the US,
|
|
|
|
copies of the standard may be ordered from ANSI Sales at (212) 642-4900, or
|
|
|
|
from Global Engineering Documents at (800) 854-7179. (ANSI doesn't take
|
|
|
|
credit card orders, but Global does.) It's not cheap: as of 1992, ANSI was
|
|
|
|
charging $95 for Part 1 and $47 for Part 2, plus 7% shipping/handling. The
|
|
|
|
standard is divided into two parts, Part 1 being the actual specification,
|
|
|
|
while Part 2 covers compliance testing methods. Part 1 is titled "Digital
|
|
|
|
Compression and Coding of Continuous-tone Still Images, Part 1: Requirements
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
and guidelines" and has document number ISO/IEC IS 10918-1. Part 2 is titled
|
|
|
|
"Digital Compression and Coding of Continuous-tone Still Images, Part 2:
|
|
|
|
Compliance testing" and has document number ISO/IEC IS 10918-2.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Extensions to the original JPEG standard are defined in Part 3, a new ISO
|
|
|
|
document. Part 3 is undergoing ISO balloting and is expected to be approved
|
|
|
|
by the end of 1995. IJG currently does not support any Part 3 extensions.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The JPEG standard does not specify all details of an interchangeable file
|
|
|
|
format. For the omitted details we follow the "JFIF" conventions, revision
|
1992-12-09 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
1.02. A copy of the JFIF spec is available from:
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
Literature Department
|
|
|
|
C-Cube Microsystems, Inc.
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
1778 McCarthy Blvd.
|
|
|
|
Milpitas, CA 95035
|
|
|
|
phone (408) 944-6300, fax (408) 944-6314
|
1992-12-09 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
A PostScript version of this document is available at ftp.uu.net, file
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
graphics/jpeg/jfif.ps.gz. It can also be obtained by e-mail from the C-Cube
|
1992-12-09 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
mail server, netlib@c3.pla.ca.us. Send the message "send jfif_ps from jpeg"
|
|
|
|
to the server to obtain the JFIF document; send the message "help" if you have
|
|
|
|
trouble.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The TIFF 6.0 file format specification can be obtained by FTP from sgi.com
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
(192.48.153.1), file graphics/tiff/TIFF6.ps.Z; or you can order a printed
|
|
|
|
copy from Aldus Corp. at (206) 628-6593. The JPEG incorporation scheme
|
|
|
|
found in the TIFF 6.0 spec of 3-June-92 has a number of serious problems.
|
|
|
|
IJG does not recommend use of the TIFF 6.0 design (TIFF Compression tag 6).
|
|
|
|
Instead, we recommend the JPEG design proposed by TIFF Technical Note #2
|
|
|
|
(Compression tag 7). Copies of this Note can be obtained from sgi.com or
|
|
|
|
from ftp.uu.net:/graphics/jpeg/. It is expected that the next revision of
|
|
|
|
the TIFF spec will replace the 6.0 JPEG design with the Note's design.
|
|
|
|
Although IJG's own code does not support TIFF/JPEG, the free libtiff library
|
|
|
|
uses our library to implement TIFF/JPEG per the Note. libtiff is available
|
|
|
|
from sgi.com:/graphics/tiff/.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
ARCHIVE LOCATIONS
|
|
|
|
=================
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
The "official" archive site for this software is ftp.uu.net (Internet
|
|
|
|
address 192.48.96.9). The most recent released version can always be found
|
|
|
|
there in directory graphics/jpeg. This particular version will be archived
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
as graphics/jpeg/jpegsrc.v6.tar.gz. If you are on the Internet, you
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
can retrieve files from ftp.uu.net by standard anonymous FTP. If you don't
|
|
|
|
have FTP access, UUNET's archives are also available via UUCP; contact
|
|
|
|
help@uunet.uu.net for information on retrieving files that way.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
Numerous Internet sites maintain copies of the UUNET files; in particular,
|
|
|
|
you can probably find a copy at any site that archives comp.sources.misc
|
|
|
|
submissions. However, only ftp.uu.net is guaranteed to have the latest
|
|
|
|
official version.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
You can also obtain this software in DOS-compatible "zip" archive format from
|
|
|
|
the SimTel archives (ftp.coast.net:/SimTel/msdos/graphics/), or on CompuServe
|
|
|
|
in the GRAPHSUPPORT forum (GO GRAPHSUP), library 12 "JPEG Tools". Again,
|
|
|
|
these versions may sometimes lag behind the ftp.uu.net release.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
The JPEG FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) article is a useful source of
|
1994-12-06 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
general information about JPEG. It is updated constantly and therefore is
|
|
|
|
not included in this distribution. The FAQ is posted every two weeks to
|
|
|
|
Usenet newsgroups comp.graphics, news.answers, and other groups. You can
|
|
|
|
always obtain the latest version from the news.answers archive at
|
|
|
|
rtfm.mit.edu. By FTP, fetch /pub/usenet/news.answers/jpeg-faq/part1 and
|
|
|
|
.../part2. If you don't have FTP, send e-mail to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu
|
|
|
|
with body
|
|
|
|
send usenet/news.answers/jpeg-faq/part1
|
|
|
|
send usenet/news.answers/jpeg-faq/part2
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
RELATED SOFTWARE
|
|
|
|
================
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
Numerous viewing and image manipulation programs now support JPEG. (Quite a
|
|
|
|
few of them use this library to do so.) The JPEG FAQ described above lists
|
|
|
|
some of the more popular free and shareware viewers, and tells where to
|
|
|
|
obtain them on Internet.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
If you are on a Unix machine, we highly recommend Jef Poskanzer's free
|
|
|
|
PBMPLUS image software, which provides many useful operations on PPM-format
|
|
|
|
image files. In particular, it can convert PPM images to and from a wide
|
|
|
|
range of other formats. You can obtain this package by FTP from ftp.x.org
|
|
|
|
(contrib/pbmplus*.tar.Z) or ftp.ee.lbl.gov (pbmplus*.tar.Z). There is also
|
|
|
|
a newer update of this package called NETPBM, available from
|
|
|
|
wuarchive.wustl.edu under directory /graphics/graphics/packages/NetPBM/.
