1. A machine-readable medium providing program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause the data processing system to perform a method comprising: receiving a request for a pixel format transformation from a first input format to a first output format; performing the pixel format transformation through an intermediate format in a set of intermediate formats which include at least a first intermediate pixel format and a second intermediate pixel format, wherein the first input format is one of at least 40 input formats which are capable, through the program instructions, of being converted from one of the at least 40 input formats through the set of intermediate formats which include the first intermediate pixel format, and wherein the first output format is one of at least 40 output formats which are capable, through the program instructions, of being converted to, through the set of intermediate formats, and wherein the set of intermediate formats is much smaller than 40.