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Show HN: Meow – An Image File Format I made because PNGs and JPEGs suck for AI

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MEOW

The most Purr-fect Image File Format for your AI workflows

Wait- What? You Can Just Make File Formats?

Well- yes, but no, I'll come to that bit later, but before that, let me geek out about what this project is MEOW (Metadata Encoded Optimized Webfile) is a Python-based image file format designed to be efficient, practical, and cross-platform compatible. With support for RGBA transparency, metadata, and fast rendering capabilities, MEOW provides a modern alternative for image storage and manipulation. Whether you're a developer looking for a lightweight image format, an AI locked-in person to use the best possible file fomat, a digital artist needing transparent image support, or just a curious coder who wants a .meow file extension, MEOW offers a simple yet powerful solution.

The First image to ever be converted to .meow

Note: GitHub doesn't support .meow files (YET), so had to display the original PNG source

Why is it called MEOW?

The Problem with "Innovative" File Formats

MEOW started off as just a fun, new (very ineffecient) image file format I made studying about them as a meme while having better metadata to be used with AI, but I realised something.

People don't make new file formats simply because of one problem- they're very hard to bring to mass adoption, what if we fix that?

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