How to install SAIL on Ubuntu Linux?

SAIL can be installed via native packages if available, or using Conan or vcpkg as listed in the preferred installation methods. For Python, use pip install sailpy from PyPI.

SAIL vs stb_image: which is better for C++ game development?

SAIL offers broader format support and cleaner APIs, but stb_image is lighter and header-only, making it better for minimal dependencies. Choose SAIL if you need modern formats like AVIF or animations.

Can SAIL handle SVG images?

Yes, SAIL supports reading SVG images through dependencies like resvg or nanosvg, but writing is not supported, as shown in the formats table with 'R' for read-only operations.

How to convert an image to a different pixel format in SAIL?

Use the conversion functions in libsail-manip for C, or the image.convert() method in C++ and Python bindings, as demonstrated in the API examples with sail_convert_image() or similar.

Is SAIL thread-safe for multithreaded applications?

Yes, SAIL is explicitly thread-safe for C, C++, and Python interfaces, as stated in the features overview, making it suitable for concurrent image processing.

Does SAIL support GPU acceleration for image decoding?

No, SAIL relies on CPU-based decoding through external codec libraries and does not natively support GPU acceleration, which may limit performance for very high-resolution images.

SAIL

MITCv0.9.10

A fast, cross-platform image decoding library with clean APIs for C, C++, and Python, supporting 20+ formats.

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What is SAIL?

SAIL is a fast, cross-platform image decoding library designed for developers who need to load or save images in various formats with a clean and comprehensive API. It solves the problem of fragmented image handling by providing a unified interface for 20+ formats, including modern ones like AVIF and JPEG XL, with support for animations and metadata.

Target Audience

Developers building image viewers, games, or any application requiring robust image loading/saving across multiple formats, particularly those working in C, C++, or Python environments.

Value Proposition

Developers choose SAIL for its intuitive multi-level APIs, extensible plugin architecture, and performance—offering a human-centric alternative to lower-level libraries while maintaining speed and flexibility for complex imaging tasks.

Overview

⛵The missing fast imaging library for humans (not for machines).

Use Cases

Best For

Building cross-platform image viewers with support for modern formats like AVIF and HEIF

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Game development requiring fast loading of textures and sprites from various image formats

Python applications needing a high-performance image decoding backend with numpy integration

C/C++ projects that require a clean, thread-safe API for image I/O operations

Applications that need to access image metadata (EXIF, ICC profiles) without full pixel decoding

Developing custom image processing pipelines with support for custom I/O streams

Not Ideal For

Projects requiring static linking without dynamic library dependencies, as SAIL's codecs are dynamically loaded plugins
Embedded systems with limited memory and no support for dynamic loading of external libraries
Quick Python scripts where simplicity is prioritized; libraries like Pillow offer easier installation and basic usage
Applications that only handle a few common formats (e.g., JPEG, PNG) and prefer a lighter, single-file library like stb_image

Pros & Cons

Pros

Broad Format Support

Supports over 20 image formats including modern ones like AVIF, HEIF, and JPEG XL, with read/write capabilities for most, as detailed in the formats table.

Flexible Multi-Level APIs

Offers four API levels from simple one-liners (junior) to advanced custom I/O (technical diver), catering to different developer needs, demonstrated in the APIs overview.

Extensible Plugin Architecture

Codecs are standalone dynamically loaded files, allowing easy addition of new formats without modifying the core library, as explained in the architecture section.

Metadata and Probing

Handles EXIF, ICC profiles, and allows access to image properties without decoding pixels, enabling efficient metadata extraction, as highlighted in the features overview.

Cons

Heavy External Dependencies

Each supported format relies on external libraries (e.g., libavif, libheif), which complicates installation, increases binary size, and can lead to dependency conflicts.

Complex Build Process

Building from source requires managing multiple dependencies across platforms, and the BUILDING.md documentation implies this can be non-trivial for custom setups.

Limited Ecosystem Maturity

Compared to established libraries like FreeImage or Pillow, SAIL has a smaller community, fewer tutorials, and less third-party integration, which can hinder support.

Open Source Alternative To

SAIL is an open-source alternative to the following products:

S

SDL_Image

SDL_image is an extension library for SDL that adds support for loading images in various formats like PNG, JPEG, and BMP, simplifying multimedia application development.

F

FreeImage

FreeImage is an open-source library for developers that supports popular graphics image formats like PNG, BMP, JPEG, and TIFF, providing fast loading, saving, and processing capabilities.

C

CImg

CImg is a small, open-source C++ toolkit for image processing that provides simple classes and functions to load, save, and manipulate images.

i

imlib2

Imlib2 is a powerful image loading and rendering library for the X Window System, used by applications like Enlightenment for graphics handling.

s

stb_image

stb_image is a single-file public domain image loader for C/C++, supporting JPEG, PNG, BMP, PSD, TGA, GIF, HDR, PIC, and PNM formats.

W

WIC

WIC (Windows Imaging Component) is a Microsoft imaging framework that provides APIs for image codec development, metadata handling, and high-performance image processing on Windows.

gdk-pixbuf

A library for the GNOME project that handles image loading and manipulation, supporting various image formats for GTK applications.

D

DevIL

DevIL (Developer's Image Library) is a cross-platform image library that provides support for loading, saving, and manipulating various image formats in applications.

B

Boost.GIL

Boost.GIL (Generic Image Library) is a C++ library for image processing that provides generic algorithms and data structures for manipulating digital images.

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