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TS3 User Manual
Application Note 6: Choosing an Image File Format
TS3 and TS3 cameras are capable of outputting images in 7 different file formats. These format
serve different purposes depending on imaging and work flow requirements.
JPEG images are compressed in order to take the least space. A recording saved as JPEGs results in
an image stack, whereby each frame is a file. JPEG compression quality (0-100, with 100 being
highest quality, lowest compression) may be selected by the user in the camera User Preferences
menu. Default “JPEG Qfactor” is 80, which results in compression of 10:1 to 20:1 for average scenes.
AVI files a e basically JPEGs placed in a “wrapper,” resulting in one video file that is playable on
many popular video players.
BMP and TIF files a e almost identical--both being uncompressed, fully processed images. Like
JPEGs they are saved as stacks, but are much larger.
DNG, TIF(raw), and CAP files are raw formats, meaning that color images are not interpolated. Color
interpolation takes 8-bit images and colorizes them, which produces 24-bit files 3x as large. DNG
and TIF(raw) files are smaller than BMP and TIF files. DNG and TIF(raw) are stacks, while CAP files
contain a whole “Session” of images.
•
JPEG: JPEG compressed, user selectable compression, saved as video stacks. All image and color
processing done on camera. 8-bit data only is preserved so output is 8-bits/pixel mono, or 24bits/pixel color.*
•
AVI: Motion JPEG compressed, user selectable compression, user selectable playback rate, saved
as one file. All image and color processing done on camera. 8-bit data only is preserved so output
is 8-bits/pixel mono, or 24-bits/pixel color.*
•
DNG: Not compressed, raw format with “as shot” parameters saved within images. 8-bit or 10-bit
data preserved (for producing 24-bit or 30-bit color images). Available on color cameras only. All
image processing excluding FPN correction, but including color interpolation, brightness, contrast,
gamma, color gains, etc. to be done off-camera in 3rd-party software. Compatible with Adobe an
Black Magic imaging software. 8-bit images saved 8 bits/pixel; 10-bit images saved 16 bits/pixel
•
BMP: Not compressed. Saved as video stacks. Bitmap. All image and color processing done on
camera. 8-bit data only is preserved so output is 8-bits/pixel mono, or 24-bits/pixel color.*
•
TIF: Not compressed. Saved as video stacks. Almost identical in size and specification to
BMP, but has added “TIFF tags.” All image and color processing done on camera. 8-bit data
only is preserved so output is 8-bits/pixel mono, or 24-bits/pixel color.*
•
TIF (raw) Not compressed. Saved as video stacks. 8-bit or 10-bit data preserved (for producing 24bit or 30-bit color images and 8-bit or 10-bit mono images). 8-bit data is saved as uninterpolated
8-bit images. 10-bit data is saved as uninterpolated 16-bit images. Similar to DNG format, except
that the “as shot” values must be parsed from the metadata files (not written into the image
files)
•
CAP: Proprietary MIKROTRON “partition capture” image format. Raw image data from sensor is
saved in a file along with FPN correction (black frame), as well as “as shot” parameters. 8-bit or
10-bit data is preserved. CAP files may be loaded back into camera image memory, then saved
again to any media in any of the other formats.
*Note: When 10-bit data is recorded, all 10 bits are used in the 16-bit image processer. For formats
that only save 8-bit data, this means that all of the image processing done still uses all of the 10-bit
data and there still may be a discernible (certainly a measurable) difference in the 8-bit processed
images produced. (If you capture both 10-bit and 8-bit images of the same scene, then save them
as 8-bit color images, the ones captured in 10 bits will have a higher number of discrete colors than
those captured in 8 bits.
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