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PNG is designed to work well in online viewing applications, such as the World Wide Web, and so it is fully streamable with a progressive display option. PNG is robust, providing both full file integrity checking and simple detection of common transmission errors. Also, PNG can store gamma and chromaticity data for improved color matching on heterogenous platforms.
This specification defines a proposed Internet Media Type image/png.
Although the initial motivation for developing PNG was to replace GIF, the design provides some useful new features not available in GIF, with minimal cost to developers.
GIF features retained in PNG include:
The main part of this specification gives the definition of the file format and recommendations for encoder and decoder behavior. An appendix gives the rationale for many design decisions. Although the rationale is not part of the formal specification, reading it can help implementors understand the design. Cross-references in the main text point to relevant parts of the rationale. Additional appendixes, also not part of the formal specification, provide tutorials on gamma and color theory as well as other supporting material.
See Rationale: Section 12.1, Why a new file format?, Section 12.2, Why these features?, Section 12.3, Why not these features?, Section 12.4, Why not use format XYZ?.
See Rationale: Section 12.5, Byte order.
Sample values are not necessarily linear; the gAMA chunk specifies the gamma characteristic of the source device, and viewers are strongly encouraged to compensate properly. See Section 2.7, Gamma correction.
Source data with a precision not directly supported in PNG (for example, 5 bit/sample truecolor) must be scaled up to the next higher supported bit depth. This scaling is reversible with no loss of data, and it reduces the number of cases that decoders must cope with. See Recommendations for Encoders: Section 9.1, Bit depth scaling and Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.4, Bit depth rescaling.
Three types of pixel are supported:
Optionally, grayscale and truecolor pixels can also include an alpha sample, as described in the next section.
Pixels are always packed into scanlines with no wasted bits between pixels. (Permitted bit depths and pixel types are restricted so that in all cases the packing is simple and efficient. In particular, pixels smaller than a byte never cross byte boundaries.) When pixels have fewer than 8 bits, they are packed into bytes with the leftmost pixel in the high-order bits of a byte, the rightmost in the low-order bits.
Scanlines always begin on byte boundaries. When pixels have fewer than 8 bits and the scanline width is not evenly divisible by the number of pixels per byte, the low-order bits in the last byte of each scanline are wasted. The contents of the padding bits added to fill out the last byte of a scanline are unspecified.
PNG permits multi-sample pixels only with 8- and 16-bit samples, so multiple samples of a single pixel are never packed into one byte. 16-bit samples are stored in network byte order (MSB first).
An additional "filter type" byte is added to the beginning of every scanline, as described in detail below. The filter type byte is not considered part of the image data, but it is included in the datastream sent to the compression step.
An alpha value of zero represents full transparency, and a value of (2^bitdepth)-1 represents a fully opaque pixel. Intermediate values indicate partially transparent pixels that can be combined with a background image to yield a composite image. (Thus, alpha is really the degree of opacity of the pixel. But most people refer to alpha as providing transparency information, not opacity information, and we continue that custom here.)
Alpha channels can be included with images that have either 8 or 16 bits per sample, but not with images that have fewer than 8 bits per sample. Alpha samples are represented with the same bit depth used for the image samples. The alpha sample for each pixel is stored immediately following the grayscale or RGB samples of the pixel.
The color values stored for a pixel are not affected by the alpha value assigned to the pixel. This rule is sometimes called "unassociated" or "non premultiplied" alpha. (Another common technique is to store sample values premultiplied by the alpha fraction; in effect, such an image is already composited against a black background. PNG does not use premultiplied alpha.)
Transparency control is also possible without the storage cost of a full alpha channel. In an indexed-color image, an alpha value can be defined for each palette entry. In grayscale and truecolor images, a single pixel value can be identified as being "transparent". These techniques are controlled by the tRNS ancillary chunk type.
If no alpha channel nor tRNS chunk is present, all pixels in the image are to be treated as fully opaque.
Viewers can support transparency control partially, or not at all.
See Rationale: Section 12.8, Non-premultiplied alpha, Recommendations for Encoders: Section 9.4, Alpha channel creation, and Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.8, Alpha channel processing.
PNG defines several different filter algorithms, including "none" which indicates no filtering. The filter algorithm is specified for each scanline by a filter type byte that precedes the filtered scanline in the precompression datastream. An intelligent encoder can switch filters from one scanline to the next. The method for choosing which filter to employ is up to the encoder.
See Chapter 6, Filter Algorithms and Rationale: Section 12.9, Filtering.
With interlace method 0, pixels are stored sequentially from left to right, and scanlines sequentially from top to bottom (no interlacing).
Interlace method 1, known as Adam7 after its author, Adam M. Costello, consists of seven distinct passes over the image. Each pass transmits a subset of the pixels in the image. The pass in which each pixel is transmitted is defined by replicating the following 8-by-8 pattern over the entire image, starting at the upper left corner:
1 6 4 6 2 6 4 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 3 6 4 6 3 6 4 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7Within each pass, the selected pixels are transmitted left to right within a scanline, and selected scanlines sequentially from top to bottom. For example, pass 2 contains pixels 4, 12, 20, etc. of scanlines 0, 8, 16, etc. (numbering from 0,0 at the upper left corner). The last pass contains the entirety of scanlines 1, 3, 5, etc.
The data within each pass is laid out as though it were a complete image of the appropriate dimensions. For example, if the complete image is 8x8 pixels, then pass 3 will contain a single scanline containing two pixels. When pixels have fewer than 8 bits, each such scanline is padded as needed to fill an integral number of bytes (see Section 2.3, Image layout). Filtering is done on this reduced image in the usual way, and a filter type byte is transmitted before each of its scanlines (see Chapter 6, Filter Algorithms). Notice that the transmission order is defined so that all the scanlines transmitted in a pass will have the same number of pixels; this is necessary for proper application of some of the filters.
Caution: If the image contains fewer than five columns or fewer than five rows, some passes will be entirely empty. Encoder and decoder authors must be careful to handle this case correctly. In particular, filter type bytes are only associated with nonempty scanlines; no filter type bytes are present in an empty pass.
See Rationale: Section 12.6, Interlacing and Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.9, Progressive display.
Gamma correction is not applied to the alpha channel, if any. Alpha samples always represent a linear fraction of full opacity.
For high-precision applications, the exact chromaticity of the RGB data in a PNG image can be specified via the cHRM chunk, allowing more accurate color matching than gamma correction alone will provide. See Chapter 14, Color Tutorial if you aren't already familiar with color representation issues.
See Rationale: Section 12.7, Why gamma?, Recommendations for Encoders: Section 9.2, Encoder gamma handling, and Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.5, Decoder gamma handling.
ISO 8859-1 (Latin-1) is the character set recommended for use in text strings [ISO-8859]. This character set is a superset of 7-bit ASCII.
Character codes not defined in Latin-1 should not be used, because they have no platform-independent meaning. If a non-Latin-1 code does appear in a PNG text string, its interpretation will vary across platforms and decoders. Some systems might not even be able to display all the characters in Latin-1, but most modern systems can.
Provision is also made for the storage of compressed text.
See Rationale: Section 12.10, Text strings.
137 80 78 71 13 10 26 10This signature indicates that the remainder of the file contains a single PNG image, consisting of a series of chunks beginning with an IHDR chunk and ending with an IEND chunk.
See Rationale: Section 12.11, PNG file signature.
The chunk data length can be any number of bytes up to the maximum; therefore, implementors cannot assume that chunks are aligned on any boundaries larger than bytes.
Chunks can appear in any order, subject to the restrictions placed on each chunk type. (One notable restriction is that IHDR must appear first and IEND must appear last; thus the IEND chunk serves as an end-of-file marker.) Multiple chunks of the same type can appear, but only if specifically permitted for that type.
See Rationale: Section 12.12, Chunk layout.
Four bits of the type code, namely bit 5 (value 32) of each byte, are used to convey chunk properties. This choice means that a human can read off the assigned properties according to whether each letter of the type code is uppercase (bit 5 is 0) or lowercase (bit 5 is 1). However, decoders should test the properties of an unknown chunk by numerically testing the specified bits; testing whether a character is uppercase or lowercase is inefficient, and even incorrect if a locale-specific case definition is used.
It is worth noting that the property bits are an inherent part of the chunk name, and hence are fixed for any chunk type. Thus, TEXT and Text would be unrelated chunk type codes, not the same chunk with different properties. Decoders should recognize type codes by simple four-byte literal comparison; it is incorrect to perform case conversion on type codes.
The semantics of the property bits are:
Chunks that are not strictly necessary in order to meaningfully display the contents of the file are known as "ancillary" chunks. Decoders encountering an unknown chunk in which the ancillary bit is 1 can safely ignore the chunk and proceed to display the image. The time chunk (tIME) is an example of an ancillary chunk.
Chunks that are critical to the successful display of the file's contents are called "critical" chunks. Decoders encountering an unknown chunk in which the ancillary bit is 0 must indicate to the user that the image contains information they cannot safely interpret. The image header chunk (IHDR) is an example of a critical chunk.
A public chunk is one that is part of the PNG specification or is registered in the list of PNG special-purpose public chunk types. Applications can also define private (unregistered) chunks for their own purposes. The names of private chunks must have a lowercase second letter, while public chunks will always be assigned names with uppercase second letters. Note that decoders do not need to test the private-chunk property bit, since it has no functional significance; it is simply an administrative convenience to ensure that public and private chunk names will not conflict. See Section 4.4, Additional Chunk Types and Recommendations for Encoders: Section 9.8, Use of private chunks.
The significance of the case of the third letter of the chunk name is reserved for possible future expansion. At the present time all chunk names must have uppercase third letters. (Decoders should not complain about a lowercase third letter, however, as some future version of the PNG specification could define a meaning for this bit. It is sufficient to treat a chunk with a lowercase third letter in the same way as any other unknown chunk type.)
This property bit is not of interest to pure decoders, but it is needed by PNG editors (programs that modify PNG files). This bit defines the proper handling of unrecognized chunks in a file that is being modified.
If a chunk's safe-to-copy bit is 1, the chunk may be copied to a modified PNG file whether or not the software recognizes the chunk type, and regardless of the extent of the file modifications.
If a chunk's safe-to-copy bit is 0, it indicates that the chunk depends on the image data. If the program has made any changes to critical chunks, including addition, modification, deletion, or reordering of critical chunks, then unrecognized unsafe chunks must not be copied to the output PNG file. (Of course, if the program does recognize the chunk, it can choose to output an appropriately modified version.)
A PNG editor is always allowed to copy all unrecognized chunks if it has only added, deleted, or modified ancillary chunks. This implies that it is not permissible to make ancillary chunks that depend on other ancillary chunks.
PNG editors that do not recognize a critical chunk must report an error and refuse to process that PNG file at all. The safe/unsafe mechanism is intended for use with ancillary chunks. The safe-to-copy bit will always be 0 for critical chunks.
Rules for PNG editors are discussed further in Chapter 7, Chunk Ordering Rules.
For example, the hypothetical chunk type name "bLOb" has the property bits:
bLOb <-- 32 bit chunk type code represented in text form |||| |||+- Safe-to-copy bit is 1 (lower case letter; bit 5 is 1) ||+-- Reserved bit is 0 (upper case letter; bit 5 is 0) |+--- Private bit is 0 (upper case letter; bit 5 is 0) +---- Ancillary bit is 1 (lower case letter; bit 5 is 1)Therefore, this name represents an ancillary, public, safe-to-copy chunk.
See Rationale: Section 12.13, Chunk naming conventions.
x^32+x^26+x^23+x^22+x^16+x^12+x^11+x^10+x^8+x^7+x^5+x^4+x^2+x+1The 32-bit CRC register is initialized to all 1's, and then the data from each byte is processed from the least significant bit (1) to the most significant bit (128). After all the data bytes are processed, the CRC register is inverted (its ones complement is taken). This value is transmitted (stored in the file) MSB first. For the purpose of separating into bytes and ordering, the least significant bit of the 32-bit CRC is defined to be the coefficient of the x^31 term.
Practical calculation of the CRC always employs a precalculated table to greatly accelerate the computation. See Chapter 15, Sample CRC Code.
