Jpg To C2p Converter File

Report: JPG to C2P Converter 1. Introduction 1.1 Purpose The JPG to C2P Converter is a specialized tool designed to transform standard JPEG image files into C2P (Color to Palette) format. C2P is a proprietary or application-specific graphics format primarily used in embedded systems, retro computing, low-memory environments, or custom game engines (e.g., Amiga, demoscene tools, or microcontroller-based displays). 1.2 Scope This report covers the technical specifications, conversion methodology, color quantization, palette mapping, and potential applications of a JPG to C2P conversion system. 2. Understanding the Formats 2.1 JPEG (JPG)

Type: Lossy compression format. Color space: Typically YCbCr (converted from RGB). Color depth: 24-bit (millions of colors). Compression: DCT-based, quantization, Huffman encoding. Use case: General photography, web images.

2.2 C2P (Color to Palette)

Type: Indexed color image format. Color space: RGB or custom indexed palette. Color depth: Typically 4-bit (16 colors), 8-bit (256 colors), or less. Structure: Custom header + palette data + pixel indices. Use case: Embedded displays, retro games, low-memory systems. jpg to c2p converter

Note: Since C2P is not a standardized format, this report defines a generic C2P specification for demonstration.

3. System Architecture The converter operates in three main stages: [JPG Input] → [Decode] → [Color Quantization] → [Palette Optimization] → [C2P Encoding] → [C2P Output]

3.1 Block Diagram | Component | Function | |-------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | JPEG Decoder | Converts JPG to raw RGB (24-bit). | | Color Quantizer | Reduces 24-bit color to limited palette (e.g., 16, 64, 256 colors). | | Palette Generator | Creates optimal palette using median cut or K-means. | | Index Mapper | Maps each pixel to nearest palette entry. | | C2P Encoder | Writes header, palette, and index data in target C2P format. | | Optional Dithering | Improves visual quality by error diffusion (Floyd–Steinberg). | 4. Conversion Algorithm 4.1 Step-by-Step Process Report: JPG to C2P Converter 1

Read JPG – Use a JPEG library (libjpeg, stb_image) to decode to RGB. Convert to RGB – Ensure linear RGB representation. Quantize colors – Choose number of colors (C2P palette size).

Median cut – Good general quality. K-means – Slower but better for gradients. Fixed palette – For predefined hardware palettes (e.g., EGA, Amiga).

Apply dithering (optional) – Reduces banding. Generate C2P data : Color space: Typically YCbCr (converted from RGB)

Header (example): magic number, width, height, bits per pixel, palette entries. Palette chunk – RGB triplets (3 bytes each). Pixel indices – Packed bits (e.g., 4 bits/pixel for 16 colors).

Write to file with .c2p extension.