|
|
|
|
Unfortunately PBMPLUS/NETPBM is not nearly as portable as the IJG software
|
|
|
|
is; you are likely to have difficulty making it work on any non-Unix machine.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
A different free JPEG implementation, written by the PVRG group at Stanford,
|
|
|
|
is available from havefun.stanford.edu in directory pub/jpeg. This program
|
|
|
|
is designed for research and experimentation rather than production use;
|
|
|
|
it is slower, harder to use, and less portable than the IJG code, but it
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
is easier to read and modify. Also, the PVRG code supports lossless JPEG,
|
|
|
|
which we do not.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1991-12-12 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
FILE FORMAT WARS
|
|
|
|
================
|
1991-12-12 19:00:00 -05:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
Some JPEG programs produce files that are not compatible with our library.
|
|
|
|
The root of the problem is that the ISO JPEG committee failed to specify a
|
|
|
|
concrete file format. Some vendors "filled in the blanks" on their own,
|
|
|
|
creating proprietary formats that no one else could read. (For example, none
|
|
|
|
of the early commercial JPEG implementations for the Macintosh were able to
|
|
|
|
exchange compressed files.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The file format we have adopted is called JFIF (see REFERENCES). This format
|
|
|
|
has been agreed to by a number of major commercial JPEG vendors, and it has
|
|
|
|
become the de facto standard. JFIF is a minimal or "low end" representation.
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
We recommend the use of TIFF/JPEG (TIFF revision 6.0 as modified by TIFF
|
|
|
|
Technical Note #2) for "high end" applications that need to record a lot of
|
|
|
|
additional data about an image. TIFF/JPEG is fairly new and not yet widely
|
|
|
|
supported, unfortunately.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The upcoming JPEG Part 3 standard defines a file format called SPIFF.
|
|
|
|
SPIFF is interoperable with JFIF, in the sense that most JFIF decoders should
|
|
|
|
be able to read the most common variant of SPIFF. SPIFF has some technical
|
|
|
|
advantages over JFIF, but its major claim to fame is simply that it is an
|
|
|
|
official standard rather than an informal one. At this point it is unclear
|
|
|
|
whether SPIFF will supersede JFIF or whether JFIF will remain the de-facto
|
|
|
|
standard. IJG intends to support SPIFF once the standard is frozen, but we
|
|
|
|
have not decided whether it should become our default output format or not.
|
|
|
|
(In any case, our decoder will remain capable of reading JFIF indefinitely.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Various proprietary file formats incorporating JPEG compression also exist.
|
|
|
|
We have little or no sympathy for the existence of these formats. Indeed,
|
|
|
|
one of the original reasons for developing this free software was to help
|
|
|
|
force convergence on common, open format standards for JPEG files. Don't
|
|
|
|
use a proprietary file format!
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TO DO
|
|
|
|
=====
|
|
|
|
|
1995-08-01 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
In future versions, we are considering supporting some of the upcoming JPEG
|
|
|
|
Part 3 extensions --- principally, variable quantization and the SPIFF file
|
|
|
|
format.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tuning the software for better behavior at low quality/high compression
|
|
|
|
settings is also of interest. The current method for scaling the
|
|
|
|
quantization tables is known not to be very good at low Q values.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
1994-09-23 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
As always, speeding things up is high on our priority list.
|
1991-10-06 20:00:00 -04:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Please send bug reports, offers of help, etc. to jpeg-info@uunet.uu.net.
|