Jump To:
Leopard Technical Q&As
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.
Document Descriptions
On Off
Display

Sort by
Title
Sorted by
Topic
Sort by
Date
How can I programmatically determine the DPI of the current video mode? (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1217: Describes how to compute the DPI for a given display in a given mode using Core Graphics.
Games 2002-12-02
How do I determine how much VRAM is available on my video card? (HTML)
QA1168: Using Core Graphics and IOKit to find the physical size of VRAM on installed hardware.
Games 2004-10-11
How do I tell if a particular display is being hardware accelerated by Quartz Extreme? (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1218: Describes how to use CGDisplayUsesOpenGLAcceleration to see if a display is accelerated or not.
Games 2002-12-04
How do I use QuickDraw with CGDirectDisplay? (HTML)
QA1011: Explains how to draw to a CGDirectDisplay-captured display using QuickDraw.
Games 2001-04-11
Is ColorSync thread safe? (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1261: Discusses ColorSync thread-safety issues.
Games 2003-04-17
QDFlushPortBuffer (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QD65: Describes a possible solution for window update problems under Carbon.
Games 2000-11-08
Requirements for Quartz GL (HTML)
QA1536: Describes the requirements for enabling Quartz GL.
Games 2008-08-08
Synchronizing OpenGL rendering updates to the vertical refresh of the display (HTML)
QA1521: How to avoid tearing by synchronizing your rendering to the display VBL
Games 2007-07-16
Updating OpenGL Contexts (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1209: When and why to update an OpenGL context in response to system and user actions.
Games 2003-06-19
Using Clip Region and Buffer Rectangles with OpenGL Carbon (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1222: Shows the basics of using buffer rectangles and clip regions with AGL.
Games 2002-12-19
Requirements for Quartz GL (HTML)
QA1536: Describes the requirements for enabling Quartz GL.
Hardware 2008-08-08
Difference between using Restart or Shut Down in the Finder's Special menu in Open Firmware (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
HW47: Explains the differences between using Restart or Shut Down on Open Firmware
Hardware & Drivers 1999-02-15
IOKit Framework Headers (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1107: Describes the differences between the headers in IOKit.framework and the I/O Kit headers in Kernel.framework.
Hardware & Drivers 2002-01-15
Is ColorSync thread safe? (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1261: Discusses ColorSync thread-safety issues.
Hardware & Drivers 2003-04-17
Legacy Devices (HTML)
HW84: Discusses why legacy devices with hard-wired I/O addresses may not work properly with Open Firmware.
Hardware & Drivers 2000-03-20
The "packages" node in the device tree (HTML)
HW90: Describes the "packages" node in the Open Firmware device tree.
Hardware & Drivers 2006-02-22
Specifiying if the CPU or the GPU should be used for rendering. (HTML)
QA1416: Which processor will be used for rendering in Core Image and how to affect it.
Hardware & Drivers 2005-08-16
When to use PCMCIA, PC Card, and CardBus (HTML)
HW77: Explains the differences between PCMCIA, PC Card, and CardBus.
Hardware & Drivers 1999-11-15
AGL Changes for Mac OS X Leopard (v. 10.5) (HTML)
QA1523: This Q&A describes the new and deprecated APIs for Apple OpenGL (AGL)
OpenGL 2008-01-04
Compiling X11 / OpenGL applications on Mac OS X v.10.5 Leopard (HTML)
QA1567: Trying to compile X11 / OpenGL application on Mac OS X v.10.5 result on "ld: cycle in dylib re-exports with /usr/X11R6/lib/libGL.dylib""
OpenGL 2007-10-30
Context Sharing Tips (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1248: How to correctly share OpenGL contexts and what the limits on this sharing are.
OpenGL 2005-02-07
Creating an OpenGL texture from an NSView (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1325: Addresses the issues involved with using an NSView as the source data for an OpenGL texture.
OpenGL 2004-02-13
Driving OpenGL Rendering Loops (HTML)
QA1385: Using Core Video display links (CVDisplayLink) or Cocoa timers (NSTimer) to drive an OpenGL rendering loop
OpenGL 2009-05-01
Ensuring hardware accelerated rendering for your OpenGL application (HTML)
QA1502: Using the NoRecovery pixel format attribute and how to check whether vertex and fragment processing is executed on the GPU or CPU
OpenGL 2007-07-18
GetProcAdress and OpenGL Entry Points (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1188: Technique for finding function pointers for OpenGL entry points in Cocoa and Carbon
OpenGL 2002-11-25
glFlush() vs. glFinish() (HTML)
QA1158: Explanation of the differences between glFlush() and glFinish()
OpenGL 2004-10-11
How do I determine how much VRAM is available on my video card? (HTML)
QA1168: Using Core Graphics and IOKit to find the physical size of VRAM on installed hardware.
