Module codecs

Encoding and decoding for various image file formats.

Supported formats

Format Decoding Encoding
AVIF Yes (8-bit only) * Yes (lossy only)
BMP Yes Yes
DDS Yes ---
Farbfeld Yes Yes
GIF Yes Yes
HDR Yes Yes
ICO Yes Yes
JPEG Yes Yes
EXR Yes Yes
PNG Yes Yes
PNM Yes Yes
QOI Yes Yes
TGA Yes Yes
TIFF Yes Yes
WebP Yes Yes (lossless only)

A note on format specific features

One of the main goals of image is stability, in runtime but also for programmers. This ensures that performance as well as safety fixes reach a majority of its user base with little effort. Re-exporting all details of its dependencies would run counter to this goal as it linked all major version bumps between them and image. As such, we are wary of exposing too many details, or configuration options, that are not shared between different image formats.

Nevertheless, the advantage of precise control is hard to ignore. We will thus consider wrappers, not direct re-exports, in either of the following cases:

  1. A standard specifies that configuration x is required for decoders/encoders and there exists an essentially canonical way to control it.
  2. At least two different implementations agree on some (sub-)set of features in practice.
  3. A technical argument including measurements of the performance, space benefits, or otherwise objectively quantified benefits can be made, and the added interface is unlikely to require breaking changes.

Features that fulfill two or more criteria are preferred.

Re-exports of dependencies that reach version 1 will be discussed when it happens.

Modules