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Leopard Reference Library: Graphics & Imaging
Quartz technologies are at the heart of the Mac OS X graphics and windowing environment. Quartz 2D is a two-dimensional drawing API that leverages the Portable Document Format (PDF) drawing model and allows developers to to achieve many of the visual effects used in the Mac OS X user interface, including translucency and drop shadows. Quartz Composer is a development tool for processing and rendering graphical data. PDF Kit allows applications to display and manipulate PDF documents. Core Image and Core Video support, respectively, image processing and video image manipulation. Quartz also provides low-level system services such as window buffering and composition, event handling and dispatch, display management, and text rendering.

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QCPlugInOutputImageProvider Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the methods for managing image data that's produced as output from a QCPlugIn object.
Reference 2007-05-09
QCPlugInViewController Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class that provides a controller object for a user interface to edit the settings for a QCPlugIn object.
Reference 2007-05-09
QCRenderer Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class used to load, play, and control a Quartz Composer composition to an arbitrary OpenGL context.
Reference 2007-05-09
QCView Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class used to load, play, and control a Quartz Composer composition to a custom NSView object.
Reference 2007-05-09
QTCoreImage101 (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to render a QuickTime Movie using Core Image filters and the new video pipeline.
Sample Code 2005-07-19
QTPixelBufferVCToCGImage (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates using QTPixelBufferContextCreate with NewMovieFromProperties to output pixel buffers from a movie and draw them.
Sample Code 2006-07-07
QTtoCG (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to create a CGImageRef with the proper ColorSync profile from a QuickTime image on disk.
Sample Code 2003-01-14
Quartz 2D Interpolation (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1186: Explains how to control Quartz 2D's image interpolation.
Technical Q&As 2002-10-29
Quartz 2D Programming Guide (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to use Quartz 2D. Includes illustrations and sample code.
Guides 2007-12-11
Quartz 2D Reference Collection (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the C API for the native two-dimensional drawing engine in Mac OS X.
Reference 2006-12-18
Quartz 2D Shadings (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to use CGShading and CGGradient objects to draw simple gradients.
Sample Code 2007-08-31
Quartz 2D Thread Safety (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1238: Explains the thread-safety issues for the Quartz 2D API.
Technical Q&As 2003-02-25
Quartz 2D Transformer (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to use Quartz 2D to manipulate an image
Sample Code 2007-06-21
Quartz Composer Custom Patch Programming Guide (HTML) (PDF)
Describes how to create custom patches for distribution.
Guides 2007-12-11
Quartz Composer Live DV (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to export a Quartz Composer composition as a real-time DV stream on the FireWire port.
Sample Code 2005-06-01
Quartz Composer Matrix (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to use Quartz Composer to display a QuickTime movie as a series of frames in a 3D world.
Sample Code 2005-06-01
Quartz Composer Offline Rendering (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to render a Quartz Composer composition as a series of images using an OpenGL pBuffer.
Sample Code 2005-06-01
Quartz Composer Programming Guide (HTML) (PDF)
Describes how to used the framework to load, play, and control compositions.
Guides 2008-10-15
Quartz Composer QCTV (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to build a fake TV system using Quartz Composer as the foundation motion graphics.
Sample Code 2005-07-06
Quartz Composer Reference Collection (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the Objective-C API that supports loading, playing, and controlling compositions.
Reference 2007-01-25
Quartz Composer Release Note for Mac OS X v10.5 (HTML)
Summarizes the features and changes in Quartz Composer for Mac OS X v10.5.
Release Notes 2007-10-31
Quartz Composer Texture (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to use a Quartz Composer composition as an OpenGL texture.
Sample Code 2005-06-01
Quartz Composer User Guide (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to use the Quartz Composer development tool to create motion graphics compositions.
Guides 2007-07-17
Quartz Composer WebKit Plug-in JavaScript Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the API for manipulating Quartz Composer compositions in webpages and Dashboard widgets via the Quartz Composer WebKit Plug-in.
Guides 2009-01-06
Quartz Composer WWDC 2005 Composition (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to build a parameterized motion graphics composition with Quartz Composer.
Sample Code 2005-06-01
Quartz Composer WWDC 2005 TextEdit (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrate how to modify TextEdit's about dialog to display a Quartz Composer composition.
Sample Code 2005-06-01
Quartz Core Framework Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interfaces for Core Image and Core Video.
Reference 2008-03-12
Quartz Core Reference Update (HTML) (PDF)
Summarizes the symbols added to the Quartz Core framework.