OpenGL 2004-10-11
How do I tell if a particular display is being hardware accelerated by Quartz Extreme? (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1218: Describes how to use CGDisplayUsesOpenGLAcceleration to see if a display is accelerated or not.
OpenGL 2002-12-04
NSOpenGLView redraw problems after a window is closed and re-opened. (HTML)
QA1353: Workaround for NSOpenGLView failure to draw after its window is closed and re-opened.
OpenGL 2004-12-03
OpenGL Driver Monitor Decoder Ring (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1334: Describes what each of the parameters available in the OpenGL Driver Monitor measure.
OpenGL 2004-01-30
QuickTime Texture Visual Context - kQTVisualContextNotAllowedErr with non-accelerated graphics cards (HTML)
QA1542: Discusses how to create a display mask and avoid a kQTVisualContextNotAllowedErr when using a non-accelerated graphics card.
OpenGL 2007-09-18
Sharpening Full Scene Anti-Aliasing Details (HTML)
QA1268: Using full scene anti-aliasing (FSAA) in OpenGL applications.
OpenGL 2003-10-10
Synchronizing OpenGL rendering updates to the vertical refresh of the display (HTML)
QA1521: How to avoid tearing by synchronizing your rendering to the display VBL
OpenGL 2007-07-16
Updating OpenGL Contexts (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1209: When and why to update an OpenGL context in response to system and user actions.
OpenGL 2003-06-19
Using Clip Region and Buffer Rectangles with OpenGL Carbon (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1222: Shows the basics of using buffer rectangles and clip regions with AGL.
OpenGL 2002-12-19
Using GLUT and OpenGL on Mac OS X (HTML)
QA1613: States the required steps to add GLUT and OpenGL to an Xcode project.
OpenGL 2008-10-13
Using Interface Builder's NSOpenGLView or Custom View objects for an OpenGL application (HTML)
QA1167: Describes usage cases for both NSOpenGLViews and Custom Views for Cocoa OpenGL applications
OpenGL 2004-10-28
Disabling Processor Cores on a Multi-Core System (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1141: Describes how to disable processor cores on a multi-core system for testing purposes.
Performance 2008-09-16
Driving OpenGL Rendering Loops (HTML)
QA1385: Using Core Video display links (CVDisplayLink) or Cocoa timers (NSTimer) to drive an OpenGL rendering loop
Performance 2009-05-01
How can I optimize a Quartz Composer composition depending on the hardware it runs on? (HTML)
QA1433: Explains how to design compositions that adapt to the hardware limitations.
Performance 2005-06-01
Is ColorSync thread safe? (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1261: Discusses ColorSync thread-safety issues.
Performance 2003-04-17
Quartz 2D Thread Safety (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1238: Explains the thread-safety issues for the Quartz 2D API.
Performance 2003-02-25
Requirements for Quartz GL (HTML)
QA1536: Describes the requirements for enabling Quartz GL.
Performance 2008-08-08
Specifiying if the CPU or the GPU should be used for rendering. (HTML)
QA1416: Which processor will be used for rendering in Core Image and how to affect it.
Performance 2005-08-16
Synchronizing OpenGL rendering updates to the vertical refresh of the display (HTML)
QA1521: How to avoid tearing by synchronizing your rendering to the display VBL
Performance 2007-07-16
CGContext Bounds (HTML)
QA1048: Explains how to determine the bounds of a CGContext.
Printing 2001-07-02
CGContextAddLineToPoint, CGContextAddCurveToPoint, et. al. (HTML)
QA1049: Explains why the CGContextAddXYZ APIs don't draw anything immediately.
Printing 2001-07-02
CGContextClosePath (HTML)
QA1046: Explains when you should call CGContextClosePath.
Printing 2001-10-02
Drawing a Path Multiple Times (HTML)
QA1047: Explains that path drawing operations consume the path.
Printing 2001-07-02
Gathering all PostScript Printer Descriptions (PPDs) (HTML)
QA1529: Describes a work around for an issue in PMCopyAvailablePPDs on Mac OS X 10.4 and below
Printing 2008-08-08
How do I use PMSessionGetGraphicsContext to get a CGContextRef? (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
Deprecated - QA1216: Describes how to use PMSessionSetDocumentFormatGeneration and PMSessionGetGraphicsContext to get a CGContextRef for printing.
