Image MIME Reference
CLIP
Clip Studio Paint Document
image/vnd.clip
VS
Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database
image/x-mrsid-image
MrSID
A complete technical comparison of Clip Studio Paint Document and Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | CLIP | MrSID |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | Yes | Yes |
| Animation Support | Yes | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | Yes |
| HDR Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| EXIF Metadata | ✕ No | Yes |
| ICC Color Profile | Yes | Yes |
Clip Studio Paint Document
image/vnd.clip
Extension
.clip.lip
Container
SQLite 3 Database
Compression
Proprietary Blob Compression (within SQLite)
Algorithm
Proprietary (Celsys Blob Encoding)
Color Depth
8-bit (Monochrome), 8-bit (Grayscale), 24-bit (RGB), 32-bit (CMYK)
Developed by
Celsys, Inc.
Released
2012
Magic Bytes
53 51 4C 69 74 65 20 66 6F 72 6D 61 74 20 33 00
Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database
image/x-mrsid-image
Extension
.sid
Container
Proprietary MrSID Container
Compression
Proprietary Wavelet (Lossy) / Proprietary Wavelet (Lossless)
Algorithm
Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT)
Color Depth
8-bit (Grayscale), 24-bit (RGB), Multi-spectral (Multiple bands)
Developed by
Los Alamos National Laboratory / LizardTech (Extensis)
Released
1992
Magic Bytes
6D 73 69 64
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | CLIP | MrSID |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ | ✕ |
Firefox
|
✕ | ✕ |
Safari
|
✕ | ✕ |
Edge
|
✕ | ✕ |
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ | ✕ |
CLIP
CLIP Strengths
- SQLite backend provides incredibly robust data integrity, preventing catastrophic project loss if the application crashes during a save
- Allows for massive multi-page comic projects and animation timelines to be handled efficiently without loading the entire project into RAM simultaneously
- Industry standard for manga, anime, and webtoon professional workflows
Limitations
- Heavily closed-source and proprietary, meaning no third-party applications (like ImageMagick or GIMP) can parse or render the files
- Standard MIME identification tools will misidentify the file as a generic SQLite database, causing friction in automated file-upload validations
- Zero web browser support
MrSID
MrSID Strengths
- Incredible compression ratios enable multi-gigabyte geographical datasets to be stored on standard hard drives or transmitted easily
- Multi-resolution architecture means panning and zooming across a massive map is completely fluid, as the system decodes only the visible quadrant at the required zoom level
- Supports multi-spectral bands critical for remote sensing and agricultural GIS analysis
Limitations
- Deeply proprietary; creating or decoding MrSID files typically requires expensive commercial software or the proprietary Extensis DSDK
- Open-source geospatial libraries like GDAL require compiling against the proprietary SDK to legally enable MrSID support, causing licensing headaches for Linux server deployments
- Not natively viewable on the web without specialized geospatial map servers (like GeoServer or MapServer) tiling the image into PNGs or JPEGs on the fly
When to choose which format
CLIP
Use CLIP when…
- Digital Illustration and Concept Art
- Manga and Webtoon Production
- 2D Frame-by-Frame Animation
- High-Resolution Print Production
MrSID
Use MrSID when…
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- Satellite Imagery Archival
- Aerial Orthophotography Mosaics