Chapter 3. ImageCopy, ImageInfo, and ImageFormats
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## Chapter 3. ImageCopy, ImageInfo, and ImageFormats

ImageCopy, ImageInfo, and ImageFormats are command-line tools available to you:

- ImageCopy lets you copy and change the format of an image file.

- ImageInfo lets you obtain information about an image.

- ImageFormats displays a list of the file formats that are currently supported by the ImageVision tools.

## Copying an Image

ImageCopy allows you to copy image files and to convert image files into different formats.

Note that similar procedures are also available in ImageView. See “Saving an Image, View, or Window Under a New Filename or Format.”

### Using the ImageCopy Icon

The imgcopy icon is on the MediaTools page of the Icon Catalog. To open the MediaTools page, choose Media Tools from the Find menu of the desktop toolchest . To copy an image file and change the file format, drag and drop the image file icon onto the imgcopy icon. A dialog box appears from which you can choose one of three formats:

- SGI format is used by applications on Silicon Graphics systems, including IRIS Showcase.

- TIFF format is the most common and useful file format.

- FIT format is not a standard, but is supported by the ImageVision Library (IL).

When you select a format, ImageCopy copies the image file into a second file, which has the selected format. The name of this second file is a combination of the original filename and a new extension, reflecting the new format type.

If you have the IRIS Development Option, see the Image Format Library (IFL) manual pages for additional information on the various file formats. You can also view these IFL manual pages if you have access to the World Wide Web, by visiting the following site:

http://www.sgi.com/Technology/ImageVision/man/ILman.html

### Using the ImageCopy Command

To copy an image file and change the file format using the ImageCopy command, at the shell prompt enter

    imgcopy infile outfile.format

where infile is the name of the file to be copied and outfile.format is the name you want the new file to be given. The outfile name should include an extension that indicates the desired new format. For example, the name of an outfile that you wish to have in FIT format might be `tree.fit`.

A number of file formats are available to you using this command, including SGI, TIFF, FIT, GIF, JFIF/JPEG, PNG, PPM, and any additional file formats that are available on your system.

- SGI format is used by applications on Silicon Graphics systems, including IRIS Showcase.

- TIFF format is the most common and useful file format.

- FIT format is not a standard, but is supported by the ImageVision Library (IL).

- GIF, JFIF/JPEG, and PNG formats are useful for World Wide Web documents. GIF does not have the color capability necessary for publishing or technical uses. JFIF/JPEG format uses very little disk space at the expense of some picture detail.

If you have the IRIS Development Option, see the Image Format Library (IFL) manual pages for additional information on the various file formats. You can also view these IFL manual pages if you have access to the World Wide Web, by visiting the following site:

http://www.sgi.com/Technology/ImageVision/man/ILman.html

You can use the ImageCopy shell command for a number of additional procedures. See the `imgcopy(1)` reference page for a list of the ImageCopy command-line options.

## Getting Information About an Image

ImageInfo displays information about a file. The imginfo icon is located on the MediaTools page of the Icon Catalog.

To obtain information on an image file:

1. Choose Media Tools from the Find menu of the desktop toolchest.

   The MediaTools page of the Icon Catalog opens.

2. Drag and drop the image file icon onto the imginfo icon.

   A dialog box appears.

3. Enter the pathname of the image about which you want information and press OK.

   Another window appears describing the image properties.

ImageInfo displays the following information about a file: file format, image size in pixels, page size, data type, dimension order, color model, minimum and maximum pixel values, data compression, and image description.

- Information on data compression is displayed only if the file is compressed.

- For those files that contain subimages, the image description includes a list of the subimages in the file.

See the `imginfo(1)` reference page for a list of the ImageInfo command-line options.

To use the shell to access ImageInfo, at the shell window prompt enter `imginfo` imgfile.

## Obtaining a List of Available File Formats

ImageFormats displays a list of the file formats that are currently supported by the ImageVision tools. More specifically, the list that ImageFormats displays represents all the formats currently supported by the Image Format Library (IFL) and the tools that use that library.

To access ImageFormats, at the shell prompt type `imgformats` and press `Enter`. A list of supported formats is displayed. See `imgformats(1)` for a list of the ImageFormats command-line options.

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Chapter 2. ImageView |  | Chapter 4. Image Works