Chapter 3 - Image Compression Manager
This chapter describes the Image Compression Manager. The Image Compression Manager provides image-compression and image-decompression services to applications and other managers. If you are developing an application that works
with images, you should read this chapter to familiarize yourself with the features of the Image Compression Manager. If you want to develop a compressor or decompressor for use on the Macintosh computer, see Inside Macintosh: QuickTime Components for information about the software interfaces that your component must support in order to work with the Image Compression Manager.Image compression benefits you by decreasing the amount of storage required for image data, decreasing the time required to exchange image data across networks, and decreasing the time required to read data from disks and CD-ROM volumes.
This chapter is divided into the following major sections:
- "Introduction to the Image Compression Manager" contains a general introduction to the features provided by the Image Compression Manager.
- "About Image Compression" presents background information on image compression and image-compression algorithms, and it describes the features of the image compressors and decompressors supplied by Apple.
- "Using the Image Compression Manager" discusses how you can use the features of the Image Compression Manager to compress and decompress still images and image sequences--within this section are a number of shorter sections that discuss more advanced topics, including key frames, fast dithering, and compressor and decompressor components.
- "Image Compression Manager Reference" describes the data types and functions provided by the Image Compression Manager.
- "Summary of the Image Compression Manager" contains a condensed listing of the constants, data types, and functions provided by the Image Compression Manager in C and in Pascal.
Chapter Contents
- Introduction to the Image Compression Manager
- Data That Is Suitable for Compression
- Storing Images
- About Image Compression
- Image-Compression Characteristics
- Compression Ratio
- Compression Speed
- Image Quality
- Compressors Supplied by Apple
- The Photo Compressor
- The Video Compressor
- The Compact Video Compressor
- The Animation Compressor
- The Graphics Compressor
- The Raw Compressor
- Types of Images Suitable for Different Compressors
- Using the Image Compression Manager
- Getting Information About Compressors and Compressed Data
- Working With Pictures
- Compressing Images
- Decompressing Images
- Compressing Sequences
- Decompressing Sequences
- Decompressing Still Images From a Sequence
- Using Screen Buffers and Image Buffers
- A Sample Program for Compressing and Decompressing a Sequence of Images
- A Sample Function for Saving a Sequence of Images to a Disk File
- A Sample Function for Creating, Compressing, and Drawing a Sequence of Images
- A Sample Function for Decompressing and Playing Back a Sequence From a Disk File
- Spooling Compressed Data
- Banding and Extending Images
- Defining Key Frame Rates
- Fast Dithering
- Understanding Compressor Components
- Image Compression Manager Reference
- Data Types
- The Image Description Structure
- The Compressor Information Structure
- The Compressor Name Structure
- The Compressor Name List Structure
- Compression Quality Constants
- Image Compression Manager Function Control Flags
- Image Compression Manager Functions
- Getting Information About Compressor Components
- Getting Information About Compressed Data
- Working With Images
- Working With Pictures and PICT Files
- Making Thumbnail Pictures
- Working With Sequences
- Changing Sequence-Compression Parameters
- Constraining Compressed Data
- Changing Sequence-Decompression Parameters
- Working With the StdPix Function
- Aligning Windows
- Working With Graphics Devices and Graphics Worlds
- Application-Defined Functions
- Data-Loading Functions
- Data-Unloading Functions
- Progress Functions
- Completion Functions
- Alignment Functions
- Summary of the Image Compression Manager
- C Summary
- Constants
- Data Types
- Image Compression Manager Functions
- Application-Defined Functions
- Pascal Summary
- Constants
- Data Types
- Image Compression Manager Routines
- Application-Defined Routines
- Result Codes
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