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Image MIME Reference
Compressed-XCF

Compressed GIMP XCF Image

image/x-compressed-xcf
VS

Simple Vector Format

image/vnd.svf
SVF

A complete technical comparison of Compressed GIMP XCF Image and Simple Vector Format — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.

Equal browser support

Feature Support

Feature Compressed-XCF SVF
Transparency (Alpha) Yes Yes
Animation Support Yes ✕ No
Progressive Loading ✕ No ✕ No
HDR Support Yes ✕ No
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)
Full Compressed-XCF reference →
Simple Vector Format
image/vnd.svf
Extension
.svf
Container Custom Binary/Text (Legacy) or ZIP (Autodesk Forge)
Compression Uncompressed / Deflate (in modern Autodesk SVF implementations)
Algorithm
None
Color Depth Vector Data (Not Applicable)
Developed by SoftSource & NCSA (National Center for Supercomputing Applications)
Released 1995
Magic Bytes
Unknown (SoftSource SVF)
Full SVF reference →

Browser Support Comparison

Browser Compressed-XCF SVF
Chrome Chrome
✕ ✕
Firefox Firefox
✕ ✕
Safari Safari
✕ ✕
Edge Edge
✕ ✕
IE 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
SVF

SVF Strengths

  • Acted as a crucial pioneering stepping-stone in proving that scalable, zoomable vector graphics were viable and necessary for the World Wide Web
Limitations
  • Completely obsolete and unsupported by modern web standards
  • Required end-users to install bulky, proprietary browser plugins
  • Causes significant developer confusion today due to Autodesk adopting the exact same acronym and file extension for a completely different technology

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
SVF
Use SVF when…
  • Historical Web-based CAD Viewers (1990s)
  • Legacy 2D Vector Archival
  • Autodesk Platform Services (Forge) Model Translation (Name Collision)

More comparisons

Compressed-XCF vs ACES → SVF vs ACES → Compressed-XCF vs APNG → SVF vs APNG → Compressed-XCF vs AVCI → SVF vs AVCI → Compressed-XCF vs AVCS → SVF vs AVCS → Compressed-XCF vs AVIF → SVF vs AVIF → All comparisons →
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