|
|
| Name |
Truevision TGA Bitmap |
| Version |
1.0 |
| Other names |
TGA, Targa Bitmap |
| Identifiers |
Apple Uniform Type Identifier:
com.truevision.tga-image
Library of Congress Format Description Identifier:
fdd000179
PUID:
x-fmt/367
|
| Family |
|
| Classification |
Image (Raster) |
| Disclosure |
|
| Description |
TGA (often referred to as TARGA) is a simple raster format for individual images first established by Truevision, Inc. in 1984. Designed for use on systems that used MS-DOS color applications, TGA is the native format of Truevision's TARGA (Truevision Advanced Raster Graphics Adapter) boards, which were some of the first graphic cards for IBM-compatible PCs to support truecolor display (most often defined as 24-bit RGB color encoding). Truevision defined the first version of its TGA file format in 1984 for use with its first videographics products, including video boards for PC displays. In 1989, Truevision introduced TGA version 2.0.
TGA supports mapped/indexed color and RGB color, with additional support for transparency information (sometimes referred to as alpha channel, as in RGBA color space). Transparency information permits images to be superimposed over other data, e.g., additional images, text layouts, or video, and permits effects like cross-fading between graphic images and video, etc.
TGA images may be encoded at 8, 16, 24, or 32 bits per pixel (as mapped/indexed color, RGB, or RGBA). TGA supported 24-bit color before such support was available in the TIFF format, and this helped establish the format's popularity during the 1980s.
The file signature is a FourCC code: TPIC. Also a variety of extensions were permissable in TGA version 1 (including .VDA”, “.ICB”, “.TGA”, and “.VST) but these were deprecated in TGA version 2.0 specification and only TGA was permitted). |
| Orientation |
Text |
| Byte order |
|
| Related file formats |
Has lower priority than Truevision TGA Bitmap (2.0)
Has lower priority than MySQL Table Definition Format
|
| Technical Environment |
|
| Released |
|
| Supported until |
|
| Format Risk |
|
| Developed by |
None.
|
| Supported by |
None.
|
| Source |
 Digital Preservation Department / The National Archives
|
| Source date |
02 Aug 2005 |
| Source description |
v.120- New description created, additional notes and fdd identifier added as part of PRONOM Research Week 2024. Submitted by Library of Congress. |
| Last updated |
02 Jan 2025 |
| Note |
https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000179.shtml; Only incomplete versions of the TGA version 1 are available but https://www.dca.fee.unicamp.br/~martino/disciplinas/ea978/tgaffs.pdf explains some of the differences between the versions in that version 2 added specification of pixel aspect ratio (providing more explicit support for square and non-square pixels), color correction tables, an embedded thumbnail image (termed postage-stamp in the standard), and some very basic metadata elements (such as author, software, date/timestamp, job number, comments). A developer area provided a mechanism for including additional information. |
|
Details: File format summary
: detailed report on file format 
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