Width: 4 bytes Height: 4 bytes Bit depth: 1 byte Color type: 1 byte Compression method: 1 byte Filter method: 1 byte Interlace method: 1 byteWidth and height give the image dimensions in pixels. They are 4-byte integers. Zero is an invalid value. The maximum for each is (2^31)-1 in order to accommodate languages that have difficulty with unsigned 4-byte values.
Bit depth is a single-byte integer giving the number of bits per sample (not per pixel, except when a pixel contains just one sample). Valid values are 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16, although not all values are allowed for all color types.
Color type is a single-byte integer that describes the interpretation of the image data. Color type codes represent sums of the following values: 1 (palette used), 2 (color used), and 4 (alpha channel used). Valid values are 0, 2, 3, 4, and 6.
Bit depth restrictions for each color type are imposed to simplify implementations and to prohibit combinations that do not compress well. Decoders must support all legal combinations of bit depth and color type. The allowed combinations are:
Color Allowed Interpretation
Type Bit Depths
0 1,2,4,8,16 Each pixel is a grayscale sample.
2 8,16 Each pixel is an R,G,B triple.
3 1,2,4,8 Each pixel is a palette index;
a PLTE chunk must appear.
4 8,16 Each pixel is a grayscale sample,
followed by an alpha sample.
6 8,16 Each pixel is an R,G,B triple,
followed by an alpha sample.
Compression method is a single-byte integer that indicates the method used to compress the image data. At present, only compression method 0 (deflate/inflate compression with a 32K sliding window) is defined. All standard PNG images must be compressed with this scheme. The compression method code is provided for possible future expansion or proprietary variants. Decoders must check this byte and report an error if it holds an unrecognized code. See Chapter 5, Deflate/Inflate Compression for details.
Filter method is a single-byte integer that indicates the preprocessing method applied to the image data before compression. At present, only filter method 0 (adaptive filtering with five basic filter types) is defined. As with the compression type code, decoders must check this byte and report an error if it holds an unrecognized code. See Chapter 6, Filter Algorithms for details.
Interlace method is a single-byte integer that indicates the transmission order of the image data. Two values are currently defined: 0 (no interlace) or 1 (Adam7 interlace). See Section 2.6, Interlaced data order for details.
Red: 1 byte (0 = black, 255 = red) Green: 1 byte (0 = black, 255 = green) Blue: 1 byte (0 = black, 255 = blue)The number of entries is determined from the chunk length. A chunk length not divisible by 3 is an error.
This chunk must appear for color type 3, and can appear for color types 2 and 6; it is not allowed for color types 0 and 4. If this chunk does appear, it must precede the first IDAT chunk. There cannot be more than one PLTE chunk.
For color type 3 (indexed color), the PLTE chunk is required. The first entry in PLTE is referenced by pixel value 0, the second by pixel value 1, etc. The number of palette entries must not exceed the range that can be represented by the bit depth (for example, 2^4 = 16 for a bit depth of 4). It is permissible to have fewer entries than the bit depth would allow. In that case, any out-of-range pixel value found in the image data is an error.
For color types 2 and 6 (truecolor and truecolor with alpha), the PLTE chunk is optional. If present, it provides a suggested set of from 1 to 256 colors to which the truecolor image can be quantized if the viewer cannot display truecolor directly. If PLTE is not present, such a viewer must select colors on its own, but it is often preferable for this to be done once by the encoder. (See Recommendations for Encoders: Section 9.5, Suggested palettes.)
Note that the palette uses 8 bits (1 byte) per sample regardless of the image bit depth specification. In particular, the palette is 8 bits deep even when it is a suggested quantization of a 16-bit truecolor image.
There is no requirement that the palette entries all be used by the image, nor that they all be different.
To read the image data, reverse this process.
There can be multiple IDAT chunks; if so, they must appear consecutively with no other intervening chunks. The compressed datastream is then the concatenation of the contents of all the IDAT chunks. The encoder can divide the compressed datastream into IDAT chunks however it wishes. (Multiple IDAT chunks are allowed so that encoders can work in a fixed amount of memory; typically the chunk size will correspond to the encoder's buffer size.) It is important to emphasize that IDAT chunk boundaries have no semantic significance and can occur at any point in the compressed datastream. A PNG file in which each IDAT chunk contains only one data byte is legal, though remarkably wasteful of space. (For that matter, zero-length IDAT chunks are legal, though even more wasteful.)
See Chapter 6, Filter Algorithms and Chapter 5, Deflate/Inflate Compression for details.
The standard ancillary chunks are listed in alphabetical order. This is not necessarily the order in which they would appear in a file.
For color type 3 (indexed color), the bKGD chunk contains:
Palette index: 1 byteThe value is the palette index of the color to be used as background.
For color types 0 and 4 (grayscale, with or without alpha), bKGD contains:
Gray: 2 bytes, range 0 .. (2^bitdepth)-1(For consistency, 2 bytes are used regardless of the image bit depth.) The value is the gray level to be used as background.
For color types 2 and 6 (truecolor, with or without alpha), bKGD contains:
Red: 2 bytes, range 0 .. (2^bitdepth)-1 Green: 2 bytes, range 0 .. (2^bitdepth)-1 Blue: 2 bytes, range 0 .. (2^bitdepth)-1(For consistency, 2 bytes per sample are used regardless of the image bit depth.) This is the RGB color to be used as background.
When present, the bKGD chunk must precede the first IDAT chunk, and must follow the PLTE chunk, if any.
See Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.7, Background color.
The chunk layout is:
White Point x: 4 bytes White Point y: 4 bytes Red x: 4 bytes Red y: 4 bytes Green x: 4 bytes Green y: 4 bytes Blue x: 4 bytes Blue y: 4 bytesEach value is encoded as a 4-byte unsigned integer, representing the x or y value times 100000. For example, a value of 0.3127 would be stored as the integer 31270.
cHRM is allowed in all PNG files, although it is of little value for grayscale images.
If the encoder does not know the chromaticity values, it should not write a cHRM chunk; the absence of the cHRM chunk indicates that the image's primary colors are device-dependent.
If the cHRM chunk appears, it must precede the first IDAT chunk, and it must also precede the PLTE chunk if present.
See Recommendations for Encoders: Section 9.3, Encoder color handling, and Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.6, Decoder color handling.
The chunk's contents are:
Image gamma: 4 bytesThe value is encoded as a 4-byte unsigned integer, representing gamma times 100000. For example, a gamma of 0.45 would be stored as the integer 45000.
If the encoder does not know the gamma value, it should not write a gamma chunk; the absence of a gamma chunk indicates the gamma is unknown.
If the gAMA chunk appears, it must precede the first IDAT chunk, and it must also precede the PLTE chunk if present.
See Section 2.7, Gamma correction, Recommendations for Encoders: Section 9.2, Encoder gamma handling, and Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.5, Decoder gamma handling.
This chunk's contents are a series of 2-byte (16 bit) unsigned integers. There must be exactly one entry for each entry in the PLTE chunk. Each entry is proportional to the fraction of pixels in the image that have that palette index; the exact scale factor is chosen by the encoder.
Histogram entries are approximate, with the exception that a zero entry specifies that the corresponding palette entry is not used at all in the image. It is required that a histogram entry be nonzero if there are any pixels of that color.
When the palette is a suggested quantization of a truecolor image, the histogram is necessarily approximate, since a decoder may map pixels to palette entries differently than the encoder did. In this situation, zero entries should not appear.
The hIST chunk, if it appears, must follow the PLTE chunk, and must precede the first IDAT chunk.
See Rationale: Section 12.14, Palette histograms, and Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.10, Suggested-palette and histogram usage.
Pixels per unit, X axis: 4 bytes (unsigned integer) Pixels per unit, Y axis: 4 bytes (unsigned integer) Unit specifier: 1 byteThe following values are legal for the unit specifier:
0: unit is unknown 1: unit is the meterWhen the unit specifier is 0, the pHYs chunk defines pixel aspect ratio only; the actual size of the pixels remains unspecified.
Conversion note: one inch is equal to exactly 0.0254 meters.
If this ancillary chunk is not present, pixels are assumed to be square, and the physical size of each pixel is unknown.
If present, this chunk must precede the first IDAT chunk.
See Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.2, Pixel dimensions.
For color type 0 (grayscale), the sBIT chunk contains a single byte, indicating the number of bits that were significant in the source data.
For color type 2 (truecolor), the sBIT chunk contains three bytes, indicating the number of bits that were significant in the source data for the red, green, and blue channels, respectively.
For color type 3 (indexed color), the sBIT chunk contains three bytes, indicating the number of bits that were significant in the source data for the red, green, and blue components of the palette entries, respectively.
For color type 4 (grayscale with alpha channel), the sBIT chunk contains two bytes, indicating the number of bits that were significant in the source grayscale data and the source alpha data, respectively.
For color type 6 (truecolor with alpha channel), the sBIT chunk contains four bytes, indicating the number of bits that were significant in the source data for the red, green, blue and alpha channels, respectively.
Each depth specified in sBIT must be greater than zero and less than or equal to the sample depth (which is 8 for indexed-color images, and the bit depth given in IHDR for other color types).
A decoder need not pay attention to sBIT: the stored image is a valid PNG file of the sample depth indicated by IHDR. However, if the decoder wishes to recover the original data at its original precision, this can be done by right-shifting the stored samples (the stored palette entries, for an indexed-color image). The encoder must scale the data in such a way that the high-order bits match the original data.
If the sBIT chunk appears, it must precede the first IDAT chunk, and it must also precede the PLTE chunk if present.
See Recommendations for Encoders: Section 9.1, Bit depth scaling and Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.4, Bit depth rescaling.
Keyword: 1-79 bytes (character string) Null separator: 1 byte Text: n bytes (character string)The keyword and text string are separated by a zero byte (null character). Neither the keyword nor the text string can contain a null character. Note that the text string is not null-terminated (the length of the chunk is sufficient information to locate the ending). The keyword must be at least one character and less than 80 characters long. The text string can be of any length from zero bytes up to the maximum permissible chunk size less the length of the keyword and separator.
Any number of tEXt chunks can appear, and more than one with the same keyword is permissible.
The keyword indicates the type of information represented by the text string. The following keywords are predefined and should be used where appropriate:
Title Short (one line) title or caption for image
Author Name of image's creator
Description Description of image (possibly long)
Copyright Copyright notice
Creation Time Time of original image creation
Software Software used to create the image
Disclaimer Legal disclaimer
Warning Warning of nature of content
Source Device used to create the image
Comment Miscellaneous comment; conversion from
GIF comment
For the Creation Time keyword, the date format defined in section
5.2.14 of RFC 1123 is suggested, but not required
[RFC-1123].
Decoders should allow for free-format
text associated with this or any other keyword.
Other keywords may be invented for other purposes. Keywords of general interest can be registered with the maintainers of the PNG specification. However, it is also permitted to use private unregistered keywords. (Private keywords should be reasonably self-explanatory, in order to minimize the chance that the same keyword will be used for incompatible purposes by different people.)
Both keyword and text are interpreted according to the ISO 8859-1 (Latin-1) character set [ISO-8859]. The text string can contain any Latin-1 character. Newlines in the text string should be represented by a single linefeed character (decimal 10); use of other control characters in the text is discouraged.
Keywords can contain only printable Latin-1 characters and spaces; that is, only character codes 32-126 and 161-255 decimal are allowed. To reduce the chances for human misreading of a keyword, leading and trailing spaces are forbidden, as are consecutive spaces. Note also that the non-breaking space (code 160) is not permitted in keywords, since it is visually indistinguishable from an ordinary space.
Keywords must be spelled exactly as registered, so that decoders can use simple literal comparisons when looking for particular keywords. In particular, keywords are considered case-sensitive.
See Recommendations for Encoders: Section 9.7, Text chunk processing and Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.11, Text chunk processing.
Year: 2 bytes (complete; for example, 1995, not 95)
Month: 1 byte (1-12)
Day: 1 byte (1-31)
Hour: 1 byte (0-23)
Minute: 1 byte (0-59)
Second: 1 byte (0-60) (yes, 60, for leap seconds; not 61,
a common error)
Universal Time (UTC, also called GMT) should be specified rather than
local time.
The tIME chunk is intended for use as an automatically-applied time stamp that is updated whenever the image data is changed. It is recommended that tIME not be changed by PNG editors that do not change the image data. See also the Creation Time tEXt keyword, which can be used for a user-supplied time.
