PICT File Extension

What is the .PICT file type?

The .pict file extension denotes the Macintosh PICT file format (.pict) introduced by Apple Computer in 1984 as a standard meta-format for storing graphic images that can be shared by other Macintosh applications. Plus, PICT was also the default image format for QuickDraw, a discontinued graphics library shipped with Macintosh computers. Besides the .pict extension, PICT files can also have the .pct or .pic extension, especially on Microsoft Windows operating systems.

PICT represents a set of QuickDraw drawing commands used to define a picture and, despite the fact that it is basically a vector format, it is used for both bitmap and vector graphics. Depending on the format version, a .pict file can be a Grayscale/Indexed Color/Bitmap image without an alpha channel or a RGB image with an alpha channel and use RLE (Run-length encoding) and JPEG compression to be more memory efficient.

The PICT file format is practically not used today, it was replaced by PDF in Mac OS X (2001). However, it is still supported by some small imaging applications like LibreOffice Draw. In addition, one can also convert .pict graphics into more common and usable image formats using Graphics Converter.

Software to open or convert PICT files

QuickTime by Apple Inc.

 

Adobe Photoshop by Adobe Systems, Inc.

 

Adobe Photoshop CS2 by Adobe Systems, Inc.

 

QuickTime

 

QuickTime by Apple Computer, Inc.

 

Free File Viewer Pro

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