QuickTime 3 Reference
This chapter describes graphics importer components. Graphics importer components provide a standard method for opening and displaying still images contained within graphics documents and for working with any type of image data, regardless of the file format or compression used in the graphics document.
You use the Image Compression Manager's GetGraphicsImporterForFile function to obtain a graphics importer component for a particular file.
QuickTime lets you include any compressed image data in a QuickDraw picture. The QuickTime image file (QTIF) format provides a useful container for QuickTime compressed still images. The format uses the same atom-based structure as a QuickTime movie. Because the QuickTime image file is a single fork format, it works well in cross-platform applications. On Mac OS systems, QuickTime image files are identified by the file type 'qtif' . On other platforms, Apple recommends that you use the filename extension .QIF to identify QuickTime image files.