For color type 3 (indexed color), this chunk's contents are a series of one-byte alpha values, corresponding to entries in the PLTE chunk:
Alpha for palette index 0: 1 byte Alpha for palette index 1: 1 byte ... etc ...Each entry indicates that pixels of that palette index should be treated as having the specified alpha value. Alpha values have the same interpretation as in an 8-bit full alpha channel: 0 is fully transparent, 255 is fully opaque, regardless of image bit depth. The tRNS chunk must not contain more alpha values than there are palette entries, but tRNS can contain fewer values than there are palette entries. In this case, the alpha value for all remaining palette entries is assumed to be 255. In the common case where only palette index 0 need be made transparent, only a one-byte tRNS chunk is needed.
For color type 0 (grayscale), the tRNS chunk contains a single gray level value, stored in the format
Gray: 2 bytes, range 0 .. (2^bitdepth)-1(For consistency, 2 bytes are used regardless of the image bit depth.) Pixels of the specified gray level are to be treated as transparent (equivalent to alpha value 0); all other pixels are to be treated as fully opaque (alpha value (2^bitdepth)-1).
For color type 2 (truecolor), the tRNS chunk contains a single RGB color value, stored in the format
Red: 2 bytes, range 0 .. (2^bitdepth)-1 Green: 2 bytes, range 0 .. (2^bitdepth)-1 Blue: 2 bytes, range 0 .. (2^bitdepth)-1(For consistency, 2 bytes per sample are used regardless of the image bit depth.) Pixels of the specified color value are to be treated as transparent (equivalent to alpha value 0); all other pixels are to be treated as fully opaque (alpha value (2^bitdepth)-1).
tRNS is prohibited for color types 4 and 6, since a full alpha channel is already present in those cases.
Note: when dealing with 16-bit grayscale or truecolor data, it is important to compare both bytes of the sample values to determine whether a pixel is transparent. Although decoders may drop the low-order byte of the samples for display, this must not occur until after the data has been tested for transparency. For example, if the grayscale level 0x0001 is specified to be transparent, it would be incorrect to compare only the high-order byte and decide that 0x0002 is also transparent.
When present, the tRNS chunk must precede the first IDAT chunk, and must follow the PLTE chunk, if any.
A zTXt chunk begins with an uncompressed Latin-1 keyword followed by a null (0) character, just as in the tEXt chunk. The next byte after the null contains a compression method byte, for which the only presently legitimate value is zero (deflate/inflate compression). The compression-method byte is followed by a compressed datastream that makes up the remainder of the chunk. For compression method zero, this datastream adheres to the zlib datastream format (see Chapter 5, Deflate/Inflate Compression). Decompression of this datastream yields Latin-1 text that is identical to the text that would be stored in an equivalent tEXt chunk.
Any number of zTXt and tEXt chunks can appear in the same file. See the preceding definition of the tEXt chunk for the predefined keywords and the recommended format of the text.
See Recommendations for Encoders: Section 9.7, Text chunk processing, and Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.11, Text chunk processing.
Critical chunks (must appear in this order, except PLTE
is optional):
Name Multiple Ordering constraints
OK?
IHDR No Must be first
PLTE No Before IDAT
IDAT Yes Multiple IDATs must be consecutive
IEND No Must be last
Ancillary chunks (need not appear in this order):
Name Multiple Ordering constraints
OK?
cHRM No Before PLTE and IDAT
gAMA No Before PLTE and IDAT
sBIT No Before PLTE and IDAT
bKGD No After PLTE; before IDAT
hIST No After PLTE; before IDAT
tRNS No After PLTE; before IDAT
pHYs No Before IDAT
tIME No None
tEXt Yes None
zTXt Yes None
Standard keywords for tEXt and zTXt chunks:
Title Short (one line) title or caption for image
Author Name of image's creator
Description Description of image (possibly long)
Copyright Copyright notice
Creation Time Time of original image creation
Software Software used to create the image
Disclaimer Legal disclaimer
Warning Warning of nature of content
Source Device used to create the image
Comment Miscellaneous comment; conversion from
GIF comment
New public chunks will only be registered if they are of use to others and do not violate the design philosophy of PNG. Chunk registration is not automatic, although it is the intent of the authors that it be straightforward when a new chunk of potentially wide application is needed. Note that the creation of new critical chunk types is discouraged unless absolutely necessary.
Applications can also use private chunk types to carry data that is not of interest to other applications. See Recommendations for Encoders: Section 9.8, Use of private chunks.
Decoders must be prepared to encounter unrecognized public or private chunk type codes. Unrecognized chunk types must be handled as described in Section 3.3, Chunk naming conventions.
Deflate-compressed datastreams within PNG are stored in the "zlib" format, which has the structure:
Compression method/flags code: 1 byte Additional flags/check bits: 1 byte Compressed data blocks: n bytes Check value: 4 bytesFurther details on this format can be found in the zlib specification [ZLIB].
For PNG compression method 0, the zlib compression method/flags code must specify method code 8 ("deflate" compression) and an LZ77 window size of not more than 32K. Note that the zlib compression method number is unrelated to the PNG compression method number.
The compressed data within the zlib datastream is stored as a series of blocks, each of which can represent raw (uncompressed) data, LZ77-compressed data encoded with fixed Huffman codes, or LZ77-compressed data encoded with custom Huffman codes. A marker bit in the final block identifies it as the last block, allowing the decoder to recognize the end of the compressed datastream. Further details on the compression algorithm and the encoding can be found in the deflate specification [DEFLATE].
The check value stored at the end of the zlib datastream is calculated on the uncompressed data represented by the datastream. Note that the algorithm used is not the same as the CRC calculation used for PNG chunk check values. The zlib check value is useful mainly as a cross-check that the deflate and inflate algorithms are implemented correctly. Verifying the chunk CRCs provides adequate confidence that the PNG file has been transmitted undamaged.
In a PNG file, the concatenation of the contents of all the IDAT chunks makes up a zlib datastream as specified above. This datastream decompresses to filtered image data as described elsewhere in this document.
It is important to emphasize that the boundaries between IDAT chunks are arbitrary and can fall anywhere in the zlib datastream. There is not necessarily any correlation between IDAT chunk boundaries and deflate block boundaries or any other feature of the zlib data. For example, it is entirely possible for the terminating zlib check value to be split across IDAT chunks.
In the same vein, there is no required correlation between the structure of the image data (i.e., scanline boundaries) and deflate block boundaries or IDAT chunk boundaries. The complete image data is represented by a single zlib datastream that is stored in some number of IDAT chunks; a decoder that assumes any more than this is incorrect. (Of course, some encoder implementations may emit files in which some of these structures are indeed related. But decoders cannot rely on this.)
PNG also uses zlib datastreams in zTXt chunks. In a zTXt chunk, the remainder of the chunk following the compression method code byte is a zlib datastream as specified above. This datastream decompresses to the user-readable text described by the chunk's keyword. Unlike the image data, such datastreams are not split across chunks; each zTXt chunk contains an independent zlib datastream.
Additional documentation and portable C code for deflate and inflate
are available from the Info-Zip archives at
<URL:ftp://ftp.uu.net/pub/archiving/zip/>.
PNG filter method zero defines five basic filtering algorithms, which are given numeric codes as follows:
Code Name 0 None 1 Sub 2 Up 3 Average 4 Paeth(Note that filter method code zero in IHDR specifies exactly this set of five filter types. If the set of filter types is ever extended, a different filter method code will be assigned to the extended set, so that decoders need not decompress the data to discover that it contains unsupported filter type codes.)
The encoder can choose which of these filter algorithms to apply on a scanline-by-scanline basis. In the image data sent to the compression step, each scanline is preceded by a filter type byte containing the numeric code of the filter algorithm used for that scanline.
Filtering algorithms are applied to bytes, not to pixels, regardless of the bit depth or color type of the image. The filtering algorithms work on the byte sequence formed by a scanline that has been represented as described in Section 2.3, Image layout. If the image includes an alpha channel, the alpha data is filtered in the same way as the image data.
When the image is interlaced, each pass of the interlace pattern is treated as an independent image for filtering purposes. The filters work on the byte sequences formed by the pixels actually transmitted during a pass, and the "previous scanline" is the one previously transmitted in the same pass, not the one adjacent in the complete image. Note that the subimage transmitted in any one pass is always rectangular, but is of smaller width and/or height than the complete image. Filtering is not applied when this subimage is empty.
For all filters, the bytes "to the left of" the first pixel in a scanline must be treated as being zero. For filters that refer to the prior scanline, the entire prior scanline must be treated as being zeroes for the first scanline of an image (or of a pass of an interlaced image).
To reverse the effect of a filter, the decoder must use the decoded values of the prior pixel on the same line, the pixel immediately above the current pixel on the prior line, and the pixel just to the left of the pixel above. This implies that at least one scanline's worth of image data must be stored by the decoder at all times. Even though some filter types do not refer to the prior scanline, the decoder must always store each scanline as it is decoded, since the next scanline might use a filter that refers to it.
PNG imposes no restriction on which filter types can be applied to an image. However, the filters are not equally effective on all types of data. See Recommendations for Encoders: Section 9.6, Filter selection.
See also Rationale: Section 12.9, Filtering.
To compute the Sub filter, apply the following formula to each byte of the scanline:
Sub(x) = Raw(x) - Raw(x-bpp)where x ranges from zero to the number of bytes representing the scanline minus one, Raw(x) refers to the raw data byte at that byte position in the scanline, and bpp is defined as the number of bytes per complete pixel, rounding up to one. For example, for color type 2 with a bit depth of 16, bpp is equal to 6 (three samples, two bytes per sample); for color type 0 with a bit depth of 2, bpp is equal to 1 (rounding up); for color type 4 with a bit depth of 16, bpp is equal to 4 (two-byte grayscale sample, plus two-byte alpha sample).
Note this computation is done for each byte, regardless of bit depth. In a 16-bit image, MSBs are differenced from the preceding MSB and LSBs are differenced from the preceding LSB, because of the way that bpp is defined.
Unsigned arithmetic modulo 256 is used, so that both the inputs and outputs fit into bytes. The sequence of Sub values is transmitted as the filtered scanline.
For all x < 0, assume Raw(x) = 0.
To reverse the effect of the Sub filter after decompression, output the following value:
Sub(x) + Raw(x-bpp)(computed mod 256), where Raw refers to the bytes already decoded.
To compute the Up filter, apply the following formula to each byte of the scanline:
Up(x) = Raw(x) - Prior(x)where x ranges from zero to the number of bytes representing the scanline minus one, Raw(x) refers to the raw data byte at that byte position in the scanline, and Prior(x) refers to the unfiltered bytes of the prior scanline.
Note this is done for each byte, regardless of bit depth. Unsigned arithmetic modulo 256 is used, so that both the inputs and outputs fit into bytes. The sequence of Up values is transmitted as the filtered scanline.
On the first scanline of an image (or of a pass of an interlaced image), assume Prior(x) = 0 for all x.
To reverse the effect of the Up filter after decompression, output the following value:
Up(x) + Prior(x)(computed mod 256), where Prior refers to the decoded bytes of the prior scanline.
To compute the Average filter, apply the following formula to each byte of the scanline:
Average(x) = Raw(x) - floor((Raw(x-bpp)+Prior(x))/2)where x ranges from zero to the number of bytes representing the scanline minus one, Raw(x) refers to the raw data byte at that byte position in the scanline, Prior(x) refers to the unfiltered bytes of the prior scanline, and bpp is defined as for the Sub filter.
Note this is done for each byte, regardless of bit depth. The sequence of Average values is transmitted as the filtered scanline.
The subtraction of the predicted value from the raw byte must be done modulo 256, so that both the inputs and outputs fit into bytes. However, the sum Raw(x-bpp)+Prior(x) must be formed without overflow (using at least nine-bit arithmetic). floor() indicates that the result of the division is rounded to the next lower integer if fractional; in other words, it is an integer division or right shift operation.
For all x < 0, assume Raw(x) = 0. On the first scanline of an image (or of a pass of an interlaced image), assume Prior(x) = 0 for all x.
To reverse the effect of the Average filter after decompression, output the following value:
Average(x) + floor((Raw(x-bpp)+Prior(x))/2)where the result is computed mod 256, but the prediction is calculated in the same way as for encoding. Raw refers to the bytes already decoded, and Prior refers to the decoded bytes of the prior scanline.
