Glossary of "Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition)"

Term entries in the "Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition)" glossary

W3C Glossaries

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alpha

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

a value representing a pixel's degree of opacity. The more opaque a pixel, the more it hides the background against which the image is presented. Zero alpha represents a completely transparent pixel, maximum alpha represents a completely opaque pixel.
an implicit representation of transparent pixels. If every pixel with a specific colour or greyscale value is fully transparent and all other pixels are fully opaque, the alphachannel may be represented implicitly.
separating an alphachannel in which every pixel is fully opaque; all alpha values are the maximum value. The fact that all pixels are fully opaque is represented implicitly.
indexed table of alphasample values, which in an indexed-colour image defines the alpha sample values of the reference image. The alpha table has the same number of entries as the palette.
alpha compaction

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

an implicit representation of transparent pixels . If every pixel with a specific colour or greyscale value is fully transparent and all other pixels are fully opaque, the alpha channel may be represented implicitly.
alpha separation

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

separating an alpha channel in which every pixel is fully opaque; all alpha values are the maximum value. The fact that all pixels are fully opaque is represented implicitly.
alpha table

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

indexed table of alpha sample values, which in an indexed-colour image defines the alpha sample values of the reference image . The alpha table has the same number of entries as the palette .
ancillary chunk

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

class of chunk that provides additional information. A PNG decoder , without processing an ancillary chunk, can still produce a meaningful image, though not necessarily the best possible image.
bit depth

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

for indexed-colour images, the number of bits per palette index. For other images, the number of bits per sample in the image. This is the value that appears in the IHDR chunk .
byte

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

8 bits; also called an octet. The highest bit (value 128) of a byte is numbered bit 7; the lowest bit (value 1) is numbered bit 0.
ordering of bytes for multi-byte data values within a PNG file or PNG datastream. PNG uses network byte order.
byte order

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

ordering of bytes for multi-byte data values within a PNG file or PNG datastream . PNG uses network byte order .
channel

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

array of all per- pixel information of a particular kind within a reference image . There are five kinds of information: red, green, blue, greyscale , and alpha . For example the alpha channel is the array of alpha values within a reference image.
chromaticity (CIE)

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

pair of values x,y that precisely specify a colour, except for the brightness information.
chunk

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

section of a PNG datastream . Each chunk has a chunk type. Most chunks also include data. The format and meaning of the data within the chunk are determined by the chunk type. Each chunk is either a critical chunk or an ancillary chunk .
colour type

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

value denoting how colour and alpha are specified in the PNG image . Colour types are sums of the following values: 1 ( palette used), 2 ( truecolour used), 4 (alpha used). The permitted values of colour type are 0, 2, 3, 4, and 6.
composite (verb)

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

to form an image by merging a foreground image and a background image, using transparency information to determine where and to what extent the background should be visible. The foreground image is said to be "composited against" the background.
critical chunk

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

chunk that shall be understood and processed by the decoder in order to produce a meaningful image from a PNG datastream .
datastream

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

sequence of bytes . This term is used rather than "file" to describe a byte sequence that may be only a portion of a file. It is also used to emphasize that the sequence of bytes might be generated and consumed "on the fly", never appearing in a stored file at all.
deflate

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

name of a particular compression algorithm. This algorithm is used, in compression mode 0, in conforming PNG datastreams . Deflate is a member of the LZ77 family of compression methods. It is defined in [RFC-1951] .
delivered image

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

image constructed from a decoded PNG datastream .
filter

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

transformation applied to an array of scanlines with the aim of improving their compressibility. PNG uses only lossless (reversible) filter algorithms.
frame buffer

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

the final digital storage area for the image shown by most types of computer display. Software causes an image to appear on screen by loading the image into the frame buffer.
gamma

From Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (Second Edition) (2003-11-10)

exponent that describes approximations to certain non-linear transfer functions encountered in image capture and reproduction. Within this International Standard, gamma is the exponent in the transfer function from display_output to image_sample
image_sample = display_outputgamma
where both display_output and image_sample are scaled to the range 0 to 1.

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