Image MIME Reference
CLIP
Clip Studio Paint Document
image/vnd.clip
VS
Pentax Electronic File
image/x-pentax-pef
Pentax-PEF
A complete technical comparison of Clip Studio Paint Document and Pentax Electronic File — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | CLIP | Pentax-PEF |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | Yes | ✕ No |
| Animation Support | Yes | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | ✕ No | Yes |
| 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
Pentax Electronic File
image/x-pentax-pef
Extension
.pef
Container
TIFF-based (Proprietary)
Compression
Uncompressed / Proprietary Lossless
Algorithm
NonePentax Proprietary Lossless
Color Depth
12-bit (Per Channel), 14-bit (Per Channel)
Developed by
Pentax (now Ricoh Imaging Company, Ltd.)
Released
2003
Magic Bytes
49 49 2A 00 (Little-endian) or 4D 4D 00 2A (Big-endian)
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | CLIP | Pentax-PEF |
|---|---|---|
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
Pentax-PEF
Pentax-PEF Strengths
- Retains absolute maximum sensor data, enabling massive shadow recovery and highlight protection compared to compressed in-camera JPEGs
- White balance and sharpening are saved as metadata instructions rather than 'baked in', meaning they can be perfectly adjusted in post-production
- Utilizes the standard TIFF container structure, making it relatively straightforward for open-source software like LibRaw to parse
Limitations
- Proprietary format requires continuous updates to third-party processing software whenever Pentax releases a new camera model (unlike the open DNG format)
- Produces very large file sizes compared to standard web formats
- Cannot be directly embedded into web pages or used in standard HTML/CSS contexts
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
Pentax-PEF
Use Pentax-PEF when…
- Professional Digital Photography
- Non-destructive Image Post-Processing
- Pentax Camera Archival