Sobre os arquivos XCF
Imagem GIMP
Formato nativo do GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program). Preserva camadas, máscaras, canais — equivalente livre ao PSD do Photoshop.
Família
Raster & Vector Images
Extensão
.xcf
Tipo MIME
image/x-xcf
Pode ser usado como
COMO NASCEU O
FORMATO XCF.
XCF — eXperimental Computing Facility — was named after the UC Berkeley lab where Spencer Kimball and Peter Mattis were graduate students in 1995 when they wrote the first version of GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program). XCF is GIMP’s native save format: it preserves every layer, mask, channel, path, guide, and GIMP-specific feature (like paths with B-spline control points) that the app knows about.
Like PSD for Photoshop, XCF is the master format for serious GIMP work — export to PNG/JPEG for delivery, but save to XCF if you ever want to edit again. The format has evolved carefully with each GIMP release but retains backward compatibility to the first version. A 1996 XCF still opens in GIMP 3.0.
CURIOSIDADES E
FATOS INTERESSANTES.
XCF is named after UC Berkeley's "eXperimental Computing Facility" where GIMP's original authors worked as grad students.
The format predates Photoshop's layered PSD file by only 1 year — both formats converged on similar ideas independently.
Photoshop cannot open XCF natively — file exchange between the two apps always goes through PSD or PNG.
An XCF file can be gzip-compressed (.xcf.gz) or bzip2-compressed (.xcf.bz2) and GIMP opens either transparently.
GIMP 3.0 (2025) finally added 32-bit float precision XCFs — catching up to Photoshop's 2005-era capability.
VANTAGENS E
LIMITAÇÕES.
Vantagens
- Native GIMP format — full fidelity for every tool and feature.
- Open, documented spec.
- Supports layers, channels, paths, masks, guides, selections.
- Gzip-compressed variant keeps files compact.
- Backward-compatible since 1995.
Limitações
- Limited ecosystem — Photoshop, Illustrator, and browsers don't open XCF.
- No native CMYK support (a longstanding GIMP limitation).
- 32-bit precision only since GIMP 3.0 (2025).
- Export to PNG/JPEG/PSD is mandatory for client delivery.
Tamanhos típicos de arquivo
Simple 2-layer edit
500 KB - 3 MB
Website mockup with 20 layers
10-50 MB
High-res photo composite
100-400 MB
Especificações técnicas
- MIME type
- image/x-xcf
- Extensions
- .xcf, .xcf.gz, .xcf.bz2
- Native to
- GIMP
- Bit depths
- 8, 16, 32-bit per channel (since GIMP 2.10 / 3.0)
- Color modes
- RGB, Grayscale, Indexed
CONVERTER A PARTIR DE
XCF
Casos de uso comuns
Image editing with GIMP
Formatos relacionados
Comparativos populares
XCF vs JPG
Diferenças, tamanho de arquivo e quando escolher cada formato.
XCF vs PNG
Diferenças, tamanho de arquivo e quando escolher cada formato.
XCF vs WEBP
Diferenças, tamanho de arquivo e quando escolher cada formato.
XCF vs AVIF
Diferenças, tamanho de arquivo e quando escolher cada formato.
XCF vs GIF
Diferenças, tamanho de arquivo e quando escolher cada formato.
XCF vs BMP
Diferenças, tamanho de arquivo e quando escolher cada formato.
Conversões populares de XCF
Os destinos mais procurados ao converter arquivos XCF.
Perguntas frequentes sobre XCF
Perguntas frequentes
XCF (GIMP Image) is an image formato used to store raster graphics — a two-dimensional grid of pixels describing a picture. It is part of the raster & vector images family e designed around a specific trade-off between tamanho do arquivo, visual fidelity, e feature support (transparency, colour depth, compressão type). Photographers, web designers, e content creators choose XCF when its particular strengths match the publishing target.
Most desktop photo viewers (Windows Photos, macOS Preview, GIMP, Photoshop, Affinity Photo) abrir XCF natively. On mobile, iOS Photos e Google Photos display XCF no gallery when suportado por the OS. If the formato is rare ou new, converter to JPG ou PNG first — both are universally readable — usando our XCF to JPG ou XCF to PNG converter.
Upload the XCF to KaijuConverter e pick a target formato (JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, TIFF, BMP, SVG, PDF). The conversion runs in o navegador via ImageMagick e returns a baixar in seconds. No account ou installation required; both input e output delete automatically within two hours.
Depende de the task. JPG is the smallest tamanho do arquivo para photographs; PNG is sem perdas com transparência; XCF has its own niche that may favour colour depth, animation, ou codificação efficiency over one ou both of those. para the final web publish, test all three e measure tamanho do arquivo plus visible quality on real content.