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Leopard Reference
Graphics and imaging on Mac OS X consists of three main developer technologies: Quartz, an advanced drawing engine and windowing environment; OpenGL, an Apple implementation of this 3D graphics industry-standard API; and QuickTime, the cross-platform multimedia technology for handling video, sound, and text.

A guided introduction for developers new to Mac OS X graphics and imaging.   Essential information for developers working with graphics and imaging.   C and Objective-C API references organized by framework.
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CAMediaTiming Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for the time behavior of an animation.
Cocoa, Quartz 2009-03-04
CGPDFOperatorTable Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a collection of PDF operators and associated callback functions.
Quartz 2009-03-04
IKSlideshowDataSource Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the methods that a slideshow object uses to access the contents of its data source object.
Cocoa, Quartz 2009-03-04
NSWindow Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a window.
Cocoa 2009-03-04
CALayer Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a node of animated visual content.
Cocoa, Quartz 2009-02-04
NSShadow Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a drop shadow for a drawing operation.
Cocoa 2009-02-04
NSView Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for drawing, event handling, and printing in views.
Cocoa 2009-02-04
Quartz Window Services Reference (HTML)
Describes the interface for capturing the contents of a window.
Carbon 2009-01-15
CGDataProvider Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an opaque data type for reading image data.
Quartz 2009-01-06
CGGeometry Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes structures and functions for manipulating points, rectangles, and sizes.
Quartz 2009-01-06
NSBitmapImageRep Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an object that draws an image from bitmap data.
Cocoa 2009-01-06
NSColor Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a representation of color and opacity.
Cocoa 2009-01-06
NSImage Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a graphical image that includes facilities for drawing and compositing.
Cocoa 2009-01-06
NSImageRep Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for managing and drawing image data.
Cocoa 2009-01-06
NSPanel Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a window for performing auxiliary functions in an application.
Cocoa 2009-01-06
NSScreen Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a representation of a screen (computer monitor).
Cocoa 2009-01-06
Application Kit Framework Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for all things related to an application's user interface.
Cocoa 2008-11-19
Quartz Display Services Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for configuring and controlling display hardware.
Carbon, Hardware & Drivers, Quartz 2008-11-19
CGPDFArray Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an array structure in a PDF document.
Quartz 2008-10-15
CGPDFContentStream Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the appearance of a PDF page.
Quartz 2008-10-15
CGPDFDictionary Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a dictionary structure in a PDF document.
Quartz 2008-10-15
CGPDFObject Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a PDF object in a PDF document.
Quartz 2008-10-15
CGPDFScanner Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an opaque type for parsing a PDF content stream.
Quartz 2008-10-15
CGPDFStream Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a PDF data stream, which typically represents an image or a page description.
Quartz 2008-10-15
CGPDFString Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a character string in a PDF document.
Quartz 2008-10-15
NSBox Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a view that can display its border and a title.
Cocoa 2008-10-15
NSOpenGLPixelFormat Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a pixel format for OpenGL rendering.
Cocoa, OpenGL 2008-10-15
CGColorSpace Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an opaque type for specifying color space information.
Quartz 2008-09-09
CAMediaTimingFunction Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the pacing of an animation as a timing curve.
Cocoa, Quartz 2008-07-11
Core Image Filter Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the built-in image processing filters available through Core Image.
Quartz 2008-07-11
Core Animation Reference Collection (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the API for Core Animation.
Cocoa, Quartz 2008-06-26
Core Image Kernel Language Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the symbols for writing image-processing kernels.
Carbon, Cocoa, Games, Quartz 2008-06-09
NSOpenGLContext Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a target for OpenGL commands.
Cocoa, OpenGL 2008-06-09
CARenderer Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an object that draws a layer to a Core Graphics context.
Cocoa, Quartz 2008-04-30
CGAffineTransform Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the functions for creating and applying affine transformations.
Quartz 2008-04-08
CGContext Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a Quartz 2D drawing destination.
Quartz 2008-04-08
CGImage Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a representation of an image.
Quartz 2008-04-08
CGPDFPage Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a page in a PDF document.
Quartz 2008-04-08
IKImageView Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class used to display images efficiently at the same time it supports image editing.
Cocoa, Quartz 2008-04-08
Image Capture Applications Reference (HTML)
Describes the API that applications use to communicate with image capture devices such as cameras and scanners.
General, Hardware 2008-04-08
Image Capture Device Modules Reference (HTML)
Describes the API to add support for image capture devices, such as cameras, phones, and scanners, to Mac OS X.
Hardware & Drivers 2008-04-08
QCCompositionRenderer Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the methods for passing and retrieving data from the ports of a composition.
Cocoa, Quartz 2008-04-08
QCPlugIn Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class used to write custom patches for Quartz Composer.
Cocoa, Quartz 2008-04-08
Quartz Core Framework Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interfaces for Core Image and Core Video.
