This part of ISO/IEC 9281 specifies the identification methods for coding of pictorial information in digital form. It does not specify the contents of the data field of a picture entity. For instance, this field may also contain audio and/or animation data associated with the data specifying the picture(s).

This part of ISO/IEC 9281 serves as a basis for a number of standards. In combination with one or more of those, pictorial information in digital form, using one or more methods of coding, may be built up into a document for visual comprehension. Graphic characters coded in accordance with other standards can also be combined with the picture information. The coded information from such a document may be processed, and transmitted by telecommunications systems.

This part of ISO/IEC 9261 also specifies a technique for switching between character-coded information and digital pictorial information, and between different picture coding methods.