Update the README - farbfeld - suckless image format with conversion tools
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(DIR) commit 3d73fbaa1aeab1000d7f77cd6ee21f06a9b02e04
(DIR) parent 96d6bde7d9bb6a79b7f86fbbc285a49b9634cd63
(HTM) Author: Laslo Hunhold <dev@frign.de>
Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2017 18:21:22 +0200
Update the README
Rework the introductory paragraph and show examples directly afterwards.
If people are interested in the tl;dr-sections, they can then read on.
Diffstat:
M README | 41 ++++++++++++++++++-------------
1 file changed, 24 insertions(+), 17 deletions(-)
---
(DIR) diff --git a/README b/README
@@ -8,9 +8,28 @@
WHAT IS FARBFELD?
Farbfeld is a lossless image-format designed to be
- parsed and piped easily.
- It can be compressed easily and beats PNG's filesize
+ parsed and piped easily. It is probably the simplest
+ image-format you can find (see FORMAT).
+ It does not have integrated compression, but allows
+ compression algorithms to work with it easily by adding
+ little entropy to the image data itself. This beats PNG
in many cases.
+ Given the free choice of compression algorithms, it
+ is trivial to switch to better and faster ones as they
+ show up in the future.
+
+HOW DO I USE THE TOOLS?
+ encoding:
+ png2ff < example.png > example.ff
+ png2ff < example.png | bzip2 > example.ff.bz2
+
+ decoding:
+ ff2png < example.ff > example.png
+ bzcat example.ff.bz2 | ff2png > example.png
+
+ bzip2 is used in this example and a recommended
+ compression algorithm. Of course you are free
+ to use something else.
WHY FARBFELD?
Current image-formats have integrated compression,
@@ -32,13 +51,13 @@ WHY FARBFELD?
and farbfeld.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
- In Farbfeld, pattern resolution is not done while
+ In farbfeld, pattern resolution is not done while
converting, but while compressing the image.
For example, farbfeld always stores the alpha-channel,
even if the image doesn't have alpha-variation.
This may sound like a big waste at first, but as
soon as you compress an image of this kind, the
- compression-algorithm (e.g. bz2) recognizes the
+ compression-algorithm (e.g. bzip2) recognizes the
pattern that every 48 bits the 16 bits store the
same information.
And the compression-algorithms get better and better
@@ -49,19 +68,7 @@ HOW DOES IT WORK?
the same value, which is recognized by the compression
algorithm easily.
This effectively leads to filesizes you'd normally only
- reach with paletted images, and in some cases bz2 even
+ reach with paletted images, and in some cases bzip2 even
beats png's compression, for instance when you're dealing
with grayscale data, line drawings, decals and even
photographs.
-
-HOW DO I USE THE TOOLS?
- encoding:
- png2ff < example.png > example.ff
- png2ff < example.png | bzip2 > example.ff.bz2
-
- decoding:
- ff2png < example.ff > example.png
- bzcat example.ff.bz2 | ff2png > example.png
-
- bz2 is recommended for compression, but you can use
- any algorithm you want.