To compute the Paeth filter, apply the following formula to each byte of the scanline:
Paeth(x) = Raw(x) - PaethPredictor(Raw(x-bpp), Prior(x),
Prior(x-bpp))
where x ranges from zero to the number of bytes representing
the scanline minus one, Raw(x) refers to the raw data
byte at that byte position in the scanline,
Prior(x) refers to the unfiltered bytes of the prior
scanline, and bpp is defined as for the Sub filter.
Note this is done for each byte, regardless of bit depth. Unsigned arithmetic modulo 256 is used, so that both the inputs and outputs fit into bytes. The sequence of Paeth values is transmitted as the filtered scanline.
The PaethPredictor function is defined by the following pseudocode:
function PaethPredictor (a, b, c)
begin
; a = left, b = above, c = upper left
p := a + b - c ; initial estimate
pa := abs(p - a) ; distances to a, b, c
pb := abs(p - b)
pc := abs(p - c)
; return nearest of a,b,c,
; breaking ties in order a,b,c.
if pa <= pb AND pa <= pc
begin
return a
end
if pb <= pc
begin
return b
end
return c
end
The calculations within the PaethPredictor function must be performed
exactly, without overflow. Arithmetic modulo 256
is to be used only for the final step of subtracting the function
result from the target byte value.
Note that the order in which ties are broken is fixed and must not be altered. The tie break order is: pixel to the left, pixel above, pixel to the upper left. (This order differs from that given in Paeth's article.)
For all x < 0, assume Raw(x) = 0 and Prior(x) = 0. On the first scanline of an image (or of a pass of an interlaced image), assume Prior(x) = 0 for all x.
To reverse the effect of the Paeth filter after decompression, output the following value:
Paeth(x) + PaethPredictor(Raw(x-bpp), Prior(x), Prior(x-bpp))(computed mod 256), where Raw and Prior refer to bytes already decoded. Exactly the same PaethPredictor function is used by both encoder and decoder.
We define a "PNG editor" as a program that modifies a PNG file and wishes to preserve as much as possible of the ancillary information in the file. Two examples of PNG editors are a program that adds or modifies text chunks, and a program that adds a suggested palette to a truecolor PNG file. Ordinary image editors are not PNG editors in this sense, because they usually discard all unrecognized information while reading in an image. (Note: we strongly encourage programs handling PNG files to preserve ancillary information whenever possible.)
As an example of possible problems, consider a hypothetical new ancillary chunk type that is safe-to-copy and is required to appear after PLTE if PLTE is present. If our program to add a suggested PLTE does not recognize this new chunk, it may insert PLTE in the wrong place, namely after the new chunk. We could prevent such problems by requiring PNG editors to discard all unknown chunks, but that is a very unattractive solution. Instead, PNG requires ancillary chunks not to have ordering restrictions like this.
To prevent this type of problem while allowing for future extension, we put some constraints on both the behavior of PNG editors and the allowed ordering requirements for chunks.
See also Section 3.3, Chunk naming conventions.
Decoders must not assume more about the positioning of any ancillary chunk than is specified by the chunk ordering rules. In particular, it is never valid to assume that a specific ancillary chunk type occurs with any particular positioning relative to other ancillary chunks. (For example, it is unsafe to assume that your private ancillary chunk occurs immediately before IEND. Even if your application always writes it there, a PNG editor might have inserted some other ancillary chunk after it. But you can safely assume that your chunk will remain somewhere between IDAT and IEND.)
See Rationale: Section 12.3, Why not these features?.
The possible security risks associated with future chunk types cannot be specified at this time. Security issues will be considered when evaluating chunks proposed for registration as public chunks. There is no additional security risk associated with unknown or unimplemented chunk types, because such chunks will be ignored, or at most be copied into another PNG file.
The tEXt and zTXt chunks contain data that is meant to be displayed as plain text. It is possible that if the decoder displays such text without filtering out control characters, especially the ESC (escape) character, certain systems or terminals could behave in undesirable and insecure ways. We recommend that decoders filter out control characters to avoid this risk; see Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.11, Text chunk processing.
Because every chunk's length is available at its beginning, and because every chunk has a CRC trailer, there is a very robust defense against corrupted data and against fraudulent chunks that attempt to overflow the viewer's buffers. Also, the PNG signature bytes provide early detection of common file transmission errors.
A decoder that fails to check CRCs could be subject to data corruption. The only likely consequence of such corruption is incorrectly displayed pixels within the image. Worse things might happen if the CRC of the IHDR chunk is not checked and the width or height fields are corrupted. See Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.1, Error checking.
A poorly written decoder might be subject to buffer overflow, because chunks can be extremely large, up to (2^31)-1 bytes long. But properly written decoders will handle large chunks without difficulty.
output = ROUND(input * MAXOUTSAMPLE / MAXINSAMPLE)where the input samples range from 0 to MAXINSAMPLE and the outputs range from 0 to MAXOUTSAMPLE (which is (2^bitdepth)-1).
A close approximation to the linear scaling method can be achieved by "left bit replication", which is shifting the valid bits to begin in the most significant bit and repeating the most significant bits into the open bits. This method is often faster to compute than linear scaling. As an example, assume that 5-bit samples are being scaled up to 8 bits. If the source sample value is 27 (in the range from 0-31), then the original bits are:
4 3 2 1 0 --------- 1 1 0 1 1Left bit replication gives a value of 222:
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
----------------
1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0
|=======| |===|
| Leftmost Bits Repeated to Fill Open Bits
|
Original Bits
which matches the value computed by the linear equation. Left bit
replication usually gives the same value as linear scaling, and is
never off by more than one.
A distinctly less accurate approximation is obtained by simply left-shifting the input value and filling the low order bits with zeroes. This scheme cannot reproduce white exactly, since it does not generate an all-ones maximum value; the net effect is to darken the image slightly. This method is not recommended in general, but it does have the effect of improving compression, particularly when dealing with greater-than-eight-bit sample depths. Since the relative error introduced by zero-fill scaling is small at high bit depths, some encoders may choose to use it. Zero-fill should not be used for alpha channel data, however, since many decoders will special-case alpha values of all zeroes and all ones. It is important to represent both those values exactly in the scaled data.
When the encoder writes an sBIT chunk, it is required to do the scaling in such a way that the high-order bits of the stored samples match the original data. That is, if the sBIT chunk specifies a bit depth of S, the high-order S bits of the stored data must agree with the original S-bit data values. This allows decoders to recover the original data by shifting right. The added low-order bits are not constrained. Note that all the above scaling methods meet this restriction.
When scaling up source data, it is recommended that the low-order bits be filled consistently for all samples; that is, the same source value should generate the same sample value at any pixel position. This improves compression by reducing the number of distinct sample values. However, this is not a requirement, and some encoders may choose not to follow it. For example, an encoder might instead dither the low-order bits, improving displayed image quality at the price of increasing file size.
In some applications the original source data may have a range that is not a power of 2. The linear scaling equation still works for this case, although the shifting methods do not. It is recommended that an sBIT chunk not be written for such images, since sBIT suggests that the original data range was exactly 0..2^S-1.
If it is possible for the encoder to determine the image gamma, or to make a strong guess based on the hardware on which it runs, then the encoder is strongly encouraged to output the gAMA chunk.
Digitized video has a gamma of 0.45 --- camera transfer functions are standardized.
In the case of hand-drawn images, you have to determine what conditions they were viewed under when being drawn, and then determine the file_gamma value by calculating
file_gamma = viewing_gamma / display_gammaFor example, suppose someone created a piece of artwork on a Macintosh with the default display_gamma, which is 1.8 on that system. The room was dim at the time, so the appropriate viewing_gamma is about 1.2. The file_gamma is 0.667.
If the encoder is compiled as a portion of a computer image renderer and has access to sample intensity values in floating-point (or high-precision integer) form, it is recommended that the encoder perform its own gamma encoding before quantizing the data to integer values for storage in the file. Applying gamma encoding at this stage results in images with fewer banding artifacts at the same sample bit depth, or allows smaller samples while retaining the same quality.
A linear intensity level, expressed as a floating-point value in the range 0 to 1, can be converted to a gamma-corrected sample value by
sample = ROUND((intensity ^ encoder_gamma) * MAXSAMPLEVAL)The file_gamma value written in the PNG gAMA chunk is the same as encoder_gamma in this equation, since we are assuming the initial intensity value is linear (in effect, camera_gamma is 1.0).
If the renderer is simultaneously displaying pixels on the screen and writing them to the file, it can calculate an encoder_gamma value that gives correct display using
encoder_gamma = viewing_gamma / display_gammaThis will allow PNG viewers to reproduce what is being shown on screen.
If the image is being written to a file only, the encoder_gamma value can be selected somewhat arbitrarily. A value of 0.45 is generally a good choice because of its use in video systems.
Computer graphics renderers often do not perform gamma encoding, instead making sample values directly proportional to scene brightness. This "linear" sample encoding is equivalent to gamma encoding with a gamma of 1.0, so graphics programs that output linear samples should always emit a gAMA chunk specifying a gamma of 1.0.
There are often cases where an image's exact origins are unknown, particularly if it began life as a GIF or TIFF or some other file format, and someone other than the original author is converting it to PNG. In these cases, all that can be done is to make the image look good on whatever system is being used for the conversion, and then follow the same rules as given for hand-drawn images above. For example, if I have an image that looks good on my SGI workstation when the system gamma is set to 1.7, and I'm looking at the monitor in a bright room, then display_gamma is 2.5/1.7=1.47, viewing_gamma is 1.0, and file_gamma is 1.0/1.47 = 0.68.
File format converters should not attempt to convert supplied images to a different gamma. Store the data in the PNG file without conversion, and record the source gamma if it is known. Gamma alteration at file conversion time is a bad idea because gamma adjustment of digitized data is inherently lossy, due to roundoff error. (8 or so bits is not really enough accuracy.) Thus conversion-time gamma change permanently degrades the image. Worse, if the eventual decoder wants the data with some other gamma, then two conversions occur, each introducing roundoff error. Better to store the data losslessly and incur at most one conversion when the image is finally displayed.
Gamma does not apply to alpha samples; alpha is always represented linearly.
See also Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.5, Decoder gamma handling.
If it is possible for the encoder to determine the chromaticities of the source display primaries, or to make a strong guess based on the origin of the image or the hardware running it, then the encoder is strongly encouraged to output the cHRM chunk. If it does so, the gAMA chunk should also be written; decoders can do little with cHRM if gAMA is missing.
Video created with recent video equipment probably uses the CCIR 709 primaries and D65 white point [ITU-BT709], which are:
R G B White
x 0.640 0.300 0.150 0.3127
y 0.330 0.600 0.060 0.3290
An older but still very popular video standard is SMPTE-C:
R G B White
x 0.630 0.310 0.155 0.3127
y 0.340 0.595 0.070 0.3290
The original NTSC color primaries have not been used in decades.
Although you may still find the NTSC numbers listed in standards
documents, you won't find any images that actually use them.
Scanners that produce PNG files as output should insert the filter chromaticities into a cHRM chunk and the camera_gamma into a gAMA chunk.
In the case of hand-drawn or digitally edited images, you have to determine what monitor they were viewed on when being produced. Many image editing programs allow you to specify what type of monitor you are using. This is often because they are working in some device independent space internally. Such programs have enough information to write valid cHRM and gAMA chunks, and should do so automatically.
If the encoder is compiled as a portion of a computer image renderer that performs full-spectral rendering, the monitor values that were used to convert from the internal device-independent color space to RGB should be written into the cHRM chunk. Any colors that are outside the gamut of the chosen RGB device should be clipped or otherwise constrained to be within the gamut; PNG does not store out of gamut colors.
If the computer image renderer performs calculations directly in device dependent RGB space, a cHRM chunk should not be written unless the scene description and rendering parameters have been adjusted to look good on a particular monitor. In that case, the data for that monitor (if known) should be used to construct a cHRM chunk.
There are often cases where an image's exact origins are unknown, particularly if it began life in some other format. A few image formats store calibration information, which can be used to fill in the cHRM chunk. All PhotoCD files, for example, use the CCIR 709 primaries, D65 whitepoint, and a file_gamma of 0.45; these values can be written into gAMA and cHRM chunks. (PhotoCD can store colors outside the RGB gamut, so the image data will require gamut mapping before writing to PNG format.) TIFF 6.0 files can optionally store calibration information, which if present should be used to construct the cHRM chunk. GIF and most other formats do not store any calibration information.
