Image MIME Reference
PICT
Apple PICT Image
image/x-pict
VS
Sony SR2 Raw Image
image/x-sony-sr2
Sony-SR2
A complete technical comparison of Apple PICT Image and Sony SR2 Raw Image — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | PICT | Sony-SR2 |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | Yes | ✕ No |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | ✕ No | Yes |
| EXIF Metadata | ✕ No | Yes |
| ICC Color Profile | ✕ No | Yes |
Apple PICT Image
image/x-pict
Extension
.pict.pct.pic
Container
QuickDraw Metafile
Compression
Uncompressed / Run-Length Encoding (RLE) / QuickTime Compressors (JPEG, SMC)
Algorithm
Apple PackBits (RLE)QuickTime Image Compression Manager (ICM)
Color Depth
1-bit, 2-bit, 4-bit, 8-bit (Indexed), 16-bit (High Color), 24-bit (True Color), 32-bit (RGBA)
Developed by
Apple Computer, Inc.
Released
1984
Magic Bytes
None (Requires offset parsing, e.g., 00 11 02 FF at byte 522)
Sony SR2 Raw Image
image/x-sony-sr2
Extension
.sr2
Container
TIFF-based (Proprietary)
Compression
Uncompressed / Sony Proprietary Lossless
Algorithm
NoneSony Proprietary Lossless
Color Depth
12-bit (Per Channel)
Developed by
Sony Corporation
Released
2005
Magic Bytes
49 49 2A 00
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | PICT | Sony-SR2 |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ | ✕ |
Firefox
|
✕ | ✕ |
Safari
|
✕ | ✕ |
Edge
|
✕ | ✕ |
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ | ✕ |
PICT
PICT Strengths
- Incredibly versatile for its time, allowing a single file to cleanly scale text and vector shapes while simultaneously housing raster photos
- Served as the flawless universal clipboard format for the classic Mac OS, enabling seamless copy/pasting between wildly different applications
Limitations
- Deeply tied to Apple's legacy QuickDraw graphics architecture, making it exceptionally difficult to write accurate third-party parsers on modern operating systems
- Lack of a standard magic header makes file detection unreliable without seeking 522 bytes deep into the file
- Completely unsupported in modern web environments and discontinued by Apple itself
Sony-SR2
Sony-SR2 Strengths
- Retains raw, unprocessed sensor data from legacy cameras, allowing modern raw processors to extract vastly superior image quality than what was possible in 2005
- Utilizes a standard TIFF container structure, ensuring that community-maintained open-source decoding libraries (like LibRaw) can easily parse and maintain support for it indefinitely
Limitations
- Completely obsolete format that has not been utilized in a new camera release in over a decade
- MIME detection via magic bytes is unreliable due to TIFF header spoofing, requiring deeper EXIF inspection
- Cannot be natively viewed in web browsers or standard operating system image viewers without specialized decoders
When to choose which format
PICT
Use PICT when…
- Classic Mac OS Clipboard Data
- Legacy Macintosh Desktop Publishing (Aldus PageMaker, QuarkXPress)
- 1980s/1990s Digital Clip Art
Sony-SR2
Use Sony-SR2 when…
- Legacy Sony Cyber-shot/Alpha Photography
- Non-destructive Image Post-Processing
- Raw Imaging Archival