GIF question (mostly for SE users)

NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
edited December 26, 2004 in SmugMug API Support & Integrations
I'm planning to support a wide variety of file formats (as I mentioned before, I already have bmps, and pretty soon I would add more) by converting them automatically into smugmug-compliant types, which are gifsand jpegs. I don't have a problem with jpegs, however handling gifs encounters certain licensing problems (frigging compuserve patented this format). I do have a code to support it, but I don't want to have any legal issues (simply uploading it is ok).

My quesiton is: how important is this format for you?
Or converting everything to jpegs only is fine?

Please let me know.
"May the f/stop be with you!"

Comments

  • cmccrackcmccrack Registered Users Posts: 6 Beginner grinner
    edited December 20, 2004
    You can use your gif conversion code unencumbered by patents or licensing issues. The patent on the lzw compression used in the gif file format expired last year.

    http://www.unisys.com/about__unisys/lzw
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited December 20, 2004
    Thank you!
    cmccrack wrote:
    You can use your gif conversion code unencumbered by patents or licensing issues. The patent on the lzw compression used in the gif file format expired last year.

    http://www.unisys.com/about__unisys/lzw
    I missed that, that's great news!
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • onethumbonethumb Administrators Posts: 1,269 Major grins
    edited December 25, 2004
    Nikolai wrote:
    I'm planning to support a wide variety of file formats (as I mentioned before, I already have bmps, and pretty soon I would add more) by converting them automatically into smugmug-compliant types, which are gifsand jpegs. I don't have a problem with jpegs, however handling gifs encounters certain licensing problems (frigging compuserve patented this format). I do have a code to support it, but I don't want to have any legal issues (simply uploading it is ok).

    My quesiton is: how important is this format for you?
    Or converting everything to jpegs only is fine?

    Please let me know.

    Smugmug natively supports GIFs for really only one reason: animation. We preserve GIFs in their uploaded state for Original, and convert to JPEG for sizes lower than the original rez.

    So I wouldn't auto-convert, let us make that decision.

    Converting from any other format (BMP, TIFF, etc) would be a neat feature, though, since it would dramatically save upload time.

    Don
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited December 25, 2004
    Don
    onethumb wrote:
    Smugmug natively supports GIFs for really only one reason: animation. We preserve GIFs in their uploaded state for Original, and convert to JPEG for sizes lower than the original rez.
    Yeah, I saw a thread about that couple weeks ago..
    onethumb wrote:
    So I wouldn't auto-convert, let us make that decision.
    I probably didn't express myself clear - was sick or something:-).
    I'm not going to convert gifs to jpegs. I was (and still am) going to convert OTHER formats (which in their native form cannot be uploaded anyway) and I was wondering, if converting to jpegs ONLY would be sufficient, or I should give user an option of a traget format (like small bmps - to gifs, small everithing else - to 100% jpegs, what's left - to 60% jpegs, etc).
    However, judjing by all the responses (or lack of thereofs:-) I think nobody cares about gifs, so I'll stick with jpeg as the target for everything else (again, except jpegs and gifs:-)
    onethumb wrote:
    Converting from any other format (BMP, TIFF, etc) would be a neat feature, though, since it would dramatically save upload time.
    Don
    Well, currently, unless I'm missing something, one CAN NOT upload any other format, so we're talking about virtual extension of acceptable formats, not just performance.

    BMPs are already done (I mentioned it earlier), but that was easy, as far as Windows/Delphi has a natural support for them. Other guys - I'm still in R&D mode. I was thinking of using one old graphics library I had since last millenium (I used it for a little app called EZNails you porbably never heard of:-), but it requires a bunch of DLLs to be deployed, what I would try to avoid. I'll see if GDI+, which I only recently got my hands on and still exploring, can provide a more simple, elegant and efficient solution.

    Thank you for your comments!
    I also hope your Xmas was good and you got some rest, because you needed it: last night I posted a comment about few bugs:-)

    Cheers!1drink.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • onethumbonethumb Administrators Posts: 1,269 Major grins
    edited December 26, 2004
    Nikolai wrote:
    Yeah, I saw a thread about that couple weeks ago..

    I probably didn't express myself clear - was sick or something:-).
    I'm not going to convert gifs to jpegs. I was (and still am) going to convert OTHER formats (which in their native form cannot be uploaded anyway) and I was wondering, if converting to jpegs ONLY would be sufficient, or I should give user an option of a traget format (like small bmps - to gifs, small everithing else - to 100% jpegs, what's left - to 60% jpegs, etc).
    However, judjing by all the responses (or lack of thereofs:-) I think nobody cares about gifs, so I'll stick with jpeg as the target for everything else (again, except jpegs and gifs:-)

    Well, currently, unless I'm missing something, one CAN NOT upload any other format, so we're talking about virtual extension of acceptable formats, not just performance.

    BMPs are already done (I mentioned it earlier), but that was easy, as far as Windows/Delphi has a natural support for them. Other guys - I'm still in R&D mode. I was thinking of using one old graphics library I had since last millenium (I used it for a little app called EZNails you porbably never heard of:-), but it requires a bunch of DLLs to be deployed, what I would try to avoid. I'll see if GDI+, which I only recently got my hands on and still exploring, can provide a more simple, elegant and efficient solution.

    Thank you for your comments!
    I also hope your Xmas was good and you got some rest, because you needed it: last night I posted a comment about few bugs:-)

    Cheers!1drink.gif

    Nah, you can upload things other than JPEGs and GIFs (remember, MPEG1 is also supported, if it's properly encoded). We unofficially support a pretty staggering number of file format. Try uploading your favorite and see what happens.

    But they're often less efficient than JPEGs, so we convert. Other than GIFs, everything becomes a JPEG.

    Don
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited December 26, 2004
    Geez, man, why didn't you said that before?
    onethumb wrote:
    Nah, you can upload things other than JPEGs and GIFs (remember, MPEG1 is also supported, if it's properly encoded). We unofficially support a pretty staggering number of file format. Try uploading your favorite and see what happens.

    But they're often less efficient than JPEGs, so we convert. Other than GIFs, everything becomes a JPEG.

    Don
    I knew of MPEG1 and I was only talking about still images. But I had no idea you guys already accept something else besides jpegs/gifs.
    Sheesh, now it means I did all that work for the self-educational purposes only:cry
    You know, I would really appreciate if you (or somebody else from R&D) could possibly send a list of such "unofficial features" and - probably - nearest dev plans to your "technology partners", like yours truly:-). This would help alot with my own planning. If there is a need for an NDA I'm ok with that, I'm not gonna compete with you guys on a server side anyway:-)

    Thanks!
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
Sign In or Register to comment.