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Truevision TGA
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<p>Truevision TGA, often referred to as TARGA, is a <a href="/facts/Raster_graphics/HkXNc8oI">raster</a> <a href="/facts/Comparison_of_graphics_file_formats/rzdajK1R">graphics file format</a> created by <a href="/facts/Truevision/rGHjoAeY">Truevision Inc.</a> (now part of <a href="/facts/Avid_Technology/rf0WrKF6">Avid Technology</a>). It was the native format of TARGA and VISTA boards, which were the first <a href="/facts/Graphics_processing_unit/PTK1RQVp">graphic cards</a> for <a href="/facts/IBM_PC_compatible/zGUpl7Sh">IBM-compatible PCs</a> to support <i><a href="/facts/High_color/kv96eBp8">high color</a></i> or <i><a href="/facts/24-bit_color/0X7zI9BP">true color</a></i> display. This family of graphic cards was intended for professional computer image synthesis and video editing with PCs; for this reason, usual resolutions of TGA image files match those of the <a href="/facts/NTSC/HYWIvxCR">NTSC</a> and <a href="/facts/PAL/t8TugcxK">PAL</a> video formats. </p><p>TARGA is an acronym for <i> Truevision Advanced Raster Graphics Adapter</i>; <i>TGA</i> is an <a href="/facts/Initialism/nlHK7aRt">initialism</a> for <i> Truevision Graphics Adapter</i>. </p><p>TGA files commonly have the <a href="/facts/Filename_extension/cJgfAym4">extension</a> ".tga" on PC <a href="/facts/DOS/sWwDXNmX">DOS</a>/<a href="/facts/Microsoft_Windows/bwhAhuSL">Windows</a> systems and <a href="/facts/MacOS/Y93vVpTm">macOS</a> (older <a href="/facts/Mac_(computer)/8GhnXTK0">Macintosh</a> systems use the "TPIC" <a href="/facts/Type_code/zVnSVjbb">type code</a>). The format itself permits any pixel <a href="/facts/Color_depth/0X7zI9BP">bit depth</a> up to 255, of which up to 15 bits can be dedicated to an <a href="/facts/Alpha_channel/7uUBtjrt">alpha channel</a>; however, the only bit depths supported in practice were 8, 15, 16, 24, and 32, where the 16- and 32-bit formats used 1 and 8 bits respectively for the alpha channel. Color data can be <a href="/facts/Palette_(computing)/xwFo1VUI">color-mapped</a>, or in <a href="/facts/Color_depth/0X7zI9BP">direct color</a> or <a href="/facts/24-bit_color/0X7zI9BP">truecolor</a> format. Image data may be stored raw, or optionally, a lossless <a href="/facts/Run-length_encoding/3k6x9afM">RLE compression</a> similar to <a href="/facts/PackBits/BkxeDUFo">PackBits</a> can be employed. This type of compression performs poorly for typical photographic images, but works acceptably well for simpler images, such as icons, cartoons and line drawings. </p>