Windows Imaging Component Overview

The Windows Imaging Component (WIC) provides an extensible framework for working with images and image metadata. WIC makes it possible for independent software vendors (ISVs) and independent hardware vendors (IHVs) to develop their own image codecs and get the same platform support as standard image formats (for example, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, and HDPhoto). A single, consistent set of interfaces is used for all image processing, regardless of image format, so any application using the WIC gets automatic support for new image formats as soon as the codec is installed. The extensible metadata framework makes it possible for applications to read and write their own proprietary metadata directly to image files, so the metadata never gets lost or separated from the image.

This topic includes the following sections.

Windows Imaging Component Features

The primary features of WIC are:

• Enables application developers to perform image processing operations on any image format through a single, consistent set of common interfaces, without requiring prior knowledge of specific image formats.
• Provides an extensible «plug and play» architecture for image codecs, pixel formats, and metadata, with automatic run-time discovery of new formats.
• Supports reading and writing of arbitrary metadata in image files, with the ability to preserve unrecognized metadata during editing.
• Preserves high bit depth image data, up to 32 bits per channel, throughout the image processing pipeline.
• Provides built-in support for most popular image formats, pixel formats, and metadata schemas.

Native Codecs

WIC includes several built-in codecs. The following standard codecs are provided with the platform.

Windows Imaging Component

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Windows Imaging Component provides WIC-enabled software to display/edit/access metadata for any image format

All those who develop applications for a living or as a hobby typically try to integrate as many useful functions to their product as possible, relying on the components that best suit their needs. For instance, they can use Windows Imaging Component when they want their project to support a wider range of file formats.

In order to be able to embed this component, a compatible codec needs to have been installed on the host machine, to ensure that the current app can correctly display and edit JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF or BMP, depending on the developer’s choices.

In addition, Windows Imaging Component can also be used to enhance the metadata-related functions of an application, adding features related to reading and writing EXIF data to user-defined images. Due to this feature, people can view details regarding the camera that was used to take the shot and even the geographical coordinates of the location where the picture was taken.

Moreover, applications that integrate Windows Imaging Component can allow users to store metadata inside the actual image files, thus stripping them of the so-called «sidecar files» and making them easier to be copied or moved to other locations.

Regarding the supported operating systems, Windows Imaging Component is compatible with most editions of Windows 2003 and Windows XP, including Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition or XP SP2.

Despite its rather limited OS compatibility, Windows Imaging Component can still come in handy to developers who want to make sure their apps can handle common and raw image formats, and who cannot afford purchasing a specialized library for this purpose.

Windows Imaging Component 1.0

A tool that offers WIC-enabled software for editing and displaying any image format

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Windows Imaging Component is a system utility that provides WIC-enabled software, allowing you to view and edit any image format. The tool also lets you write and read image files metadata. This component lets any application to take advantage of new image formats, immediately after the corresponding codecs are installed on your PC.

Windows Imaging Component includes WIC codecs for various image formats, such as GIF, PNG, JPEG, TIFF and BMP. Unlike previously released CODECs, these codecs offer increased safety. Windows Imaging Component also supports the latest high-performance image format: Windows Media Photo.

Windows Imaging Component also offers metadata writing and reading capabilities for common image formats, allowing apps to keep their metadata enclosed in the image files, without creating «sidecar files».

Windows Imaging Component can be installed and used on Microsoft Windows XP (Service Pack 2) and Windows Server 2003.