Easy to use graphical firmat for simple pictures

fredgt · 08-14-2004, 04:38 AM

I'm searching for a easy to handle picture format.
My end goal is to write a program / driver to support the T6963C graphic LCD's (240x124). It is supported in linux as a character LCD but not as a graphic LCD.
At first all i want to do is send an image to the LCD so i'm searching for a easy to use graphic format but i didn't find one so far.
It only has to be black and white in a low 240 x 128 resolution. So at first i was thinking of using bitmaps but i don't find that much information about it.
I could create a very simple format myself but then you can't edit it with a graphical editor like the gimp,...
Does anyone know any easy formats or know a good site with information on how to handle bitmaps.

Hko · 08-14-2004, 08:02 AM

Sounds like the "pbm" format is for you.
From "man pbm":

Quote:

The portable bitmap format is a lowest common denominator monochrome
file format. It serves as the common language of a large family of
bitmap conver- sion filters. Because the format pays no heed to
efficiency, it is simple and general enough that one can easily
develop programs to convert to and from just about any other graphics
format, or to manipulate the image.

This is not a format that one would normally use to store a file or to
transmit it to someone -- it's too expensive and not expressive enough
for that. It's just an intermediary format. In it's purest use, it
lives only in a pipe between two other programs.

fredgt · 08-14-2004, 11:19 AM

Thanks. It's exactly what i was searching for.
It's actually a image that is saved in an ASCII text file using HEX codes. It"s very easy to handle and you can convert normal images to pbm very easily. This will help me a lot

fredgt · 08-14-2004, 11:34 AM

When reading up on pbm i came across xbm what is actualy even easyer to use(can be edited directly with the gimp)