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XCF

GIMP Image Format

image/x-xcf Released 1995 · by Spencer Kimball, Peter Mattis, and the GIMP Development Team

The image/x-xcf MIME type represents the native project file format used by GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program). Standing originally for 'Experimental Computing Facility' (and later re-purposed as 'GIMP Color Format'), XCF is a comprehensive layered image format. Unlike flattened delivery formats such as JPEG or PNG, an XCF file preserves the complete editing state of a project—including individual layers, channels, transparency masks, paths, text data, and active selection boundaries. Because it is GIMP's internal working format, it is tightly coupled with GIMP's rendering engine and is rarely used outside of direct photo editing pipelines or asset creation workflows.

Raster Graphics & Layers Transparency Animation ✦ HDR Production Ready

Technical Specifications

MIME Type
image/x-xcf
Extensions
.xcf
Container
GIMP Hierarchical Chunk Container
Compression
None & RLE (Run-Length Encoding) & Zlib / Deflate (In newer GIMP versions)
Algorithms
NoneRLEZlib
Color Depth
8-bit per channel, 16-bit per channel, 32-bit floating point
Metadata
EXIF XMP ICC
Capabilities
Transparency
Animation
Progressive Loading
Alpha Channel
HDR Support
Official Specification
Aliases: image/xcfapplication/x-xcf

Magic Bytes & HTTP Headers

File Signature (Magic Bytes)
67 69 6D 70 20 78 63 66
ASCII: gimp xcf
HTTP Headers
Content-Type: image/x-xcf
Content-Type: image/xcf
HTML Accept Attribute
accept="image/x-xcf, .xcf"

Browser Support Matrix

Browser Status Min Version
Chrome Chrome
Not Supported
Firefox Firefox
Not Supported
Safari Safari
Not Supported
Edge Edge
Not Supported
Internet Explorer Internet Explorer
Not Supported Legacy

Advantages & Limitations

Advantages
  • Preserves all non-destructive editing elements, layer hierarchies, masks, and alpha channels across GIMP sessions
  • Open and thoroughly documented specification within the open-source community, allowing third-party tools like Krita and ImageMagick to read project files
  • Reliable magic byte header prevents misidentification
Limitations
  • Massive file sizes because raw, unflattened layer bitmaps and masks are stored directly within the project archive
  • Completely proprietary to the GIMP ecosystem for deep editing; cannot be natively rendered or parsed by web browsers
  • Third-party software supporting XCF may occasionally struggle to render complex text layer adjustments or advanced layer blend modes identically to GIMP

Developer Code Snippets

import magic
# Libmagic effortlessly identifies GIMP XCF files via the 'gimp xcf' signature
print(magic.from_file('project.xcf', mime=True)) # Outputs 'image/x-xcf'
const fs = require('fs');
// Manually checking the first 8 bytes for the 'gimp xcf' magic header
const buffer = Buffer.alloc(8);
const fd = fs.openSync('project.xcf', 'r');
fs.readSync(fd, buffer, 0, 8, 0);
fs.closeSync(fd);
const isXCF = buffer.toString('ascii', 0, 8) === 'gimp xcf';
console.log('Is GIMP XCF Project:', isXCF);
import (
    "bytes"
    "net/http"
)
// Native Go HTTP detection reads the prefix.
// isXCF := bytes.HasPrefix(buf, []byte("gimp xcf"))
$mime = mime_content_type('project.xcf');
echo $mime; // Standard PHP setups with updated magic database definitions will return 'image/x-xcf'

File Detection Steps

How to programmatically detect a image/x-xcf file by reading its raw bytes:

  1. 1 Every valid GIMP XCF file begins with a distinct human-readable magic signature at byte offset 0.
  2. 2 Check the first 9-14 bytes for the ASCII string 'gimp xcf' followed by the version string (e.g., 'gimp xcf v001' or 'gimp xcf v002', Hex: 67 69 6D 70 20 78 63 66 ...).
  3. 3 This predictable file signature makes programmatic identification of XCF files exceptionally reliable.

Software Support

GIMP GIMP
ImageMagick ImageMagick
K
Krita
X
XnView

Conversion Tools

Share & Embed

Markdown Badge
XCF Format Badge
[![XCF Format](https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/xcf/badge.svg)](https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/xcf)
Interactive iframe Widget
<iframe src="https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/xcf/embed" width="100%" height="280" style="border:1px solid #cbd5e1;border-radius:8px;" title="XCF Specs"></iframe>

JSON API

All data on this page is available as a free, open JSON API. Use it in your project, documentation, or tooling.

GET https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/xcf.json Open JSON
Free to use
No auth required
CORS enabled
Use from any domain
Cached 24h
Cache-Control headers set

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an XCF file?

An XCF file is the native project file format created by GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program). It stores all editing data for an image, including layers, transparency masks, channels, and paths, allowing you to resume editing later.

Can I open an XCF file in a web browser?

No. Modern web browsers do not natively support XCF files. To display an XCF file on the web, you must open it in GIMP or a compatible image editor and export it to a web-friendly format like PNG, JPEG, or WebP.

What is the difference between an XCF file and a PSD file?

They serve the exact same purpose for different applications. XCF is the native layered project format for GIMP, whereas PSD (Photoshop Document) is the native layered project format for Adobe Photoshop.

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