FIF2 - New Open File Format > History of FIF Format

The FIF file format (“Fractal Image Format”) was a special image format developed in the early 1990s for fractal image compression. It emerged from research into fractals, recursive mathematics, and mathematical image modeling, and became especially associated with Iterated Systems.

Unlike traditional image formats such as JPEG or PNG, FIF did not mainly store images as direct pixel data. Instead, the format attempted to identify similarities within an image and represent them mathematically. Many natural images contain repeating structures such as:

•leaves,

•clouds,

•mountains,

•grass,

•or textures.

The FIF format exploited this self-similarity. During compression, the image was divided into smaller regions. The algorithm then searched for larger image areas that looked similar to the smaller regions. If a match was found, the encoder stored only the mathematical transformation rules needed to recreate the smaller block from the larger one. These transformations could include:

•scaling,

•rotation,

•reflection,

•brightness adjustment,

•and contrast modification.

As a result, a FIF file mainly contained:

•mathematical transformation data,

•image structure information,

•and reconstruction parameters.

When the file was opened, the image was not simply displayed directly like a JPEG. Instead, it was reconstructed iteratively. The decoder often started with a simple initial image and repeatedly applied the stored transformations until the image stabilized into the final result.

The history of the FIF format began during the 1980s with the research of Michael Barnsley, who worked on “Iterated Function Systems.” His research demonstrated that complex images and shapes could be represented using recursive mathematical processes. By the early 1990s, many researchers believed that fractal compression might become the future of digital image storage.

The company most strongly connected with FIF was Iterated Systems, which attempted to commercialize fractal image compression technology. At the time, the format attracted attention because it promised:

•very high compression ratios,

•fast decompression,

•and high-quality image scaling.

Some advertisements even claimed “infinite resolution” because fractal images could theoretically be enlarged mathematically without traditional pixelation.

However, serious practical problems soon appeared. The biggest issue was compression speed. Encoding a FIF image required extremely large numbers of block comparisons and mathematical calculations, which demanded enormous computing power. While decompression was relatively fast, creating a FIF file could take a very long time.

FIF never achieved widespread adoption despite its elegant mathematical foundation. Patent restrictions also limited open development and standardization.