NAME
      mcut - Quantize colors in an image using the
      median cut algorithm

 SYNOPSIS
      mcut [ -n colors ] [ -d ] [ -o outfile ] infile

 DESCRIPTION
      Mcut reads an RLE file and tries to choose
      the "best" subset of colors to represent the
      colors present in the original image.  A
      common use for this is to display a 24 bit
      image on a frame buffer with only eight bits
      per pixel using a 24 bit color map. Mcut
      first quantizes intensity values from eight
      bits to five bits, and then chooses the
      colors from this space.

      Mcut runs in two passes; the first pass scans
      the image to find the color distributions,
      and the second pass maps the original colors
      into color map indices.  The output file has
      a color map containing the colors mcut has
      chosen.  Mcut also sets the picture comment
      "color_map_length" equal to the number of
      colors it has chosen.  The getx11 program
      (among others) will use this color map
      instead of dithering.

 OPTIONS
      -n ncolors
           Limit the number of colors chosen to
           ncolors.  The default is 200.

      -d   Uses Floyd/Steinberg dither to hide
           contouring.  Greatly improves images
           that have a small number of colors.

      infile
           The input will be read from this file.
           If it is a multi-image file, each image
           will be quantized to its own colormap.
           Piped input is not allowed.

      -o outfile
           If specified, output will be written to
           this file, otherwise it will go to
           stdout.

 SEE ALSO
      getx11(1), rlequant(1), urt(1), RLE(5),
      "Color Image Quantization for Frame Buffer
      Display", by Paul Heckbert, Procedings of
      SIGGRAPH '82, July 1982, p. 297.

 AUTHOR
      Robert Mecklenburg, John W. Peterson,
      University of Utah.

 BUGS
      The initial quantization is hardwired to five
      bits.  This should be an option.







































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