PC charts and forms are stored and exchanged as Windows Metafile (WMF) and Enhanced Metafile (EMF) formats. Meta-file formats are containers that contain images, vectors, text, and additional information about the chart. Other metafile formats are PDF, SVG, and EPS.
PC charts and forms are stored and exchanged as Windows Metafile (WMF) and Enhanced Metafile (EMF) formats. These are the fundamental graphics formats for the Windows operating system (macOS uses PDF in the same way). Meta-file formats are containers that contain images, vectors, text, and additional information about the chart. Other metafile formats are PDF, SVG, and EPS.
Metafile formats are like recorders. They reproduce all the information contained in a file on the screen or page. Technically, they are vector formats, but it is possible that a metafile is simply a container containing a bitmap. It can also be a complex report page with text, fonts, graphics, and metadata.
What is the difference between WMF and EMF?
Windows metafiles are the original windows graphic format. They are 16-bit metafiles that work on 16-bit and 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows to display graphics. Windows also calls this "images."
Improved metafiles were introduced with 32-bit versions of Windows. Enhanced meta-files contain more information than WMF. This can give rise to incompatibilities because the format can be customized. WMF has no variations, so it is a safe choice as an exchange format.
Using PDF in PowerPoint and Visio
Microsoft PowerPoint and Visio use metafiles as a native graphical format. We have programs that convert PDF into metafile formats so they can be opened and edited in these popular Windows applications. pdf2picture is a Windows program that converts PDF into all current vector and image formats. It is a practical software to have in your toolbox. We also have add-ins for Microsoft PowerPoint and Visio.
Using Windows metafiles
As an operating system-level format, WMF and EMF cannot be viewed easily. You can open them in a Windows application, such as Word or PowerPoint. You can also use Windows Metafile Viewer for free. It's a sample app we developed to demonstrate the power of our Sdk for Windows.
If you need to work with Metafiles as a developer or system integrator. There is an API and command-line tools to convert WMF and EMF to PDF and other vector and image formats.
System requirements:
CPU: 1.8 GHz dual core processor
RAM: 2 GB
HDD / SSD: 50 GB of free space on the main drive
Operating system: Microsoft Windows 8 32-bit, Microsoft Windows 7 32-bit and Microsoft Windows Vista 32-bit
Resolution: 1024×768
Supported operating systems
Mac OS X 10.5 x (Leopard), Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), Mac OS X 10.7 (Mountain Lion), OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) and Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite)
Hardware requirements
Memory - 1 GB of RAM and more
Free disk space - 50 MB
System type - 32-bit and 64-bit OS
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