PCD

Full Name	PCD (Kodak Photo CD)
Format ID	ImGearFormats.PCD
File Extension(s)	*.pcd
Data Type	Raster Image
Data Encoding	Binary
IG Multipage Support	No
IG Alpha Channel Support	No
IG Metadata Update Support	No
IG Platforms Support	WIN32, WIN64, Unix, Unix64, .NET, .NET64, MAC, Silverlight

ImageGear Supported Versions

All valid PCD files in 5 different resolutions:

Resolution 1: 768x512
Resolution 2: 384x256
Resolution 3: 192x128
Resolution 4: 1536x1024
Resolution 5: 3072x2048

ImageGear Supported Features

IGFilterFormatFlags.DETECTSUPPORT - autodetection
IGFilterFormatFlags.PAGEREADSUPPORT - single page file reading
IGFilterFormatFlags.MPAGEREADPSUPPORT - multi-page file reading

ImageGear Read Support

ImGearCompressions.NONE - RGB: 24 bpp
ImGearCompressions.HUFFMAN - RGB: 24 bpp

ImageGear Write Support

ImageGear Filter Control Parameters

Filter Control Parameter

Type

Default Value

Available Values

Description

Resolution

int

0..4

Resolution level to load:

0 = load last (largest) resolution (Resolution 5: 3072x2048)
1 = load second to last resolution (Resolution 4: 1536x1024)
2 = load middle resolution (Resolution 3: 192x128)
3 = load second resolution (Resolution 2: 384x256)
4 or higher = load first (smallest) resolution (Resolution 1: 768x512)

Comments

"Photo CD" is the informally adopted name for files created using the Photo CD-ROM-based storage and retrieval system created by Kodak. The images are digitized versions of photographic images. Using a Photo CD player, images can be viewed on television. Although intended for photographic images, the data source does not necessarily have to be film. Due to the large storage capacity of the CD medium, this format supports very large and/or intricate images.

Images and their associated information are stored in groups called "sessions". Originally, they were stored at the rate of one session per CD, but later versions allowed multiple sessions per disc.

For each stored image, there are up to 5 bitmaps, each representing the image at a different resolution. The bitmaps at the lowest resolution are intended for such purposes as displaying thumbnails and previewing an image.

To find out the number of resolutions in a PCD image, load image header using ImGearFileFormats.LoadPageHeader Method, and then check ImGearPage.Metadata.Common.ResolutionLayersCount property.

Note that resolutions in a PCD image are not ordered by size. See the list of resolutions and their sizes in the format description above.

References Used

Murray, James D. and William vanRyper. Encyclopedia of Graphics File Formats. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., 1994.