Introduction

OS X has unsurpassed graphics and imaging technologies. The most challenging part of getting started is deciding which one to use first.

OS X graphics and imaging technologies leverage the power of the graphics hardware whenever possible. They hide the details of low-level graphics processing by providing easy-to-use application programming interfaces.


OS X graphics architecture

Start Here

To write graphics code on OS X, you should:

Choose next how you want to get started—by reading about the basics, getting your hands on some code, or diving into specific technologies.

Want to get familiar with the fundamentals?

Prefer to learn by example?

Are you familiar with OpenGL on another platform?

Go In Depth

Sometimes you need to dig deeper into a graphics technology.

Learning to Draw with Quartz 2D

Core Animation

Ready for More?

The Graphics and Animation page in the Reference Library holds plenty more resources that make your job easier. To narrow the list of resources, you can set filters to focus on specific resource types (such as guides or sample code) or on specific topics (such as OpenGL or QuickTime).