It is not recommended that file format converters attempt to convert supplied images to a different RGB color space. Store the data in the PNG file without conversion, and record the source primary chromaticities if they are known. Color space transformation at file conversion time is a bad idea because of gamut mismatches and rounding errors. As with gamma conversions, it's better to store the data losslessly and incur at most one conversion when the image is finally displayed.
See also Recommendations for Decoders: Section 10.6, Decoder color handling.
Encoders should keep in mind the possibility that a viewer will ignore transparency control. Hence, the colors assigned to transparent pixels should be reasonable background colors whenever feasible.
For applications that do not require a full alpha channel, or cannot afford the price in compression efficiency, the tRNS transparency chunk is also available.
If the image has a known background color, this color should be written in the bKGD chunk. Even viewers that ignore transparency may use the bKGD color to fill unused screen area.
If the original image has premultiplied (also called "associated") alpha data, convert it to PNG's non-premultiplied format by dividing each sample value by the corresponding alpha value, then multiplying by the maximum value for the image bit depth, and rounding to the nearest integer. In valid premultiplied data, the sample values never exceed their corresponding alpha values, so the result of the division should always be in the range 0 to 1. If the alpha value is zero, output black (zeroes).
If an encoder chooses to provide a suggested palette, it is recommended that a hIST chunk also be written to indicate the relative importance of the palette entries. The histogram values are most easily computed as "nearest neighbor" counts, that is, the approximate usage of each palette entry if no dithering is applied. (These counts will often be available for free as a consequence of developing the suggested palette.)
For images of color type 2 (truecolor without alpha channel), it is recommended that the palette and histogram be computed with reference to the RGB data only, ignoring any transparent-color specification. If the file uses transparency (has a tRNS chunk), viewers can easily adapt the resulting palette for use with their intended background color. They need only replace the palette entry closest to the tRNS color with their background color (which may or may not match the file's bKGD color, if any).
For images of color type 6 (truecolor with alpha channel), it is recommended that a bKGD chunk appear and that the palette and histogram be computed with reference to the image as it would appear after compositing against the specified background color. This definition is necessary to ensure that useful palette entries are generated for pixels having fractional alpha values. The resulting palette will probably only be useful to viewers that present the image against the same background color. It is recommended that PNG editors delete or recompute the palette if they alter or remove the bKGD chunk in an image of color type 6. If PLTE appears without bKGD in an image of color type 6, the circumstances under which the palette was computed are unspecified.
Filter type 0 is also recommended for images of bit depths less than 8. For low-bit-depth grayscale images, it may be a net win to expand the image to 8-bit representation and apply filtering, but this is rare.
For truecolor and grayscale images, any of the five filters may prove the most effective. If an encoder uses a fixed filter, the Paeth filter is most likely to be the best.
For best compression of truecolor and grayscale images, we recommend an adaptive filtering approach in which a filter is chosen for each scanline. The following simple heuristic has performed well in early tests: compute the output scanline using all five filters, and select the filter that gives the smallest sum of absolute values of outputs. (Consider the output bytes as signed differences for this test.) This method usually outperforms any single fixed filter choice. However, it is likely that much better heuristics will be found as more experience is gained with PNG.
Filtering according to these recommendations is effective on interlaced as well as noninterlaced images.
PNG text strings are expected to use the Latin-1 character set. Encoders should avoid storing characters that are not defined in Latin-1, and should provide character code remapping if the local system's character set is not Latin-1.
Encoders should discourage the creation of single lines of text longer than 79 characters, in order to facilitate easy reading.
If an encoder chooses to support output of zTXt compressed text chunks, it is recommended that text less than 1K (1024 bytes) in size be output using uncompressed tEXt chunks. In particular, it is recommended that the basic title and author keywords always be output using uncompressed tEXt chunks. Lengthy disclaimers, on the other hand, are ideal candidates for zTXt.
Placing large tEXt and zTXt chunks after the image data (after IDAT) can speed up image display in some situations, since the decoder won't have to read over the text to get to the image data. But it is recommended that small text chunks, such as the image title, appear before IDAT.
Use an ancillary chunk type (lowercase first letter), not a critical chunk type, for all private chunks that store information that is not absolutely essential to view the image. Creation of private critical chunks is discouraged because they render PNG files unportable. Such chunks should not be used in publicly available software or files. If private critical chunks are essential for your application, it is recommended that one appear near the start of the file, so that a standard decoder need not read very far before discovering that it cannot handle the file.
If you want others outside your organization to understand a chunk type that you invent, contact the maintainers of the PNG specification to submit a proposed chunk name and definition for addition to the list of special-purpose public chunks (see Section 4.4, Additional Chunk Types). Note that a proposed public chunk name (with uppercase second letter) must not be used in publicly available software or files until registration has been approved.
If an ancillary chunk contains textual information that might be of interest to a human user, you should not create a special chunk type for it. Instead use a tEXt chunk and define a suitable keyword. That way, the information will be available to users not using your software.
Keywords in tEXt chunks should be reasonably self-explanatory, since the idea is to let other users figure out what the chunk contains. If of general usefulness, new keywords can be registered with the maintainers of the PNG specification. But it is permissible to use keywords without registering them first.
Unknown chunk types must be handled as described in Section 3.3, Chunk naming conventions. An unknown chunk type is not to be treated as an error unless it is a critical chunk.
It is strongly recommended that decoders verify the CRC on each chunk.
In some situations it is desirable to check chunk headers (length and type code) before reading the chunk data and CRC. The chunk type can be checked for plausibility by seeing whether all four bytes are ASCII letters (codes 65-90 and 97-122); note that this need only be done for unrecognized type codes. If the total file size is known (from file system information, HTTP protocol, etc), the chunk length can be checked for plausibility as well.
If CRCs are not checked, dropped/added data bytes or an erroneous chunk length can cause the decoder to get out of step and misinterpret subsequent data as a chunk header. Verifying that the chunk type contains letters is an inexpensive way of providing early error detection in this situation.
For known-length chunks such as IHDR, decoders should treat an unexpected chunk length as an error. Future extensions to this specification will not add new fields to existing chunks; instead, new chunk types will be added to carry new information.
Unexpected values in fields of known chunks (for example, an unexpected compression method in the IHDR chunk) must be checked for and treated as errors. However, it is recommended that unexpected field values be treated as fatal errors only in critical chunks. An unexpected value in an ancillary chunk can be handled by ignoring the whole chunk as though it were an unknown chunk type. (This recommendation assumes that the chunk's CRC has been verified. In decoders that do not check CRCs, it is safer to treat any unexpected value as indicating a corrupted file.)
Conversely, viewers running on display hardware with non-square pixels are strongly encouraged to rescale images for proper display.
A simple, fast way of doing this is to reduce the image to a fixed palette. Palettes with uniform color spacing ("color cubes") are usually used to minimize the per-pixel computation. For photograph-like images, dithering is recommended to avoid ugly contours in what should be smooth gradients; however, dithering introduces graininess that can be objectionable.
The quality of rendering can be improved substantially by using a palette chosen specifically for the image, since a color cube usually has numerous entries that are unused in any particular image. This approach requires more work, first in choosing the palette, and second in mapping individual pixels to the closest available color. PNG allows the encoder to supply a suggested palette in a PLTE chunk, but not all encoders will do so, and the suggested palette may be unsuitable in any case (it may have too many or too few colors). High-quality viewers will therefore need to have a palette selection routine at hand. A large lookup table is usually the most feasible way of mapping individual pixels to palette entries with adequate speed.
Numerous implementations of color quantization are available. The PNG reference implementation, libpng, includes code for the purpose.
The most accurate scaling is achieved by the linear equation
output = ROUND(input * MAXOUTSAMPLE / MAXINSAMPLE)where
MAXINSAMPLE = (2^bitdepth)-1 MAXOUTSAMPLE = (2^desired_bitdepth)-1A slightly less accurate conversion is achieved by simply shifting right by bitdepth-desired_bitdepth places. For example, to reduce 16-bit samples to 8-bit, one need only discard the low-order byte. In many situations the shift method is sufficiently accurate for display purposes, and it is certainly much faster. (But if gamma correction is being done, sample rescaling can be merged into the gamma correction lookup table, as is illustrated in Section 10.5, Decoder gamma handling.)
When an sBIT chunk is present, the original pre-PNG data can be recovered by shifting right to the bit depth specified by sBIT. Note that linear scaling will not necessarily reproduce the original data, because the encoder is not required to have used linear scaling to scale the data up. However, the encoder is required to have used a method that preserves the high-order bits, so shifting always works. This is the only case in which shifting might be said to be more accurate than linear scaling.
When comparing pixel values to tRNS chunk values to detect transparent pixels, it is necessary to do the comparison exactly. Therefore, transparent pixel detection must be done before reducing sample precision.
To produce correct tone reproduction, a good image display program must take into account the gammas of the image file and the display device, as well as the viewing_gamma appropriate to the lighting conditions near the display. This can be done by calculating
gbright := sampleval / MAXSAMPLEVAL bright := gbright ^ (1.0 / file_gamma) gcvideo := bright ^ (viewing_gamma / display_gamma) fbval := ROUND(gcvideo * MAXFBVAL)where MAXSAMPLEVAL is the maximum sample value in the file (255 for 8-bit, 65535 for 16-bit, etc), MAXFBVAL is the maximum value of a frame buffer sample (255 for 8-bit, 31 for 5-bit, etc), sampleval is the value of the sample in the PNG file, and fbval is the value to write into the frame buffer. The first line converts from integer samples into a normalized 0 to 1 floating point value, the second undoes the encoding of the image file to produce a linear brightness value, the third line corrects for the viewing conditions and the monitor's gamma value, and the fourth converts to an integer frame buffer sample. In practice the second and third lines can be merged into
gcvideo := gbright^(viewing_gamma / (file_gamma*display_gamma))so as to perform only one power calculation. For color images, the entire calculation is performed separately for R, G, and B values.
It is not necessary to perform transcendental math for every pixel! Instead, compute a lookup table that gives the correct output value for every possible sample value. This requires only 256 calculations per image (for 8-bit accuracy), not one or three calculations per pixel. For an indexed-color image, a one-time correction of the palette is sufficient, unless the image uses transparency and is being displayed against a nonuniform background.
In some cases even computing a gamma lookup table may be a concern. In these cases, viewers are encouraged to have precomputed gamma correction tables for file_gamma values of 1.0 and 0.45 and some reasonable choice of viewing_gamma and display_gamma, and to use the table closest to the gamma indicated in the file. This will produce acceptable results for the majority of real files.
When the incoming image has unknown gamma (no gAMA chunk), choose a likely default file_gamma value, but allow the user to select a new one if the result proves too dark or too light.
In practice, it is often difficult to determine what value of display_gamma should be used. In systems with no built-in gamma correction, the display_gamma is determined entirely by the CRT. Assuming a CRT_gamma of 2.5 is recommended, unless you have detailed calibration measurements of this particular CRT available.
However, many modern frame buffers have lookup tables that are used to perform gamma correction, and on these systems the display_gamma value should be the gamma of the lookup table and CRT combined. You may not be able to find out what the lookup table contains from within an image viewer application, so you may have to ask the user what the system's gamma value is. Unfortunately, different manufacturers use different ways of specifying what should go into the lookup table, so interpretation of the system gamma value is system-dependent. Chapter 13, Gamma Tutorial gives some examples.
The response of real displays is actually more complex than can be described by a single number (display_gamma). If actual measurements of the monitor's light output as a function of voltage input are available, the third and fourth lines of the computation above can be replaced by a lookup in these measurements, to find the actual frame buffer value that most nearly gives the desired brightness.
The value of viewing_gamma depends on lighting conditions; see Chapter 13, Gamma Tutorial for more detail. Ideally, a viewer would allow the user to specify viewing_gamma, either directly numerically, or via selecting from "bright surround", "dim surround", and "dark surround" conditions. Viewers that don't want to do this should just assume a value for viewing_gamma of 1.0, since most computer displays live in brightly-lit rooms.
In many cases, decoders will treat image data in PNG files as device-dependent RGB data and display it without modification (except for appropriate gamma correction). This provides the fastest display of PNG images. But unless the viewer uses exactly the same display hardware as the original image author used, the colors will not be exactly the same as the original author saw, particularly for darker or near-neutral colors. The cHRM chunk provides information that allows closer color matching than that provided by gamma correction alone.
