Image MIME Reference
Compressed-XCF
Compressed GIMP XCF Image
image/x-compressed-xcf
VS
High-Throughput JPEG 2000 Codestream
image/jphc
HTJ2K-Codestream
A complete technical comparison of Compressed GIMP XCF Image and High-Throughput JPEG 2000 Codestream — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | Compressed-XCF | HTJ2K-Codestream |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | Yes | Yes |
| Animation Support | Yes | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | Yes |
| HDR Support | Yes | Yes |
| EXIF Metadata | Yes | ✕ No |
| ICC Color Profile | Yes | ✕ No |
Compressed GIMP XCF Image
image/x-compressed-xcf
Extension
.xcf.gz.xcf.bz2.xcfgz.xcfbz2
Container
Gzip or Bzip2 Archive
Compression
Gzip (Deflate) / Bzip2
Algorithm
DeflateBWT (Burrows-Wheeler)
Color Depth
8-bit (Per Channel), 16-bit (Integer/Floating Point), 32-bit (Integer/Floating Point)
Developed by
The GIMP Team
Released
1995
Magic Bytes
1F 8B 08 (gzip) or 42 5A 68 (bzip2)
High-Throughput JPEG 2000 Codestream
image/jphc
Extension
.jhc
Container
None (Raw Codestream)
Compression
Lossy / Lossless
Algorithm
High-Throughput JPEG 2000 (HTJ2K)
Color Depth
8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, 38-bit
Developed by
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
Released
2019
Magic Bytes
FF 4F FF 51
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | Compressed-XCF | HTJ2K-Codestream |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ | ✕ |
Firefox
|
✕ | ✕ |
Safari
|
✕ | ✕ |
Edge
|
✕ | ✕ |
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ | ✕ |
Compressed-XCF
Compressed-XCF Strengths
- Drastically reduces the massive file sizes of standard XCF project files, saving significant disk space
- Preserves 100% of the non-destructive editing data (layers, masks, paths, guides) from the GIMP workspace
- Uses standard, universally supported compression algorithms (gzip/bzip2) meaning the archive can be rescued or extracted by standard OS tools if GIMP is unavailable
Limitations
- Increases file load and save times due to the CPU overhead required to compress and decompress the massive pixel arrays
- Impossible for automated tools to parse metadata or dimensions without first unarchiving the payload into memory
- File extension combinations (.xcf.gz) can confuse basic MIME sniffers which stop reading at the .gz extension
HTJ2K-Codestream
HTJ2K-Codestream Strengths
- Extremely fast encoding and decoding capabilities due to the parallelizable block coder
- Minimal file overhead since it lacks container headers and metadata
- Ideal for streaming applications or embedded systems where parsing a full container is unnecessary
Limitations
- Lacks standard metadata support (like EXIF, XMP, or ICC color profiles) since there is no container structure
- Zero native web browser compatibility
- Difficult to distinguish from standard JPEG 2000 codestreams without deeply parsing the internal marker segments
When to choose which format
Compressed-XCF
Use Compressed-XCF when…
- GIMP Multi-layer Project Archival
- Saving disk space for complex raster edits
- Open-source graphic design workflows
HTJ2K-Codestream
Use HTJ2K-Codestream when…
- Medical Imaging Pipelines
- Geospatial Data Streaming
- Digital Cinema
- Embedded Systems