XCF File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
File Extension .xcf
Full Name GIMP Image File
MIME Type image/x-xcf
Developed By The GIMP Development Team
Format Type Raster Image
Supports Layers Yes
Supports Transparency Yes
Color Modes RGB, Grayscale, Indexed
Depth (Color) 8 bits per channel (up to 32 bits for RGBA)
Compression RLE (Run-Length Encoding), Optional LZMA, Optional zlib
Editable Text Layers Yes
Supports Paths Yes
Support for Layer Groups Yes
Supports Channel Data Yes
Metadata Support Limited
Supports Plug-ins and Extensions Yes, via GIMP
Main Usage Storing intermediate edits, compositions, and digital artwork
Advantages Preserves full editing capabilities, supports numerous features specific to GIMP
Disadvantages Not widely supported outside of GIMP, can be large due to lack of strong compression
Binary Format Yes