PICT
Sign in to savePICT is a graphics file format introduced on the original Apple Macintosh computer as its standard metafile format. It allows the interchange of graphics (both bitmapped and vector), and some limited text support, between Mac applications, and was the native graphics format of QuickDraw.
Key facts
- File format.name
- PICT
- File format.extension
- .pict, .pct, .pic
- File format.mime
- image/x-pict
- File format.type code
- PICT
- File format.uniform type
- com.apple.pict
- File format.owner
- Apple Computer
- File format.genre
- graphics
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
5 sectionsContents
- PICT versions
- Compression method
- References
- Further reading
- External links
PICT is a graphics file format introduced on the original Apple Macintosh computer as its standard metafile format. It allows the interchange of graphics (both bitmapped and vector), and some limited text support, between Mac applications, and was the native graphics format of QuickDraw.
The PICT file format consists essentially of a series of QuickDraw commands. The original version, PICT 1, was designed to be as compact as possible while describing vector graphics. To this end, it featured single byte opcodes, many of which embodied operations such as "do the previous operation again". As such it was quite memory efficient, but not very expandable. With the introduction of the Macintosh II and Color QuickDraw, PICT was revised to version 2. This version featured 16-bit opcodes and numerous changes which enhanced its utility. PICT 1 opcodes were supported as a subset for backward compatibility.