Image Alchemy

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Software > Graphics software > Image Alchemy

Image Alchemy is a 1990s-era command-line utility for image processing and image format conversion. It was developed by Handmade Software, Inc.

It is commercial software, but demo versions were released whose only limitation is that they do not support images larger than 640×480 pixels. Supported platforms include MS-DOS, Windows console, Macintosh, various Unix systems, and apparently OS/2.

It has good documentation of its supported formats, and is capable of writing (not just reading) the large majority of them.

Contents

Versions

The downloads are mostly MS-DOS demos.

Version Date Download
1.3 1991-02-05 [1]
1.4 ~1991-03 [2]
1.5 ~1991-11
1.5.1 ~1991-12 [3]
1.6.1 ~1992 [4]
1.6.2 ~1992/93 [5]
1.7 ~1993 [6]
1.7.7 ~1994 [7]
1.8 ~1995 [8] (OS/2: [9])
1.9.1 ~1996 [10] (OS/2: [11])
1.10 ~1997 [12]
1.11 ~1998 [13][14] (documentation: [15])
1.12.2-Windows 2001-11-01
1.13 2003-05-15
1.14 2005-07-06

Documentation

Most of the demo distributions (see the Versions section above) include a documentation file named ALCHEMY.DOC (which may be inside a MANUAL.EXE LHA self-extracting archive) or ALCHEMY.PDF. There may also be supplemental documentation in ADDENDUM.* or UPDATE.* files.

Native formats

  • BIF (.bif)
  • HSI Raw (.raw)
  • Histogram (.hst) (refer to HSI Raw)
  • HSI JPEG (.hsi, .jpg)
  • HSI Palette (.pal)
  • Multi-Image Palette (.pal)

Supported formats

This list is from version 1.11.

Image Alchemy format Extensions Refer to Remarks
ADEX .img, .rle ADEX IMG
Adobe PDF .pdf PDF
Adobe Photoshop .psd PSD
Alias PIX / Vivid IMG .img, .als Alias PIX, Vivid IMG
Alpha Microsystems BMP .bmp Alpha Microsystems BMP
Alps .prn
Autodesk PIC/CEL .pic, .cel Animator PIC/CEL
Autologic .gm, .gm2, .gm4
AVHRR .sst
AVS X .x AVS X image
Binary (BIF) .bif, .raw BIF (Image Alchemy), Raw bitmap
Calcomp CCRF .crf, .ccrf, .prn
CALS .cal CALS raster
Core IDC .idc
Cubicomp PictureMaker .r8, .g8, .b8, .a8
Dr. Halo CUT .pal, .cut Dr. Halo CUT
Encapsulated PostScript .epsi, .eps, .epi Encapsulated PostScript
Epson Stylus .prn
ER Mapper Raster .ers, (none) ER Mapper Raster
Erdas LAN/GIS/IMG .lan, .gis, .img ERDAS LAN/GIS, ERDAS Imagine IMG IMG support is read-only.
Explore TDI .tdi Maya IFF read-only
Fargo Primera .prn
FBM .fbm FBM image
First Publisher ART .art ART (PFS: First Publisher)
FLC .flc, .fli FLIC read-only
Freedom of Press .fop, .001, ... Freedom of Press
Gem VDI Image .img GEM Raster
GIF .gif GIF
GOES .goe (GARS, McIDAS)
Histogram .hst HSI Raw
Hitachi Raster .hrf
HP PCL .pcl PCL
HP PhotoSmart .prn
HP Raster Transfer Language (RTL) .rtl
HP-48sx Graphic Object (GROB) .grb, .asc GROB
HSI JPEG .hsi, .jpg HSI JPEG
HSI Palette .pal
HSI Raw .raw HSI Raw
IBM Picture Maker .pic Storyboard PIC/CAP
IDRISI .img, .doc
IFF/ILBM .lbm, .iff, .ilbm ILBM
Imaging Technology .img
Img Software Set .img, .p, .a Img Software Set
Intergraph .rgb Intergraph Raster
JEDMICS CCITT4 .c4 JEDMICS C4
Jovian VI .vi Jovian Logic VI
JPEG .jpg JPEG
Lumena CEL .cel Lumena CEL
Macintosh PICT .pict, .pic PICT
MacPaint .mac MacPaint
MIFF .miff, .mif MIFF
Mimaki MRL-1 .mrl
MTV .mtv MTV ray tracer bitmap
Multi-Image Palette .pal
OS/2 BMP .bmp BMP
OS/2 Icon .ico OS/2 Icon
PCPaint/Pictor .pic, .clp PCPaint PIC
PCX .pcx, .dcx, .p13 PCX, DCX
PDS .ibg, .imq PDS
PhotoCD .pcd Photo CD read-only
Pixar PIC .pic Pixar picture
Pixel Power Collage (varies)
PNG .png PNG
Portable BitMap (PBM) .pnm, .pbm, .pgm, .ppm Netpbm formats
Puzzle .pzl, .puzzle, .cm Puzzle image (X11)
Q0 .q0, .rgb, .fal Q0
QDV .qdv QDV (Giffer)
QRT Raw .raw QRT Ray Tracer bitmap
Raster Graphics .rg "Used by Raster Graphics printers"
RIX .scx, .rix ColoRIX
RLC .rlc
Scitex CT / Iris CT .ct Scitex CT
Scodl .scd SCODL
SGI Image .sgi SGI (image file format)
Sharp GPB .img
Spaceward .r, .g, .b, .a Spaceward Graphics
SPOT Image .hdr, .bil, .clr, .dat, .stx
Stork .idx, .pre, .tab "Used by Stork's color proofing machines"
Sun Icon .icon, .ico Sun icon
Sun Raster .rast, .ras, .im, .im1, .im8, .im24, .im32 Sun Raster
Targa .tga TGA
TIFF .tiff, .tif TIFF
US Patent Image .pat
Utah RLE .rle Utah RLE
Verity Image Format (VIF) .vif Verity Image
VIFF .xv VIFF
VITec .vit VITec
Wavefront RLA .rla, .rlb RLA read-only
Windows BMP .bmp BMP
WPG .wpg WordPerfect Graphics
XBM .xbm, .bm XBM
XIM .xim Xim
XPM .xpm, .pm XPM
XWD .xwd XWD

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