Decoders can use the cHRM data to transform the image data from RGB to XYZ and thence into a perceptually linear color space such as CIE LAB. They can then partition the colors to generate an optimal palette, because the geometric distance between two colors in CIE LAB is strongly related to how different those colors appear (unlike, for example, RGB or XYZ spaces). The resulting palette of colors, once transformed back into RGB color space, could then be written to a PLTE chunk.
Decoders that are part of image processing applications might also transform image data into CIE LAB space for analysis.
In applications where color fidelity is critical, such as product design, scientific visualization, medicine, architecture or advertising, decoders can transform the image data from source_RGB to the display_RGB space of the monitor used to view the image. This involves calculating the matrix to go from source_RGB to XYZ and the matrix to go from XYZ to display_RGB, then combining them to produce the overall transformation. The decoder is responsible for implementing gamut mapping.
Decoders running on platforms that have a Color Management System (CMS) can pass the image data, gAMA and cHRM values to the CMS for display or further processing.
Decoders that provide color printing facilities can use the facilities in Level 2 PostScript to specify image data in calibrated RGB space or in a device independent color space such as XYZ. This will provide better color fidelity than a simple RGB to CMYK conversion. The PostScript Language Reference manual gives examples of this process [POSTSCRIPT]. Such decoders are responsible for implementing gamut mapping between source_RGB (specified in the cHRM chunk) and the target printer. The PostScript interpreter is then responsible for producing the required colors.
Decoders can use the cHRM data to calculate a grayscale representation of a color image. Conversion from RGB to gray is simply a case of calculating the Y (luminance) component of XYZ, which is a weighted sum of the R G and B values. The weights depend on the monitor type, ie the values in the cHRM chunk. Decoders may wish to do this for PNG files with no cHRM chunk. In that case, a reasonable default would be the CCIR 709 primaries [ITU-BT709]. Do not use the NTSC primaries, unless you really do have an image color-balanced for such a monitor! Few monitors still use the NTSC primaries, so such images are very rare these days.
Viewers that have a specific background against which to present the image will ignore the bKGD chunk, in effect overriding bKGD with their preferred background color or background image.
The background color given by bKGD is not to be considered transparent, even if it happens to match the color given by tRNS (or, in the case of an indexed-color image, refers to a palette index that is marked as transparent by tRNS). Otherwise one would have to imagine something "behind the background" to composite against. The background color is either used as background or ignored; it is not an intermediate layer between the PNG image and some other background.
Indeed, it will be common that bKGD and tRNS specify the same color, since then a decoder that does not implement transparency processing will give the intended display, at least when no partially-transparent pixels are present.
The equation for computing a composited sample value is
output := alpha * foreground + (1-alpha) * backgroundwhere alpha and the input and output sample values are expressed as fractions in the range 0 to 1. This computation should be performed with linear (non-gamma-corrected) sample values. For color images, the computation is done separately for R, G, and B samples.
The following code illustrates the general case of compositing a foreground image over a background image. It assumes that you have the original pixel data available for the background image, and that output is to a frame buffer for display. Other variants are possible; see the comments below the code. The code allows the bit depths and gamma values of foreground image, background image, and frame buffer/CRT to all be different. Don't assume they are the same without checking!
This code is standard C, with line numbers added for reference in the comments below.
01 int foreground[4]; /* file pixel: R, G, B, A */
02 int background[3]; /* file background color: R, G, B */
03 int fbpix[3]; /* frame buffer pixel */
04 int fg_maxsample; /* foreground max sample */
05 int bg_maxsample; /* background max sample */
06 int fb_maxsample; /* frame buffer max sample */
07 int ialpha;
08 float alpha, compalpha;
09 float gamfg, linfg, gambg, linbg, comppix, gcvideo;
/* Get max sample value in files and frame buffer */
10 fg_maxsample = (1 << fg_bit_depth) - 1;
11 bg_maxsample = (1 << bg_bit_depth) - 1;
12 fb_maxsample = (1 << frame_buffer_bit_depth) - 1;
/*
* Get integer version of alpha.
* Check for opaque and transparent special cases;
* no compositing needed if so.
*
* We show the whole gamma decode/correct process in
* floating point, but it would more likely be done
* with lookup tables.
*/
13 ialpha = foreground[3];
14 if (ialpha == 0) {
/*
* Foreground image is transparent here.
* If the background image is already in the frame
* buffer, there is nothing to do.
*/
15 ;
16 } else if (ialpha == fg_maxsample) {
17 for (i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
18 gamfg = (float) foreground[i] / fg_maxsample;
19 linfg = pow(gamfg, 1.0/fg_gamma);
20 comppix = linfg;
21 gcvideo = pow(comppix,viewing_gamma/display_gamma);
22 fbpix[i] = (int) (gcvideo * fb_maxsample + 0.5);
23 }
24 } else {
/*
* Compositing is necessary.
* Get floating-point alpha and its complement.
* Note: alpha is always linear; gamma does not
* affect it.
*/
25 alpha = (float) ialpha / fg_maxsample;
26 compalpha = 1.0 - alpha;
27 for (i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
/*
* Convert foreground and background to floating
* point, then linearize (undo gamma encoding).
*/
28 gamfg = (float) foreground[i] / fg_maxsample;
29 linfg = pow(gamfg, 1.0/fg_gamma);
30 gambg = (float) background[i] / bg_maxsample;
31 linbg = pow(gambg, 1.0/bg_gamma);
/*
* Composite.
*/
32 comppix = linfg * alpha + linbg * compalpha;
/*
* Gamma correct for display.
* Convert to integer frame buffer pixel.
*/
33 gcvideo = pow(comppix,viewing_gamma/display_gamma);
34 fbpix[i] = (int) (gcvideo * fb_maxsample + 0.5);
35 }
36 }
Variations:
/*
* Gamma encode for storage in output file.
* Convert to integer sample value.
*/
gamout = pow(comppix, outfile_gamma);
outpix[i] = (int) (gamout * out_maxsample + 0.5);
Also, it becomes necessary to process background pixels when alpha
is zero, rather than just skipping pixels. Thus, line 15 must be
replaced by copies of lines 18-22, but processing background instead
of foreground pixel values.
/*
* Decode frame buffer value back into linear space.
*/
gcvideo = (float) (fbpix[i] / fb_maxsample);
linbg = pow(gcvideo, display_gamma / viewing_gamma);
However, some roundoff error can result, so it is better to have the
original background pixels available if at all possible.
Note: in floating point, no overflow or underflow checks are needed, because the input sample values are guaranteed to be between 0 and 1, and compositing always yields a result that is in between the input values (inclusive). With integer arithmetic, some roundoff-error analysis might be needed to guarantee no overflow or underflow.
When displaying a PNG image with full alpha channel, it is important to be able to composite the image against some background, even if it's only black. Ignoring the alpha channel will cause PNG images that have been converted from an associated-alpha representation to look wrong. (Of course, if the alpha channel is a separate transparency mask, then ignoring alpha is a useful option: it allows the hidden parts of the image to be recovered.)
Even if the decoder author does not wish to implement true compositing logic, it is simple to deal with images that contain only zero and one alpha values. (This is implicitly true for grayscale and truecolor PNG files that use a tRNS chunk; for indexed-color PNG images, it is easy to check whether tRNS contains any values other than 0 and 255.) In this simple case, transparent pixels are replaced by the background color, while others are unchanged. If a decoder contains only this much transparency capability, it should deal with a full alpha channel by treating all nonzero alpha values as fully opaque; that is, do not replace partially transparent pixels by the background. This approach will not yield very good results for images converted from associated-alpha formats, but it's better than doing nothing.
Starting_Row [1..7] = { 0, 0, 4, 0, 2, 0, 1 }
Starting_Col [1..7] = { 0, 4, 0, 2, 0, 1, 0 }
Row_Increment [1..7] = { 8, 8, 8, 4, 4, 2, 2 }
Col_Increment [1..7] = { 8, 8, 4, 4, 2, 2, 1 }
Block_Height [1..7] = { 8, 8, 4, 4, 2, 2, 1 }
Block_Width [1..7] = { 8, 4, 4, 2, 2, 1, 1 }
pass := 1
while pass <= 7
begin
row := Starting_Row[pass]
while row < height
begin
col := Starting_Col[pass]
while col < width
begin
visit (row, col,
min (Block_Height[pass], height - row),
min (Block_Width[pass], width - col))
col := col + Col_Increment[pass]
end
row := row + Row_Increment[pass]
end
pass := pass + 1
end
Here, the function "visit(row,column,height,width)" obtains the next
transmitted pixel and paints a rectangle of the specified height and
width, whose upper-left corner is at the specified row and column,
using the color indicated by the pixel.
Note that row and column are measured from 0,0 at the upper left corner.
If the decoder is merging the received image with a background image, it may be more convenient just to paint the received pixel positions; that is, the "visit()" function sets only the pixel at the specified row and column, not the whole rectangle. This produces a "fade-in" effect as the new image gradually replaces the old. An advantage of this approach is that proper alpha or transparency processing can be done as each pixel is replaced. Painting a rectangle as described above will overwrite background-image pixels that may be needed later, if the pixels eventually received for those positions turn out to be wholly or partially transparent. Of course, this is only a problem if the background image is not stored anywhere offscreen.
If the image has a tRNS chunk, the viewer will need to adapt the suggested palette for use with its desired background color. To do this, replace the palette entry closest to the tRNS color with the desired background color; or just add a palette entry for the background color, if the viewer can handle more colors than there are PLTE entries.
For images of color type 6 (truecolor with alpha channel), any suggested palette should have been designed for display of the image against a uniform background of the color specified by bKGD. Viewers should probably ignore the palette if they intend to use a different background, or if the bKGD chunk is missing. Viewers can use a suggested palette for display against a different background than it was intended for, but the results may not be very good.
If the viewer presents a transparent truecolor image against a background that is more complex than a single color, it is unlikely that the suggested palette will be optimal for the composite image. In this case it is best to perform a truecolor compositing step on the truecolor PNG image and background image, then color-quantize the resulting image.
The histogram chunk is useful when the viewer cannot provide as many colors as are used in the image's palette. If the viewer is only short a few colors, it is usually adequate to drop the least-used colors from the palette. To reduce the number of colors substantially, it's best to choose entirely new representative colors, rather than trying to use a subset of the existing palette. This amounts to performing a new color quantization step; however, the existing palette and histogram can be used as the input data, thus avoiding a scan of the image data.
If no palette or histogram chunk is provided, a decoder can develop its own, at the cost of an extra pass over the image data. Alternatively, a default palette (probably a color cube) can be used.
See also Recommendations for Encoders: Section 9.5, Suggested palettes.
PNG text is not supposed to contain any characters outside the ISO 8859-1 "Latin-1" character set (that is, no codes 0-31 or 127-159), except for the newline character (decimal 10). But decoders might encounter such characters anyway. Some of these characters can be safely displayed (e.g., TAB, FF, and CR, decimal 9, 12, and 13, respectively), but others, especially the ESC character (decimal 27), could pose a security hazard because unexpected actions may be taken by display hardware or software. To prevent such hazards, decoders should not attempt to directly display any non-Latin-1 characters (except for newline and perhaps TAB, FF, CR) encountered in a tEXt or zTXt chunk. Instead, ignore them or display them in a visible notation such as "\nnn". See Section 8.5, Security considerations.
Even though encoders are supposed to represent newlines as LF, it is recommended that decoders not rely on this; it's best to recognize all the common newline combinations (CR, LF, and CR-LF) and display each as a single newline. TAB can be expanded to the proper number of spaces needed to arrive at a column multiple of 8.
Decoders running on systems with non-Latin-1 character set encoding should provide character code remapping so that Latin-1 characters are displayed correctly. Some systems may not provide all the characters defined in Latin-1. Mapping unavailable characters to a visible notation such as "\nnn" is a good fallback. In particular, character codes 127-255 should be displayed only if they are printable characters on the decoding system. Some systems may interpret such codes as control characters; for security, decoders running on such systems should not display such characters literally.
Decoders should be prepared to display text chunks that contain any number of printing characters between newline characters, even though encoders are encouraged to avoid creating lines in excess of 79 characters.
output = input ^ gammawhere both input and output are scaled to a zero to one range.
