Editing ART image file format

{{Short description|File format used by AOL}}
{{ Infobox file format
| name =           ART
| extension =      .art
| mime = 
| owner = [[AOL|America Online]] (AOL)
| creatorcode = 
| genre = [[Image file formats]]
| container for = 
| extended from = 
}}

'''ART''' is a [[Proprietary software|proprietary]] [[image file format]] used mostly by the [[AOL|America Online]] (AOL) service and [[client (computing)|client]] [[software]].

== Technical details ==
The ART format ([[file extension]] ".art") holds a single still [[image]] that has been highly [[Image compression|compressed]]. The format was designed to facilitate the quick downloading of images, among other things.<ref name="GIFs_JPEGs_BMPs_book_Fernandez">{{cite book |title=GIFs, JPEGs & BMPs: Handling Internet Graphics |last=Fernandez |first=Judi N. |year=1997 |page=[https://archive.org/details/gifsjpgsbmpshand0000fern/page/53 53] |publisher=MIS:Press |location=New York, NY |isbn=1-55828-562-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/gifsjpgsbmpshand0000fern/page/53 }}</ref> Originally, the compression was developed by the [[Johnson-Grace|Johnson-Grace Company]],<ref name="webreference.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.webreference.com/dev/graphics/compress.html |title=Optimizing Web Graphics: Compression |publisher=WebReference.com |date=2000-02-24 |access-date=2011-05-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518072918/http://www.webreference.com/dev/graphics/compress.html |archive-date=18 May 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> which was then acquired by AOL.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jgc.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981212030142/http://www.jgc.com/ |archive-date=1998-12-12 |title=Johnson-Grace is Now An America Online Company |publisher=[[Johnson-Grace]] |url-status=dead }}</ref> When an image is converted to the ART format, the image is analyzed and the software decides what compression technique would be best.<ref name="webreference.com"/> The ART format has similarities to the '''progressive [[JPEG]]''' format, and certain attributes of the ART format can lead to image quality being sacrificed for the sake of image compression (for instance, the image's color palette can be limited).<ref name="GIFs_JPEGs_BMPs_book_Fernandez"/>

== Usage by AOL ==
The AOL service used the ART image format for most of the image presentation of the online service.  In addition, the AOL client's web browser also automatically served such images in the ART format to achieve faster downloads on the slower dialup connections that were prevalent in those days.<ref name="aol_help">{{cite web|url=http://help.aol.com/help/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=220576&sliceId=1&docTypeID=DT_AOLTROUBLESHOOTING_1_1&dialogID=331712664&stateId=1%200%20885268094&radios=False |title=Web images are saved as .art file and not as .jpg or .gif file |publisher=[[AOL]] |access-date=2011-05-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723150824/http://help.aol.com/help/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=220576&sliceId=1&docTypeID=DT_AOLTROUBLESHOOTING_1_1&dialogID=331712664&stateId=1%200%20885268094&radios=False |archive-date=2011-07-23 }}</ref> This conversion was done in the AOL [[proxy servers]] and could be optionally disabled by the user.  This image conversion process effectively reduced the download time for image files.  This technology was once [[brand]]ed as Turboweb and is now known as AOL TopSpeed.<ref name="aol_help"/>

== Software support for ART ==
The Graphic Workshop Professional software from Alchemy Mindworks Corp. supports ART files.<ref name="gwp">{{cite web |url=http://www.mindworkshop.com/gwsplugins.html#ART |title=AMC Graphic Workshop Professional Format Plugins |publisher=Alchemy Mindworks Corporation |access-date=2011-05-11}}</ref> (With later versions of the Graphic Workshop Professional software, an ART [[Plug-in (computing)|plugin]] from Alchemy Mindworks is required for this support.)<ref name="gwp"/> For the [[Windows 2000]] platform, [[Microsoft]] released the AOL Image Support Update which added support for ART images.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727075.aspx |title=AOL Image Support Update for Windows 2000 |date=2001-06-19 |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |access-date=2011-05-11}}</ref> As of June 2006 the [[Internet Explorer]] browser no longer supported ART files when Microsoft released a security update. <ref name="ms_sec_btn_MS06-021">{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS06-021.mspx |title=Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-021: Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (916281) |date=2006-06-14 |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=2011-05-11}}</ref> Among other things, this update removed support for ART files from the Internet Explorer browser in order to help prevent issues where invalid ART data could cause the Internet Explorer software to unexpectedly quit.<ref name="ms_sec_btn_MS06-021"/> An ART file that is opened with the AOL picture viewer can be saved as another file type.
Software Mfg. Delcam (a subsidiary of Autodesk) has a product called Artcam which uses the ART file extension to create CAD/CAM files.

== References ==
<references/>

== External links ==
<!--*[http://was.usc.edu/isd/publications/archives/networker/96-97/Sep_Oct_96/profile-reed.html "Profile - Irving Reed"]: An article with information on the history of Johnson-Grace and the ART image compression.-->
*{{US patent|5682152}} Data compression using adaptive bit allocation and hybrid lossless entropy coding
*{{US patent|5822456}} Optimal spline interpolation for image compression
*{{US patent|5892847}} Method and apparatus for compressing images

{{Graphics file formats}}
{{AOL Inc.}}

[[Category:AOL]]
[[Category:Graphics file formats]]