Printing 2003-02-25
How to measure CG text (HTML)
QA1051: Explains how to measure Core Graphics text.
Printing 2007-08-02
Quartz 2D Interpolation (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1186: Explains how to control Quartz 2D's image interpolation.
Printing 2002-10-29
Quartz 2D Thread Safety (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1238: Explains the thread-safety issues for the Quartz 2D API.
Printing 2003-02-25
Retain Counts of io_object_t Objects in IOKit.framework (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1195: Distinguishes between the retain counts of an I/O Kit kernel object and its io_object_t user space proxy.
Printing 2008-09-24
Saving the current Core Graphics Path (HTML)
QA1056: Explains that the Core Graphics save and restore GState APIs do not affect the path.
Printing 2001-10-02
Tioga PostScript Printing Plugins in Mac OS X 10.2 (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1085: Why Tioga printing plugins for PostScript printing aren't called on Mac OS X 10.2 and later.
Printing 2003-07-14
Turning Off Core Graphics Clipping (HTML)
QA1050: Explains how to clear the clipping path for a CGContext.
Printing 2001-07-02
Unexpected CG state changes (HTML)
QA1045: Explains why the Core Graphics drawing state sometimes changes for no apparent reason.
Printing 2001-07-02
Why does logging keep my Printer Module from working? (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
Deprecated - QA1182: Describes some problems with standard printf logging in a Printer Module on Jaguar.
Printing 2002-11-06
Why don't all of my PDE localizations show up in all applications? (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1185: Explains why some PDE localizations might not appear in all applications.
Printing 2002-10-16
Animating the frame of a CALayer. (HTML)
QA1620: Explains how the frame property of a layer interacts with animations.
Quartz 2008-10-24
Availability of Quartz Composer Patches in Web Kit (HTML)
QA1505: Details which Quartz Composer patches are available in Web Kit
Quartz 2007-03-05
CGBitmapContextCreate Supported Color Spaces (HTML)
QA1037: Lists the color space and alpha info combinations currently supported by CGBitmapContextCreate.
Quartz 2007-07-18
CGContext Bounds (HTML)
QA1048: Explains how to determine the bounds of a CGContext.
Quartz 2001-07-02
CGContextAddLineToPoint, CGContextAddCurveToPoint, et. al. (HTML)
QA1049: Explains why the CGContextAddXYZ APIs don't draw anything immediately.
Quartz 2001-07-02
CGContextClosePath (HTML)
QA1046: Explains when you should call CGContextClosePath.
Quartz 2001-10-02
CGImageRef contents are immutable (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1276: Explains that CGImageRef contents are considered immutable once created.
Quartz 2003-07-17
Core Animation properties and Reference Counting (HTML)
QA1565: Describes a discrepancy between the property declarations in Core Animation and the actual behavior.
Quartz 2008-11-24
Creating color spaces that ensure color matching. (HTML)
QA1396: How to create color spaces that ensure color matching.
Quartz 2005-10-04
Debugging Graphics with QuartzDebug (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1236: Explains how to use QuartzDebug to debug graphics issues.
Quartz 2006-01-12
Drawing a Path Multiple Times (HTML)
QA1047: Explains that path drawing operations consume the path.
Quartz 2001-07-02
Finding an NSView's current magnification. (HTML)
QA1346: How to discover the current magnification (zoom level) of any NSView.
Quartz 2005-03-08
Getting the pixel data from a CGImage object (HTML)
QA1509: Describes how to access the pixel data of a CGImage object
Quartz 2008-08-27
How can I optimize a Quartz Composer composition depending on the hardware it runs on? (HTML)
QA1433: Explains how to design compositions that adapt to the hardware limitations.
Quartz 2005-06-01
How can I programmatically determine the DPI of the current video mode? (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1217: Describes how to compute the DPI for a given display in a given mode using Core Graphics.
Quartz 2002-12-02
How do I determine how much VRAM is available on my video card? (HTML)
QA1168: Using Core Graphics and IOKit to find the physical size of VRAM on installed hardware.
Quartz 2004-10-11
How do I tell if a particular display is being hardware accelerated by Quartz Extreme? (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1218: Describes how to use CGDisplayUsesOpenGLAcceleration to see if a display is accelerated or not.
Quartz 2002-12-04
How do I use QuickDraw with CGDirectDisplay? (HTML)
QA1011: Explains how to draw to a CGDirectDisplay-captured display using QuickDraw.