This appendix gives the reasoning behind some of the design decisions in PNG. Many of these decisions were the subject of considerable debate. The authors freely admit that another group might have made different decisions; however, we believe that our choices are defensible and consistent.
We have also addressed some of the widely known shortcomings of GIF. In particular, PNG supports truecolor images. We know of no widely used image format that losslessly compresses truecolor images as effectively as PNG does. We hope that PNG will make use of truecolor images more practical and widespread.
Some form of transparency control is desirable for applications in which images are displayed against a background or together with other images. GIF provided a simple transparent-color specification for this purpose. PNG supports a full alpha channel as well as transparent-color specifications. This allows both highly flexible transparency and compression efficiency.
Robustness against transmission errors has been an important consideration. For example, images transferred across Internet are often mistakenly processed as text, leading to file corruption. PNG is designed so that such errors can be detected quickly and reliably.
PNG has been expressly designed not to be completely dependent on a single compression technique. Although deflate/inflate compression is mentioned in this document, PNG would still exist without it.
Basic PNG also does not support multiple images in one file. This restriction is a reflection of the reality that many applications do not need and will not support multiple images per file. (While the GIF standard nominally allows multiple images per file, few applications actually support it.) In any case, single images are a fundamentally different sort of object from sequences of images. Rather than make false promises of interchangeability, we have drawn a clear distinction between single-image and multi-image formats. PNG is a single-image format.
GIF is no longer suitable as a universal standard because of legal entanglements. Although just replacing GIF's compression method would avoid that problem, GIF does not support truecolor images, alpha channels, or gamma correction. The spec has more subtle problems too. Only a small subset of the GIF89 spec is actually portable across a variety of implementations, but there is no codification of the most portable part of the spec.
TIFF is far too complex to meet our goals of simplicity and interchangeability. Defining a TIFF subset would meet that objection, but would frustrate users making the reasonable assumption that a file saved as TIFF from Software XYZ would load into a program supporting our flavor of TIFF. Furthermore, TIFF is not designed for stream processing, has no provision for progressive display, and does not currently provide any good, legally unencumbered, lossless compression method.
IFF has also been suggested, but is not suitable in detail: available image representations are too machine-specific or not adequately compressed. The overall chunk structure of IFF is a useful concept that PNG has liberally borrowed from, but we did not attempt to be bit-for-bit compatible with IFF chunk structure. Again this is due to detailed issues, notably the fact that IFF FORMs are not designed to be serially writable.
Lossless JPEG is not suitable because it does not provide for the storage of indexed-color images. Furthermore, its lossless truecolor compression is often inferior to that of PNG.
In practice, image gamma values around 1.0 and around 0.45 are both widely found. Older image standards such as GIF often do not account for this fact. The JFIF standard specifies that images in that format should use linear samples, but many JFIF images found on Usenet actually have a gamma somewhere near 0.4 or 0.5. The variety of images found and the variety of systems that people display them on have led to widespread problems with images coming out "too dark" or "too light".
PNG expects viewers to compensate for image gamma at the time that the image is displayed. Another possible approach is to expect encoders to convert all images to a uniform gamma at encoding time. While that method would speed viewers slightly, it has fundamental flaws:
See Chapter 13, Gamma Tutorial for more information.
Some image rendering techniques generate images with premultiplied alpha (the alpha value actually represents how much of the pixel is covered by the image). This representation can be converted to PNG by dividing the sample values by alpha, except where alpha is zero. The result will look good if displayed by a viewer that handles alpha properly, but will not look very good if the viewer ignores the alpha channel.
Although each form of alpha storage has its advantages, we did not want to require all PNG viewers to handle both forms. We standardized on non-premultiplied alpha as being the lossless and more general case.
The filter algorithms are defined to operate on bytes, rather than pixels; this gains simplicity and speed with very little cost in compression performance. Tests have shown that filtering is usually ineffective for images with fewer than 8 bits per sample, so providing pixelwise filtering for such images would be pointless. For 16 bit/sample data, bytewise filtering is nearly as effective as pixelwise filtering, because MSBs are predicted from adjacent MSBs, and LSBs are predicted from adjacent LSBs.
The encoder is allowed to change filters for each new scanline. This creates no additional complexity for decoders, since a decoder is required to contain defiltering logic for every filter type anyway. The only cost is an extra byte per scanline in the pre-compression datastream. Our tests showed that when the same filter is selected for all scanlines, this extra byte compresses away to almost nothing, so there is little storage cost compared to a fixed filter specified for the whole image. And the potential benefits of adaptive filtering are too great to ignore. Even with the simplistic filter-choice heuristics so far discovered, adaptive filtering usually outperforms fixed filters. In particular, an adaptive filter can change behavior for successive passes of an interlaced image; a fixed filter cannot.
The ISO 8859-1 (Latin-1) character set was chosen as a compromise between functionality and portability. Some platforms cannot display anything more than 7-bit ASCII characters, while others can handle characters beyond the Latin-1 set. We felt that Latin-1 represents a widely useful and reasonably portable character set. Latin-1 is a direct subset of character sets commonly used on popular platforms such as Microsoft Windows and X Windows. It can also be handled on Macintosh systems with a simple remapping of characters.
There is presently no provision for text employing character sets other than Latin-1. We recognize that the need for other character sets will increase. However, PNG already requires that programmers implement a number of new and unfamiliar features, and text representation is not PNG's primary purpose. Since PNG provides for the creation and public registration of new ancillary chunks of general interest, we expect that text chunks for other character sets, such as Unicode, eventually will be registered and increase gradually in popularity.
(decimal) 137 80 78 71 13 10 26 10 (hexadecimal) 89 50 4e 47 0d 0a 1a 0a (ASCII C notation) \211 P N G \r \n \032 \n
This signature both identifies the file as a PNG file and provides for immediate detection of common file-transfer problems. The first two bytes distinguish PNG files on systems that expect the first two bytes to identify the file type uniquely. The first byte is chosen as a non-ASCII value to reduce the probability that a text file may be misrecognized as a PNG file; also, it catches bad file transfers that clear bit 7. Bytes two through four name the format. The CR-LF sequence catches bad file transfers that alter newline sequences. The control-Z character stops file display under MS-DOS. The final line feed checks for the inverse of the CR-LF translation problem.
A decoder may further verify that the next eight bytes contain an IHDR chunk header with the correct chunk length; this will catch bad transfers that drop or alter null (zero) bytes.
Note that there is no version number in the signature, nor indeed anywhere in the file. This is intentional: the chunk mechanism provides a better, more flexible way to handle format extensions, as is described below.
Limiting chunk length to (2^31)-1 bytes avoids possible problems for implementations that cannot conveniently handle 4-byte unsigned values. In practice, chunks will usually be much shorter than that anyway.
A separate CRC is provided for each chunk in order to detect badly-transferred images as quickly as possible. In particular, critical data such as the image dimensions can be validated before being used. The chunk length is excluded in order to permit CRC calculation while data is generated (possibly before the length is known, in the case of variable-length chunks); this may avoid an extra pass over the data. Excluding the length from the CRC does not create any extra risk of failing to discover file corruption, since if the length is wrong, the CRC check will fail: the CRC will be computed on the wrong set of bytes and then be tested against the wrong value from the file.
A hypothetical chunk for vector graphics would be a critical chunk, since if ignored, important parts of the intended image would be missing. A chunk carrying the Mandelbrot set coordinates for a fractal image would be ancillary, since other applications could display the image without understanding what the image represents. In general, a chunk type should be made critical only if it is impossible to display a reasonable representation of the intended image without interpreting that chunk.
The public/private property bit ensures that any newly defined public chunk type name cannot conflict with proprietary chunks that could be in use somewhere. However, this does not protect users of private chunk names from the possibility that someone else may use the same chunk name for a different purpose. It is a good idea to put additional identifying information at the start of the data for any private chunk type.
When a PNG file is modified, certain ancillary chunks may need to be changed to reflect changes in other chunks. For example, a histogram chunk needs to be changed if the image data changes. If the file editor does not recognize histogram chunks, copying them blindly to a new output file is incorrect; such chunks should be dropped. The safe/unsafe property bit allows ancillary chunks to be marked appropriately.
Not all possible modification scenarios are covered by the safe/unsafe semantics. In particular, chunks that are dependent on the total file contents are not supported. (An example of such a chunk is an index of IDAT chunk locations within the file: adding a comment chunk would inadvertently break the index.) Definition of such chunks is discouraged. If absolutely necessary for a particular application, such chunks can be made critical chunks, with consequent loss of portability to other applications. In general, ancillary chunks can depend on critical chunks but not on other ancillary chunks. It is expected that mutually dependent information should be put into a single chunk.
In some situations it may be unavoidable to make one ancillary chunk dependent on another. Although the chunk property bits are insufficient to represent this case, a simple solution is available: in the dependent chunk, record the CRC of the chunk depended on. It can then be determined whether that chunk has been changed by some other program.
The same technique can be useful for other purposes. For example, if a program relies on the palette being in a particular order, it can store a private chunk containing the CRC of the PLTE chunk. If this value matches when the file is again read in, then it provides high confidence that the palette has not been tampered with. Note that it is not necessary to mark the private chunk unsafe-to-copy when this technique is used; thus, such a private chunk can survive other editing of the file.
Other image formats have usually addressed this problem by specifying that the palette entries should appear in order of frequency of use. That is an inferior solution, because it doesn't give the viewer nearly as much information: the viewer can't determine how much damage will be done by dropping the last few colors. Nor does a sorted palette give enough information to choose a target palette for dithering, in the case that the viewer must reduce the number of colors substantially. A palette histogram provides the information needed to choose such a target palette without making a pass over the image data.
It would be convenient for graphics programmers if all of the components of an imaging system were linear. The voltage coming from an electronic camera would be directly proportional to the intensity (power) of light in the scene, the light emitted by a CRT would be directly proportional to its input voltage, and so on. However, real-world devices do not behave in this way. All CRT displays, almost all photographic film, and many electronic cameras have nonlinear signal-to-light-intensity or intensity-to-signal characteristics.
Fortunately, it turns out that all of these nonlinear devices have a transfer function that is approximated fairly well by a single type of mathematical function: a power function. This power function has the general equation
output = input ^ gammawhere ^ denotes exponentiation, and "gamma" (often printed using the Greek letter gamma, thus the name) is simply the exponent of the power function.
By convention, "input" and "output" are both scaled to the range 0..1, with 0 representing black and 1 representing maximum white (or red, etc). Normalized in this way, the power function is completely described by a single number, the exponent "gamma".
So, given a particular device, we can measure its output as a function of its input, fit a power function to this measured transfer function, extract the exponent, and call it gamma. We often say "this device has a gamma of 2.5" as a shorthand for "this device has a power-law response with an exponent of 2.5". We can also talk about the gamma of a mathematical transform, or of a lookup table in a frame buffer, so long as the input and output of the thing are related by the power-law expression above.
Also, stages that are linear pose no problem, since a power function with an exponent of 1.0 is really a linear function. So a linear transfer function is just a special case of a power function, with a gamma of 1.0.
Thus, as long as our imaging system contains only stages with linear and power-law transfer functions, we can meaningfully talk about the gamma of the entire system. It turns out that most real imaging systems use power-law transfer functions all the way through, so this is most convenient.
When the reproduced image is to be viewed in "bright surround" conditions, where other white objects nearby in the room have about the same brightness as white in the image, then an overall gamma of 1.0 does indeed give real-looking reproduction of a natural scene. Photographic prints viewed under room light and computer displays in bright room light are typical "bright surround" viewing conditions.
However, sometimes images are intended to be viewed in "dark surround" conditions, where the room is substantially black except for the image. This is typical of the way movies and slides (transparencies) are viewed by projection. Under these circumstances, an accurate reproduction of the original scene results in an image that human viewers judge as "flat" and lacking in contrast. It turns out that the projected image needs to have a gamma of about 1.5 relative to the original scene for viewers to judge it "natural". Thus, slide film is designed to have a gamma of about 1.5, not 1.0.
There is also an intermediate condition called "dim surround", where the rest of the room is still visible to the viewer, but it is noticeably darker than the reproduced image itself. This is typical of television viewing, at least in the evening, as well as subdued-light computer work areas. In dim surround conditions, the reproduced image needs to have a gamma of 1.15-1.25 relative to the original scene in order to look natural.
