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IMAGE
ICB Converter
Convert ICB files with ConverterHQ using workflows tuned for image compatibility, predictable output, and practical downstream use.
Quality and compatibility profile
Core technical and historical facts used for conversion quality, compatibility decisions, and SEO uniqueness.
| Feature | Fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Category | IMAGE |
| Extensions | .icb |
| MIME types | image/x-icb |
| Created | 1991 |
| Inventor | Truevision |
| Status | active |
| Color Depth | 24-bit |
| Transparency support | ❌ |
| Targa Variant | ✅ |
| Supports Alpha | ✅ |
| Animation support | ❌ |
| Layer support | ❌ |
| Vector scaling | ❌ |
| Reflowable text | ❌ |
| Multitrack content | ❌ |
| Camera raw data | ❌ |
| HDR content | ❌ |
| Structured data | ❌ |
| Streaming delivery | ❌ |
About this format
ICB format context
Format: ICB
Overview
ICB, VDA, and VST matter because early PC graphics and video-capture workflows often emitted board-specific filename variants for closely related Truevision raster data, so preservation and migration work still encounters them as distinct compatibility cases.
Early graphics hardware and paint software needed board-native raster files for capture, paint, overlay, and interchange workflows in a still-fragmented PC graphics market.
These extensions now matter mainly in preservation, migration, retro-computing, and graphics-archive cleanup where historically named Truevision assets still need to be opened or normalized.
ICB is closely associated with Truevision (now Pinnacle Systems).
ICB is usually selected for workflows that center on capture ingest, editing, web or print delivery.
Typical Workflows
- capture ingest
- editing
- web or print delivery
Common Software
- ImageMagick
- legacy graphics tools
- preservation workflows
Strengths
- Important for long-tail compatibility with historic Truevision-era assets.
- Close family resemblance to TGA simplifies some migration paths.
- Useful for preserving provenance from early video-graphics toolchains.
Limitations
- Weak modern software recognition compared with ordinary
.tgafiles. - Public documentation is mostly historical or secondary.
- Usually converted quickly into more recognizable raster formats once identified.
Related Formats
- TGA
- BMP
- PNG
Interesting Context
The Truevision line grew out of EPICenter-era PC graphics boards, and several board names ended up surviving as filename extensions even when the underlying raster structure stayed close to the wider TGA family.
ICB belongs to archival recovery of older Truevision graphics assets, vintage publishing systems, retro-computing collections, and conversion tools that preserve obscure raster formats from early DOS and Windows graphics workflows.
Its ecosystem is almost entirely preservation-oriented now.
Status: active. Introduced: 1991. Invented by: Truevision. Stewarded by: Truevision (now Pinnacle Systems).
How ICB fits into workflows
Workflow role: ICB
Convert to ICB when recovering historical raster assets from Truevision-era systems or normalizing old image archives before moving them into PNG, TIFF, or another contemporary format.
It is mainly a compatibility target for legacy graphics collections.
History of ICB
Format history: ICB
The Truevision line grew out of EPICenter-era PC graphics boards, and several board names ended up surviving as filename extensions even when the underlying raster structure stayed close to the wider TGA family.
Original problem: Early graphics hardware and paint software needed board-native raster files for capture, paint, overlay, and interchange workflows in a still-fragmented PC graphics market.
Why ICB still matters
Current role: ICB
ICB, VDA, and VST matter because early PC graphics and video-capture workflows often emitted board-specific filename variants for closely related Truevision raster data, so preservation and migration work still encounters them as distinct compatibility cases.
Modern role: These extensions now matter mainly in preservation, migration, retro-computing, and graphics-archive cleanup where historically named Truevision assets still need to be opened or normalized.
When to use ICB
- capture ingest
- editing
- web or print delivery
Advantages of ICB
- Important for long-tail compatibility with historic Truevision-era assets.
- Close family resemblance to TGA simplifies some migration paths.
- Useful for preserving provenance from early video-graphics toolchains.
Limitations of ICB
- Weak modern software recognition compared with ordinary
.tgafiles. - Public documentation is mostly historical or secondary.
- Usually converted quickly into more recognizable raster formats once identified.
Formats related to ICB
ICB technical profile
| Feature | Fact sheet |
|---|---|
| Category | image |
| Extensions | .icb |
| MIME types | image/x-icb |
| Created year | 1991 |
| Inventor | Truevision |
| Status | active |
| color_depth | 24-bit |
| supports_transparency | False |
| targa_variant | True |
| supports_alpha | True |
| supports_animation | False |
| supports_layers | False |
| supports_vector_scaling | False |
| supports_reflowable_text | False |
| supports_multitrack | False |
| camera_raw | False |
| hdr_capable | False |
| structured_data_capable | False |
| streaming_ready | False |
| sources | {'url': 'https://web.archive.org/web/19961224174423/http://www.truevision.com/', 'title': 'Truevision board-specific raster variants in the TGA family', 'relevance': 'Official specification', 'source_type': 'official'}, {'url': 'https://imagemagick.org/script/formats.php', 'title': 'Reference Documentation', 'relevance': 'Technical reference', 'source_type': 'reference'}, {'url': 'https://www.fileformat.info/format/tga/egff.htm', 'title': 'Reference Documentation', 'relevance': 'Technical reference', 'source_type': 'reference'} |
ICB quality and compatibility
Format profile: ICB
Size profile: medium. Quality profile: depends. Editability profile: moderate. Compatibility profile: broad. Archival profile: moderate. Metadata profile: moderate. Delivery profile: strong. Workflow profile: delivery. Status: active.
Software that opens ICB
- ImageMagick
- legacy graphics tools
- preservation workflows
Conversion options
FAQs
Q: What is ICB typically used for?
A:
ICB is commonly used for capture ingest, editing, web or print delivery.
Q: What are the advantages of ICB?
A:
ICB is broadly compatible across common software.
Q: What should I watch out for when converting ICB?
A:
Check output quality and compatibility on representative sample files.
Sources
Official specification
Technical reference
Technical reference