ODD and ICO are vibrant image formats extensively applicable to graphic design and web development. However, choosing the best file type between the two can be difficult because of the technical qualities and built-in features of each file format, which necessitate understanding ODD vs. ICO.
The article performs an ICO vs. ODD analysis of the format's structure, browser support, storage needs, performance, image quality, compression technique, file sizes, transparency, and animation support.
When is ICO better than ODD?
ICO images are data-rich and high-quality, making them sharp and visually attractive, while ODD images are detailed and slightly low-quality, making them less appealing and lowering the online user experience. The ICO file type is suitable for producing website favicons and desktop shortcuts to applications, folders, or files in a computer system, confirming that the icons seem specialized and high-pitched.
When is ODD better than ICO?
ODD images are smaller and universally supported by almost all web browsers and operating systems, while ICO images are larger and incompatible with Mobile platforms (Android and iOS), Linux, and MacOS. This makes them ideal for creating online programs and separate office applications and suites, such as PowerPoint, Word Processors, and Spreadsheets.
ODD versus ICO Table Comparison
| Element | ODD | ICO |
| Transparency | Supports transparency. | Supports transparency |
| File Size | Smaller files than ICO files. | Larger files than ODD files. |
| Image Quality | High-quality images. | Slightly higher quality images than ODD. |
| Performance | Smaller and loads faster than ICO files. | Larger and loads slower than ODD files. |
| Structure | Vector graphic: Has XML document and sub-docs. with custom, user-defined, and pre-defined metadata. | Vector graphics: Has an Icon directory, image mask, bitmap data, a block, and the AND bitmap. |
| Animation | Supports animations. | Supports animations. |
| Storage | Requires less storage space than ICO. | Requires more storage space than ODD. |
| Compression | Supports lossless compression. | Supports TinyPNG/PNGOUT lossless compression. |
| Browser Support | Wider web browser support than ICO. | Limited browser support compared to ODD. |
Differences and similarities between ICO and ODD images
Based on the ODD versus ICO comparison table, the formats support transparency, animations, high-quality images, and lossless compression methods. They are dissimilar in structure, web browser support, storage requirements, file size, and web performance.
Transparency
ODD and ICO image formats support transparency. ODD supports multi-sample pixels by encrypting lossless files with alpha channel transparency data. Its XML-aware devices can show the hierarchy of transparent elements in the ODD file extension.
The ICO file extension permits users to incorporate semi-transparent areas like glass-like special features and shadows to an image and anti-aliasing. The format supports icons with unlike dimensions, different transparency levels, and color depths. The ICO image format supports 8 bits of transparency.
File Size
ICO files are larger than ODD files. ODD can store a single XML document or many sub-documents, while ICO comprises multiple files of varying sizes and color depths. While a single ICO file size is smaller, multiple such files compressed using PNGOUT algorithms are larger than ODD files.
Both formats support the lossless compression method, which ensures that all image data is preserved, including directories with binary contents and icons for folders, files, and programs. Choose ODD for smaller files instead of the ICO format.
Image Quality
ODD and ICO are high-quality image formats. ICO images support a higher bit depth than ODD images, giving them a competitive edge regarding image quality. ODD images support 8-bit, standard rendering, a wide color range, and other vector graphics, like typography and graphic effects, making them a higher-quality format.
In contrast, the ICO file format supports a maximum bit depth of 24 bits of colors and 8 bits of transparency, allowing it to generate photorealistic or highly detailed icons. Both image formats retain image quality through lossless compression and image resolution regardless of the number of resizing or scaling done.
Performance
ODD files are smaller than ICO files. However, both formats store multiple documents and sub-documents in a single file while preserving all data using lossless compression. Hence, the smaller ODD files load faster over low bandwidth networks, use fewer bytes, and improve online user experience than ICO files.
Structure
ODD and ICO files are vector-based formats with different structural designs, making them interesting to compare. An ODD file extension can be a single XML document or a group of many sub-documents. Each ODD file package stores a unit of the entire document with a defined structure using sub-documents.
Each sub-document in a package has a different document root but stores a specific feature of the XML document. It has pre-defined, user-defined, and custom metadata, including editing cycles, hyperlinks, document prototype, adjustment, design and printing date, keywords, description, title, and generator.
ODD file has non-XML representation objects, including OLE, and representation objects such as drawings, text documents, presentations, formulas, spreadsheets, and charts. On the other hand, ICO has an Icon directory (ICONDIR) with the ICONDIRENTRY for each image in the ICO file.
A contiguous block with image bitmap data closely follows the image file. ICO also has the AND bitmap, the XOR bitmap, and an image mask. The image bitmap data is in PNG or Windows BMP format, which excludes the BITMAPFILEHEADER structure.
Animation
ODD and ICO files inherently support animations or lively content. For instance, an ODD file type supports animations and scenes rendering 3D objects via specific projection and lighting. The main ODD graphical markup for drawings is on the drawing page, which has frames, forms, drawing objects, and layers.
ODD has draw-page elements in the presentation slides, like animations and related texts. ICO files, on the other hand, have icon features that enable enhanced customization of websites or computer applications that support multiple color depths and resolutions. These features allow ICO file extensions to be animated.
Storage
An ICO file format stores data in icons for folders, files, and programs. The stored data are encrypted to safeguard against unsanctioned processing or access. Conversely, the ODD encrypts and stores spreadsheets, Word files, charts, and graphics in a homogenous XML-based format.
Lossless ODD files use less bandwidth in CPUs and memory storage devices when using OpenOffice and other suites, compared to the multiple ICO files compressed using PNGOUT or TinyPNG compression methods integrating Huffman coding with the LZ77 algorithm.
ODDs need less storage space than ICO files. Yet, both formats store data indefinitely based on handling procedures, conditions, and storage mediums. ODD files can be stored in the XML file system (manifest file), while ICO stores data on Cloud, Content Delivery Networks, File Systems, and Base64 Encoding.
Compression
ODD and ICO support lossless compression with DEFLATE algorithms and Huffman coding with LZ77 algorithms. In the ODD case, the compression process is step-wise. A password-protected OpenDocument file is created to retain its bundle structure.
Conversely, TinyPNG or PNGOUT algorithms compress ICO files into a slightly larger file size or zero compression. Specifically, the resulting ICO (PNGOUT) file is nearly exact. Since the compressed ICO file is stored as PNG, the PNG file is passed over to the DEFLATE, which integrates Huffman coding with the LZ77 algorithm.
Browser Support
ICO and ODD are handy image formats used across web browsers, platforms, and most software or programs. However, compared to ICO, the ODD format enjoys wider support from legacy and modern web browsers, like IE, Edge, Firefox, Vivaldi, Discord, Chrome, Brave, Opera, Samsung Internet, and Safari.
In contrast, ICO files are only supported by Opera, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. An ICO file is hardly supported by web browsers like Internet Explorer, Discord, Vivaldi, and Brave, which do not favor scaling icons, do not support it. Safari also supports only a preview of an ICO's file format.
Converting ICO to ODD or ODD to ICO
Use Convertjack to convert ICO to ODD automatically. ODD files are universally compatible and supported by almost all computer programs, platforms, and web browsers. Compared to ICO files, they are also scalable and open-source.
Convertjack is a reliable ODD to ICO converter. ICOs are high-quality, data-rich, and contain multiple images with different color depths and sizes. Hence, they disregard the need for multiple image files for every icon version.