Quartz 2001-04-11
How to measure CG text (HTML)
QA1051: Explains how to measure Core Graphics text.
Quartz 2007-08-02
Multithreaded usage of the QCRenderer (HTML)
QA1538: Describes an issue that may arise when using the QCRenderer in a multi-threaded application.
Quartz 2008-09-08
Quartz 2D Interpolation (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1186: Explains how to control Quartz 2D's image interpolation.
Quartz 2002-10-29
Quartz 2D Thread Safety (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1238: Explains the thread-safety issues for the Quartz 2D API.
Quartz 2003-02-25
Requirements for Quartz GL (HTML)
QA1536: Describes the requirements for enabling Quartz GL.
Quartz 2008-08-08
Saving the current Core Graphics Path (HTML)
QA1056: Explains that the Core Graphics save and restore GState APIs do not affect the path.
Quartz 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.
Quartz 2004-01-29
SyncCGContextOriginWithPort (HTML)
QA1010: Describes how to use SyncCGContextOriginWithPort.
Quartz 2001-04-11
Turning Off Core Graphics Clipping (HTML)
QA1050: Explains how to clear the clipping path for a CGContext.
Quartz 2001-07-02
Unexpected CG state changes (HTML)
QA1045: Explains why the Core Graphics drawing state sometimes changes for no apparent reason.
Quartz 2001-07-02
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.
Quartz 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.
Quartz 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.
Quartz 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.
Quartz 2005-06-01
Compression Sequence APIs - codecErr returned when compressing with H.264 (HTML)
QA1470: Describes why ICM Compression Sequence APIs cannot be used to encode to H.264
QuickTime 2006-11-15
Compression Sessions - Configuring codec quality settings (HTML)
QA1444: Discusses how to set encoding quality for a Compression Sequence
QuickTime 2005-10-17
Core Video - Available Pixel Formats (HTML)
QA1501: Discusses how to determine all the pixel format types and format descriptions known to Core Video.
QuickTime 2007-01-23
Creating Sub GWorlds using QTNewGWorldFromPtr (HTML)
QA1014: Using QTNewGWorldFromPtr to create sub GWorlds which reference the pixel data of other GWorlds.
QuickTime 2001-03-20
Decompression Sessions - Setting codec accuracy and field mode (HTML)
QA1460: Describes how to set codec accuracy and field mode options when creating a decompression sessions.
QuickTime 2006-01-12
Extracting DV Fields using QTNewGWorldFromPtr (HTML)
QA1017: Describes using QTNewGWorldFromPtr to access individual fields contained within a frame of DV source.
QuickTime 2001-03-20
Graphics Exporters - Creating 16-bit-per-channel image files (HTML)
QA1354: Discusses how to use QuickTime Graphics Exporters to create 16-bit-per-channel image files.
QuickTime 2004-06-03
Implementing a CVFillExtendedPixelsCallBack (HTML)
QA1440: Discusses how you implement a Core Video custom extended pixel fill callback function.
QuickTime 2005-09-06
Is ColorSync thread safe? (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1261: Discusses ColorSync thread-safety issues.
QuickTime 2003-04-17
LockPixels and DisposeGWorld with QTNewGWorldFromPtr (HTML)
QA1007: Clarifies some issues surrounding pointer ownership when creating GWorlds with QTNewGWorldFromPtr
QuickTime 2001-02-26
QuickTime Texture Visual Context - kQTVisualContextNotAllowedErr with non-accelerated graphics cards (HTML)
QA1542: Discusses how to create a display mask and avoid a kQTVisualContextNotAllowedErr when using a non-accelerated graphics card.
QuickTime 2007-09-18
QuickTime Visual Context - Setting the kQTVisualContextOutputColorSpaceKey Attribute (HTML)
QA1550: Describes how to configure a QuickTime OpenGL Texture Visual Context with the kQTVisualContextOutputColorSpaceKey attribute.
QuickTime 2007-09-28
Registering custom pixel formats with QuickTime and Core Video (HTML)
QA1401: Discusses how to register custom pixel formats with QuickTime & Core Video with QuickTime 7.
QuickTime 2005-09-06
Using QTPixelBufferContextCreate with NewMovieFromProperties (HTML)
QA1443: Discusses using a QuickTime pixel buffer visual context and NewMovieFromProperties to output frames to pixel buffers.
QuickTime 2008-08-08
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.
Tools 2005-06-15
Improving ATSUI Text Drawing Performance (HTML)
QA1027: Talks about one way of improving ATSUI text drawing performance.
Typography 2001-04-17