An edit, layout choice or other use of an image, called an image
view, is stored as a script separate from the image data itself.
The script and image data are wrapped inside a structured stor-
age "container". Microsoft's OLE Structured Storage enables
software to store a variety of information types easily - such as
scripts, image data, ownership information, color management
data, etc. - all in one convenient single file. This file is interop-
erable with existing structured storage architectures, such as
OLE II and OpenDoc, as well as JAVA and Netscape Navigator
plug-ins.
To display or print the edited version, a FlashPix-optimized ap-
plication applies the changes described in the image view script
to the appropriate resolution of the original image data. Edits
are applied to high-resolution images only when necessary. This
takes place after any interaction with the image and especially
when users high quality output.
Concerning also the storage of the original high resolution im-
age data, this happens only in one place and no additional cop-
ies are stored. This results in less computing and acceleration
power, because users process every time less data.
Some of the Software Houses already include the FlashPix
format in their products, like: Adobe, Corel, Live Picture, Mi-
crosoft, Micrografix, Netscape. The FlashPix format has been
already used for transfering image data through Internet, with
interesting and encouraging results (eg. N.Y. Metropolitan Mu-
seum [URL 1], Himalayan Art Organization [URL2], Botanisher
Garten und Botanishes Museum Berlin-Dahlem [URL3], etc).
3. FLASHPIX TECHNICAL FORMAT
A FlashPix image, as mentioned above, is comprised of some
key components, being under the same envelope —"container"-,
processed and manipulated independently and invisibly to the
user, but keeping at the same time the rigidity of a traditional
format, like TIFF, GIF or JPEG has. In the following para-
graphs, the key components of a FlashPix image format are
analysed and described in more details, in order to be clear the
usefullness of this image format ([URL4], [URLS], [URL6]).
A FlashPix image file consists of a number of key components
3.1 Source image object
3.2 Viewing parameters
3.3 Result image object
3.4 Thumbnails
3.5 File linking
3.6 Extensions
+ + 9 9 9 9
3.1 Source image object: The Source image object (SIO) is the
digital representation of the image, either the original scene or a
digitally synthesized picture. The SIO has the following key
features (fig. 4):
e 3.1.1 Multiple resolutions
e 3.1.2 Tiled sub-images
e 3.1.3 Structured storage
e 3.1.4 Optional JPEG compression
e 3.1.5 Multiple color space options
e 3.1.6 Descriptive information
3.1.1 Multiple resolutions
The FlashPix format creates a hierarchy of multiple independ-
ent resolutions of an image, called FlashPix “Pyramid” (fig. 1),
enabling applications to select the best resolution level for the
desired activity, with substitution virtually invisible to the end-
user. The “Pyramid” is created by starting with the highest reso-
lution level, determined by the resolution level of the capture
device. To create each consecutive lower level in the hierarchy,
applications and peripherals decimate the image in half, verti-
cally and lorizontally. The hierarchy stops when the image can
be fully represented in a single tile, 64 pixels square (fig. 2).
The format accepts images of any aspect ratio. It prescribes no
limit on resolution, below the system addressing constraint of 2
x 32 pixels, so that digital images of virtually any size and
shape can be stored as FlashPix files and be used conveniently.
The size of a decimated image is determined from equation 1,
where (wo, ho) is the width and height of the larger resolution
and (wy, h;) are the width and height of the smaller resolution:
nl)
The FlashPix "Pyramide"
512X384
y 1024X768 N
o 2048X1536
v 4096X3072 =
fig. 1
fig. 2
3.1.2. Tiled sub-images
The FlashPix format divides the image into building blocks.
These are equal sized rectangle sub-images, called tiles. (fig. 3).
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