The requirement for boosted contrast (gamma) in dark surround conditions is due to the way the human visual system works, and applies equally well to computer monitors. Thus, a PNG viewer trying to achieve the maximum realism for the images it displays really needs to know what the room lighting conditions are, and adjust the gamma of the displayed image accordingly.
If asking the user about room lighting conditions is inappropriate or too difficult, just assume that the overall gamma (viewing_gamma as defined below) should be 1.0 or 1.15. That's all that most systems that implement gamma correction do.
An exception to this rule is fancy "calibrated" CRTs that have internal electronics to alter their transfer function. If you have one of these, you probably should believe what the manufacturer tells you its gamma is. But in all other cases, assuming 2.5 is likely to be pretty accurate.
There are various images around that purport to measure gamma, usually
by comparing the intensity of an area containing alternating white and
black with a series of areas of continuous gray of different intensity.
These are usually not reliable. Test images that use a "checkerboard"
pattern of black and white are the worst, because a single white pixel
will be reproduced considerably darker than a large area of white.
An image that uses alternating black and white horizontal lines (such as
the "gamma.png" test image at
ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/png/images/suite/gamma.png)
is much better, but even it may be inaccurate at high "picture"
settings on some CRTs.
Because of the difficulty of measuring gamma, you're generally better off just assuming it's 2.5 rather than trying to measure it. (Unless you have a good photometer and the patience to make multiple measurements and fit a power function to them.)
In video systems, gamma correction is done in the camera. This goes back to the days when television was all analog. The camera has a transfer characteristic with a gamma of 0.45. Combined with the CRT gamma of 2.5, the image on screen ends up with a gamma of 1.15 relative to the original scene, which is appropriate for "dim surround" viewing.
These days, video signals are often digitized and stored in computer frame buffers. This works fine, but remember that the gamma correction is "built into" the video signal, and so the digitized video has a gamma of 0.45 relative to the original scene.
Computer rendering programs often produce linear samples. To display these correctly, intensity on the CRT must be directly proportional to the sample values in the frame buffer. This can be done with a special hardware lookup table between the frame buffer and the CRT hardware. The lookup table (often called LUT) is loaded with a mapping that implements a power function with a gamma of 0.45, thus providing "gamma correction" for the CRT gamma.
Thus, gamma correction sometimes happens before the frame buffer, sometimes after. As long as images created in a particular environment are always displayed in that environment, everything is fine. But when people try to exchange images, differences in gamma correction conventions often results in images that seem far too bright and washed out, or far too dark and contrasty.
In an ideal world, sample values would be stored in floating point, there would be lots of precision, and it wouldn't really matter much. But in reality, we're always trying to store images in as few bits as we can.
If we decide to use samples that are linearly proportional to intensity, and do the gamma correction in the frame buffer LUT, it turns out that we need to use at least 12 bits for each of red, green, and blue to have enough precision in intensity. With any less than that, we will sometimes see "contour bands" or "Mach bands" in the darker areas of the image, where two adjacent sample values are still far enough apart in intensity for the difference to be visible.
However, through an interesting coincidence, the human eye's subjective perception of brightness is related to the physical stimulation of light intensity in a manner that is very much like the power function used for gamma correction. If we apply gamma correction to measured (or calculated) light intensity before quantizing to an integer for storage in a frame buffer, it turns out we can get away with using many fewer bits to store the image. In fact, 8 bits per color is almost always sufficient to avoid contouring artifacts. This is because, since gamma correction is so closely related to human perception, we are assigning our 256 available sample codes to intensity values in a manner that approximates how visible those intensity changes are to the eye. Compared to a linear-sample image, we allocate fewer sample values to brighter parts of the tonal range and more sample values to the darker portions of the tonal range.
Thus, for the same apparent image quality, images using gamma-corrected sample values need only about two-thirds as many bits of storage as images using linear samples.
file_gamma = camera_gamma * encoding_gamma
display_gamma = LUT_gamma * CRT_gamma
When displaying an image file, the image decoding program is responsible for making the overall gamma of the system equal to the desired viewing_gamma, by selecting the decoding_gamma appropriately. When displaying a PNG file, the gAMA chunk provides the file_gamma value. The display_gamma may be known for this machine, or it might be obtained from the system software, or the user might have to be asked what it is. The correct viewing_gamma depends on lighting conditions, and that will generally have to come from the user.
Ultimately, you should have
file_gamma * decoding_gamma * display_gamma = viewing_gamma
On frame buffers that have hardware gamma correction tables, and that are calibrated to display linear samples correctly, display_gamma is 1.0.
Many workstations and X terminals and PC displays lack gamma correction lookup tables. Here, assume that display_gamma is 2.5.
On the Macintosh, there is a LUT. By default, it is loaded with a table whose gamma is about 0.72, giving a display_gamma (LUT and CRT combined) of about 1.8. Some Macs have a "gamma" control panel that allows gamma to be changed to 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.8, or 2.2. These settings load alternate LUTs that are designed to give a display_gamma that is equal to the label on the selected button. Thus, the "gamma" control panel setting can be used directly as display_gamma in decoder calculations.
On recent SGI systems, there is a hardware gamma-correction table whose contents are controlled by the (privileged) "gamma" program. The gamma of the table is actually the reciprocal of the number that "gamma" prints, and it does not include the CRT gamma. To obtain the display_gamma, you need to find the SGI system gamma (either by looking in a file, or asking the user) and then calculating
display_gamma = 2.5 / SGI_system_gammaYou will find SGI systems with the system gamma set to 1.0 and 2.2 (or higher), but the default when machines are shipped is 1.7.
Note that displaying an image with incorrect gamma will produce much larger color errors than failing to use the chromaticity data. First be sure the monitor set-up and gamma correction are right, then worry about chromaticity.
In XYZ, X is the sum of a weighted power distribution over the whole visible spectrum. So are Y and Z, each with different weights. Thus any arbitrary spectral power distribution is condensed down to just three floating point numbers. The weights were derived from color matching experiments done on human subjects in the 1920s. CIE XYZ has been an International Standard since 1931, and it has a number of useful properties:
Color models based on XYZ have been used for many years by people who need accurate control of color --- lighting engineers for film and TV, paint and dyestuffs manufacturers, and so on. They are thus proven in industrial use. Accurate, device independent color started to spread from high-end, specialized areas into the mainstream during the late 1980s and early 1990s, and PNG takes notice of that trend.
So why does PNG not store images in XYZ instead of RGB? Well, two reasons. Firstly, storing images in XYZ would require more bits of precision, which would make the files bigger. Secondly, all programs would have to convert the image data before viewing it. Whether calibrated or not, all variants of RGB are close enough that undemanding viewers can get by with simply displaying the data without color correction. By storing calibrated RGB, PNG retains compatibility with existing programs that expect RGB data, yet provides enough information for conversion to XYZ in applications that need precise colors. Thus, we get the best of both worlds.
x = X / (X + Y + Z)
y = Y / (X + Y + Z)
XYZ colors having the same chromaticity values will appear to have the same hue, but can vary in absolute brightness. Notice that x,y are dimensionless ratios, so they have the same values no matter what units we've used for X,Y,Z.
The Y value of an XYZ color is directly proportional to its absolute brightness, and is called the luminance of the color. We can describe a color either by XYZ coordinates or by chromaticity x,y plus luminance Y. The XYZ form has the advantage that it is linearly related to (linear, gamma=1.0) RGB color spaces.
It's customary to specify monitor colors by giving the chromaticities of the individual phosphors R, G, and B, plus the white point. The white point allows one to infer the relative brightnesses of the three phosphors, which isn't determined by their chromaticities alone.
Note that the absolute brightness of the monitor is not specified. For computer graphics work, we generally don't care very much about absolute brightness levels. Instead of dealing with absolute XYZ values (in which X,Y,Z are expressed in physical units of radiated power, such as candelas per square meter), it is convenient to work in "relative XYZ" units, where the monitor's nominal white is taken to have a luminance (Y) of 1.0. Given this assumption, it's simple to compute XYZ coordinates for the monitor's white, red, green, and blue from their chromaticity values.
Why does cHRM use x,y rather than XYZ? Simply because that is how manufacturers print the information in their spec sheets! Usually, the first thing a program will do is convert the cHRM chromaticities into relative XYZ space.
Xr Xg Xb
m = Yr Yg Yb
Zr Zg Zb
Here we assume we are working with linear RGB floating point
data in the range 0..1. If the gamma is not 1.0, make it so on the
floating point data. Then convert source_RGB to XYZ by matrix
multiplication:
X R
Y = m G
Z B
In other words, X = Xr*R + Xg*G + Xb*B, and similarly
for Y and Z. You can go the other way too:
R X
G = im Y
B Z
where im is the inverse of the matrix m.
Different devices have different gamuts, in other words one device will be able to display certain colors (usually highly saturated ones) that another device cannot. The gamut of a particular RGB device can be determined from its R, G, and B chromaticities and white point (the same values given in the cHRM chunk). The gamut of a color printer is more complex and can only be determined by measurement. However, printer gamuts are typically smaller than monitor gamuts, meaning that there can be many colors in a displayable image that cannot physically be printed.
Converting image data from one device to another generally results in gamut mismatches --- colors that cannot be exactly represented on the destination device. The process of making the colors fit, which can range from a simple clip to elaborate nonlinear scaling transformations, is termed gamut mapping. The aim is to produce a reasonable visual representation of the original image.
The sample code is in the ANSI C programming language. Non C users may find it easier to read with these hints:
/* Table of CRCs of all 8-bit messages. */
unsigned long crc_table[256];
/* Flag: has the table been computed? Initially false. */
int crc_table_computed = 0;
/* Make the table for a fast CRC. */
void make_crc_table(void)
{
unsigned long c;
int n, k;
for (n = 0; n < 256; n++) {
c = (unsigned long) n;
for (k = 0; k < 8; k++) {
if (c & 1)
c = 0xedb88320L ^ (c >> 1);
else
c = c >> 1;
}
crc_table[n] = c;
}
crc_table_computed = 1;
}
/* Update a running CRC with the bytes buf[0..len-1]--the CRC
should be initialized to all 1's, and the transmitted value
is the 1's complement of the final running CRC (see the
crc() routine below)). */
unsigned long update_crc(unsigned long crc, unsigned char *buf,
int len)
{
unsigned long c = crc;
int n;
if (!crc_table_computed)
make_crc_table();
for (n = 0; n < len; n++) {
c = crc_table[(c ^ buf[n]) & 0xff] ^ (c >> 8);
}
return c;
}
/* Return the CRC of the bytes buf[0..len-1]. */
unsigned long crc(unsigned char *buf, int len)
{
return update_crc(0xffffffffL, buf, len) ^ 0xffffffffL;
}
This appendix gives the locations of some Internet resources for PNG software developers. By the nature of the Internet, the list is incomplete and subject to change.
ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/png/.
The PNG specification is available in several formats, including HTML, plain
text, and PostScript.
ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/png/src/.
The reference implementation is freely usable in all
applications, including commercial applications.
Test images are available from
ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/png/images/.
http://quest.jpl.nasa.gov/PNG/.
This page is a central location for current information about PNG
and PNG-related tools.
The PNG format has been frozen since the Ninth Draft of March 7, 1995, and all future changes are intended to be backwards compatible. The revisions since the Ninth Draft are simply clarifications, improvements in presentation, and additions of supporting material.
<URL:ftp://ftp.uu.net/pub/archiving/zip/doc/deflate-1.3.doc>
<URL:http://www.inforamp.net/~poynton/Poynton-colour.html>
ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/png/documents/iso_8859-1.*
ftp://ftp.uu.net/graphics/png/documents/pngextensions.*
<URL:ftp://ds.internic.net/rfc/rfc1123.txt>
<URL:ftp://ds.internic.net/rfc/rfc1521.txt>
<URL:ftp://ds.internic.net/rfc/rfc1590.txt>
<URL:ftp://ftp.uu.net/pub/archiving/zip/doc/zlib-3.3.doc>
The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of the Portable Network Graphics mailing list and the readers of comp.graphics.
This W3C specification is being provided by the copyright holders under the following license. By obtaining, using and/or copying this specification, you agree that you have read, understood, and will comply with the following terms and conditions:
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End of PNG Specification