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home :: imaging :: pixel_naming_2007.11.13.html
Tue, 13 Nov 2007
Pixel naming in Cairo
I find it always confusing to say CAIRO_FORMAT_ARGB32 and mean a 8-bit
per channel thing. At a first glace I seriously expect it to be a IEEE
float format, which it is not. Most users will expect to multiply by the
channels count to get the pixel size not to divide the pixel size by the
channel count.
If you consider, most of the imaging world has changed its pixel naming to
a per channel base, it would be nice to see Cairo following this too.
It is pretty common to say 16-bit image processing, which means per
channel. Or 8-bit monitor displaying, which is again per channel. The
monitor LUT's are sometimes 10/12 or even 14-bit, again per channel.
The pixel numbers dont say anything about the colour resolution.
Why bit per channel instead of bit per pixel?
For instance a 16-bit Gray X-Ray image, properly displayed, can be
superior compared to a 32-bit/pixel CMYK representation. In this case the
numbers are non relevant to the lightness distinction. The example makes
clear, what counts are the shades of gray.
Tricks like dithering dont count. Otherwise all people would still use
indexed gif's for photos. But I dont know any camera or scanner doing so.
On the other side a 32 bit chunck with 3*10 bit RGB inside would be harder
to describe. Is such thing still in use for hardware and must be
supported? At least it is not present in cairo_format_t. Out of scope?
Possibly someone can point me to a document describing the necessity of
Cairos per pixel naming as is. Is it something to do with tradition?
Nethertheless the non selfexplanatory behaviour today makes it feel much
like a pitfal.
To exemplify (a F stands for floating point):
colour bit/channel bit/pixel cairo_format_t sheme --------------------------------------------------------------- RGB 8 24 CAIRO_FORMAT_RGB24 RGBA 8 32 CAIRO_FORMAT_ARGB32 Gray 8 8 GrayA 8 16 Alpha 8 8 CAIRO_FORMAT_A8 CMYKA 8 40 RGB 16 48 CAIRO_FORMAT_RGB48 RGBA 16 64 CAIRO_FORMAT_ARGB64 Gray 16 16 GrayA 16 32 CMYKA 16 80 RGB[A]... 16-bit float/channel use the same pixel size as the 16-bit per channel integers. RGB IEEE Half 16 48 CAIRO_FORMAT_RGB48F RGBA IEEE Half 16 64 CAIRO_FORMAT_ARGB64F ... IEEE floats and 32-bit integers: RGB FLOAT 32 96 CAIRO_FORMAT_RGB96F RGBA FLOAT 32 128 CAIRO_FORMAT_ARGB128F ... IEEE doubles: RGB DOUBLE 64 192 CAIRO_FORMAT_RGB192F RGBA DOUBLE 64 256 CAIRO_FORMAT_ARGB256FThe later can easily be confused with a 256 shades of Gray per channel naming.
Do you really expect a user to always divide the pixel values by the channels count to get an idea about the colour resolution?
To remember the marketing inflation of having 16 million colours and so on is long gone away. Today it is in, to say a software supports 16-bit, which is much more meaningful.
As a side step, manufacturers suggesting theire consumer camera to deliver the full range of 16-bit is still a joke. Such anouncements are demystified regularily.
Windows and osX have long inherited pixel naming conventions.
Cairo as a young project does not. Cairo could express pixels much closer to our current language in cairo_format_t.
Lets end here and come to a suggestion for a new sheme:
CAIRO_FORMAT_ARGB32 -> CAIRO_FORMAT_ARGB_8 CAIRO_FORMAT_RGB24 -> CAIRO_FORMAT_RGB_8 CAIRO_FORMAT_A8 -> CAIRO_FORMAT_A_8 CAIRO_FORMAT_A1 -> CAIRO_FORMAT_A_1 #define CAIRO_FORMAT_ARGB32 CAIRO_FORMAT_ARGB_8could ashure compatibility.
Later Cairo could add
CAIRO_FORMAT_ARGB_16 CAIRO_FORMAT_RGB_16 CAIRO_FORMAT_RGB_HALF CAIRO_FORMAT_RGB_FLOAT... and so on.
/imaging | 21 comments | permanent link |