Image

image

VLC can decode this container. The module name to use at the command line is image.

The Image demuxer is responsible for opening most image file formats in VLC media player.
Though the image module is capable of handling JPEGs, the jpeg module handles them as of VLC 2.2.0, so they can be encoded and decoded by the same module. The svg modules handle SVGs.

Supported formats:

• PNG
• XCF
• GIF
• TIFF
• LBM (ILBM)
• PCX
• Targa
• MxPEG
• BMP
• PNM
• WebP
• BPG

Formats

PNG

PNG is an acronym for portable network graphics. It was historically preferred over GIFs for its unencumbered license, and though GIF is now free PNG is still used out of habit. It supports a wider range of transparency than GIF and stores virtually no metadata. PNG, because it is lossless, is generally larger in size than a JPG and somewhat smaller than a GIF.

XCF

Run-length encoded image format. Used by GIMP.

GIF

GIF is an acronym for Graphics Interchange Format. It is a versatile image type that is lossless and supports animation and compression.

TIFF

TIFF is an acronym for Tagged Image File Format. It is a container that allows the storage of information alongside the image. It supports lossless compression.

ILBM

A format originating on Amiga computers. May appear in games from the 1980s and 1990s.

PCX

A bitmap image format developed by the ZSoft Corporation and used by MS-DOS, it is now considered deprecated.

Targa

Truevision TGA, also called TARGA and TGA, is a raster graphics file format.

BMP

This is a simple bitmap format that is widely supported in graphic editing programs. Microsoft developed the specification and uses it for Windows: Paint can export in this format, and BMP files can be set directly as desktop wallpapers.

PNM

The Portable Anymap Format (PNM) refers to any of a set of formats designed for portability by the Netbpm project: PPM, PGM, and PBM.

WebP

A raster graphics file format developed by On2, acquired by Google. It is derived from the VP8 format, and a "sister project" of WebM. WebP supports both lossy and lossless compression. Its claims of outperforming other image file formats have been challenged.

BPG

Better Portable Graphics (BPG) was introduced in 2014 as a more efficient replacement for JPEG, based on the technology behind HEVC.

Support

Image type	PNG	XCF	GIF	TIFF	LBM	PCX	Targa	MxPEG	BMP	PNM	WebP	BPG
Encoding support	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown

Source code

• modules/demux/image.c (input demuxer)