Release Notes 2007-07-18
Quartz Display Services Programming Topics (HTML) (PDF)
Shows how to configure and control display hardware using Quartz Display Services.
Guides 2006-06-28
Quartz Display Services Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for configuring and controlling display hardware.
Reference 2008-11-19
Quartz EB (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
WWDC 2001 Early Bird Quartz 2D tutorial of vector drawing and PDF import/export.
Sample Code 2003-01-14
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.
Reference 2007-10-31
Quartz Framework Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the API for Quartz Composer, Image Kit, and PDF Kit.
Reference 2007-12-11
Quartz Programming Guide for QuickDraw Developers (HTML) (PDF)
Provides strategies to help Carbon programmers replace QuickDraw code with Quartz.
Guides 2006-09-05
Quartz Reference Update (HTML) (PDF)
Summarizes the symbols added to the Quartz framework.
Release Notes 2007-07-18
Quartz2DBasics (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Carbon and Cocoa sample code demonstrating some basic usage of the Quartz 2D API
Sample Code 2006-09-11
QuartzCache (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates several caching techniques using CGBitmapContext, CGImageRef re-use, CGLayerRefs, CGImageSource.
Sample Code 2005-06-01
QuartzComposerSamplePatches (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
A short list of new patches in Quartz Composer Mac OS X 10.5
Sample Code 2007-06-11
QuartzLines (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Drawing Lines using Quartz's CGPath & CGContextStrokeLineSegments functions.
Sample Code 2005-06-01
QuartzShapes (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Example Quartz functions that implement equivalents to the QuickDraw PaintArc, FrameArc, PaintOval, FrameOval, PaintRect, and FrameRect
Sample Code 2005-03-08
Requirements for Quartz GL (HTML)
QA1536: Describes the requirements for enabling Quartz GL.
Technical Q&As 2008-08-08
Resolution Independent UI Release Notes (HTML)
Release Notes 2005-04-29
RGB ValueTransformers (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Supersedes the "RGB Image sample". Sample now uses bindings. Color separation now done in an NSValueTransformer subclass.
Sample Code 2003-11-18
Saving the current Core Graphics Path (HTML)
QA1056: Explains that the Core Graphics save and restore GState APIs do not affect the path.
Technical Q&As 2001-10-02
Shearing a Coordinate Space with NSAffineTransform (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1332: Describes a simple way to shear coordinate spaces by adding a few methods to the NSAffineTransform class.
Technical Q&As 2004-01-29
Son of Grab (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to use the new CGWindow to get window images from the Window Server.
Sample Code 2007-11-01
SyncCGContextOriginWithPort (HTML)
QA1010: Describes how to use SyncCGContextOriginWithPort.
Technical Q&As 2001-04-11
Tiger Developer Overview Series: Developing with Core Image (HTML)
Learn how Core Image can help you take your graphics development to the next level.
Articles 2005-03-09
Turning Off Core Graphics Clipping (HTML)
QA1050: Explains how to clear the clipping path for a CGContext.
Technical Q&As 2001-07-02
Unexpected CG state changes (HTML)
QA1045: Explains why the Core Graphics drawing state sometimes changes for no apparent reason.
Technical Q&As 2001-07-02
Using Python with Quartz 2D on Mac OS X (HTML)
New article on using the Python bindings in Mac OS X to access the Quartz 2D graphics API.
Articles 2007-07-10
Using the ImageIO Framework with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger (HTML)
Learn to access image data using ImageIO.
Articles 2006-11-27
VideoHardwareInfo (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Query VRAM, Quartz Extreme support, OpenGL extensions and renderer, GLSL version and support.
Sample Code 2007-05-14
What is the Timebase submenu available in the contextual menu of some patches in Quartz Composer? (HTML)
QA1427: Describes the timebase system used by patches in Quartz Composer.
Technical Q&As 2005-06-15
When does the RSS Feed patch in Quartz Composer refreshes its contents? (HTML)
QA1425: Explains how the RSS Feed patch in Quartz Composer refreshes its contents.
Technical Q&As 2005-06-24
Why are my Core Graphics calls drawing upside down? (HTML)
QA1009: Explains why CoreGraphics drawing comes out upside down relative to QuickDraw drawing.
Technical Q&As 2001-04-11
Why does my Quartz Composer composition render with a corrupted background in the QCView? (HTML)
QA1434: Describes the circumstances in which the QCView background may render corrupted.
Technical Q&As 2005-06-01
Working with Quartz Composer (HTML)
Learn to build a sample composition without having to write code.
Articles 2006-02-13