Quartz 2008-03-12
CAAnimationGroup Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a grouping of multiple animations into a single animation.
Cocoa, Quartz 2008-03-11
CAOpenGLLayer Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a layer that acts as a target for OpenGL commands.
Cocoa, Quartz 2008-03-11
Apple Type Services for Fonts Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the C API for ATS-based font access and management.
Typography 2007-12-11
CAConstraintLayoutManager Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a layout manager that applies a set of constraints to a layer tree.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
CATextLayer Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a layer that draws text.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
CIFilter Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class that processes image data and produces a Core Image image as output.
Cocoa, Games, Quartz 2007-12-11
Font Manager Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the C API for QuickDraw-based font access and management.
Carbon, Typography 2007-12-11
PDF Kit Reference Collection (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the Objective-C API for viewing, navigating, and editing PDF content.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFAction Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for representing an action in a PDF document.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFActionGoTo Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for manipulating the destination of a go-to action in a PDF document.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFActionNamed Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for working with actions that have defined names, such as "Go back."
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFActionRemoteGoTo Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for manipulating the destination of a go-to action that targets another PDF document.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFActionResetForm Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for getting and clearing fields in a PDF form.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFActionURL Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for managing the URL associated with a URL action.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFAnnotation Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describe the class for creating and managing annotations in PDF documents.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFAnnotationButtonWidget Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for manipulating button annotations in PDF documents.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFAnnotationChoiceWidget Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for manipulating pop-up menu and list annotations in a PDF document.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFAnnotationFreeText Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for manipulating free text annotations in PDF documents.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFAnnotationLine Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for manipulating line annotations in PDF documents.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFAnnotationPopup Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for manipulating pop-up menu annotations in a PDF document.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFAnnotationStamp Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for displaying content to look as if it is "stamped" onto a PDF page.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFAnnotationText Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for manipulating text annotations in PDF documents.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFAnnotationTextWidget Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for manipulating editable text fields in PDF documents.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFDestination Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for describing specific destinations in PDF documents.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFDocument Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for creating and manipulating PDF files.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFOutline Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for creating and manipulating structure outlines in PDF documents.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFPage Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for handling specific pages in PDF documents.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFSelection Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for handling user selections in PDF documents.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFThumbnailView Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class for managing the thumbnail view in a PDF document.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
PDFView Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class that encapsulates all the capabilities of PDF Kit in a standard Cocoa view.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-12-11
QCCompositionLayer Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class used to display a Quartz Composer composition in a Layer Kit layer.
Quartz 2007-12-11
Quartz Framework Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the API for Quartz Composer, Image Kit, and PDF Kit.
Quartz 2007-12-11
CGImageSource Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the opaque type for reading image data.
Quartz 2007-12-04
Display Manager Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Deprecated - Describes the C API for dynamically changing the arrangement and display modes of attached monitors. Replaced by Quartz Display Services.
Carbon 2007-12-04
OpenGL Capabilities Matrix (HTML)
Lists supported OpenGL extensions and parameter values by various combinations of Mac OS X versions, graphics adapters, and CPU types.
OpenGL 2007-11-30
AGL Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the Apple graphics library for Carbon applications that use OpenGL.
Carbon, OpenGL 2007-10-31
Application Services Framework Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the API for a number of services--such as Quartz 2D and ATSUI--that are essential to Carbon applications.
General 2007-10-31
CAAnimation Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for managing the actions and timing of an animation.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-10-31
CATransition Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class that provides transition animations to layers.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-10-31
CGImageProperties Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes property constants for source and destination images.
Carbon, Quartz 2007-10-31
CGPDFContext Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a Quartz PDF drawing destination.
Quartz 2007-10-31
CIImage Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class that represents an immutable Core Image image.
Cocoa, Games, Quartz 2007-10-31
IKFilterBrowserPanel Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class that provides the panel contained in a filter browser.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-10-31
IKPictureTaker Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Descibes the class that provides a panel for choosing images.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-10-31
IKSlideshow Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class that encapsulates a data source and options for a slideshow.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-10-31
NSAnimation Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the behavior of an animation.
Cocoa 2007-10-31
Quartz Event Services Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the C API for event taps, filters used to observe and alter the stream of low-level user input events.
Quartz 2007-10-31
CAAction Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for receiving actions initiated by a layer.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-07-24
CABasicAnimation Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the basic interpolation of a layer property.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-07-24
CAConstraint Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a single geometric constraint between two layers.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-07-24
CAKeyframeAnimation Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an animation that provides keyframe interpolation of a layer property.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-07-24
CALayoutManager Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for receiving requests to arrange a layout tree.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-07-24
CAPropertyAnimation Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for manipulating values of layer properties.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-07-24
Carbon Printing Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the C API used by Carbon applications to provide a user interface for printing.
Printing 2007-07-24
CAScrollLayer Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a layer that displays a scrollable portion of another layer.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-07-24
CATiledLayer Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a layer that draws tiles of content as needed.
Cocoa, Quartz 2007-07-24