Windows Imaging Component
Encyclopedia
The Windows Imaging Component (WIC) is a Component Object Model
based imaging codec
framework introduced in Windows Vista
and Windows XP Service Pack 3 for working with and processing digital images and image metadata
. It allows applications supporting the framework to automatically get support of installed codecs for graphics file formats.
It is similar to DirectShow
, or ACM/VCM
, in that it can be extended using image codecs and can support third-party graphics formats on a system-wide basis. Additionally, Windows Presentation Foundation
applications also automatically support the installed image codecs. Codecs for RAW
image formats used by high-end professional digital cameras are also supported in this manner.
WIC enables application developers to perform image processing operations on any image format through a single set of common APIs, without requiring prior knowledge of specific image formats. By writing a codec once for WIC, developers can get system-wide support for that graphics file format in all applications that use WIC, .NET 3.x or WPF.
image data, up to 32 bits per channel, throughout the revamped high dynamic range
image processing pipeline built into Windows Vista.
Windows Imaging Component supports Windows Color System
, the ICC
V4-compliant color management technology in Windows Vista.
, TIFF, GIF
, PNG, BMP and HD Photo encoder and decoder codecs, and an .ICO
decoder. Additionally, as of 2009, some camera manufacturers and 3rd-parties have released WIC codecs for proprietary raw image format
s, enabling Mac-like raw image support to Windows 7 and Vista. In July of 2011, this was extended significantly by Microsoft itself by providing a separate Codec Pack for most current digital cameras.
), PNG textual metadata, image file directory (IFD), IPTC Information Interchange Model
(IPTC), and Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP
) formats. In addition, WIC includes an extensible framework to support third-party metadata implementations.
Metadata format support is per-codec. For example, the native JPEG
codec supports XMP
but the native GIF
and PNG codecs do not.
, Windows Photo Gallery
and Windows Live Photo Gallery
Viewer are based on Windows Imaging Component and can thus view/organize images in any format for which the WIC codecs are installed.
Starting with Windows 7, Windows Media Center (available on Windows 7 Home Premium and above) is WIC-enabled. The GDI+ graphic library, used by many native application and underneath .NET 2's System.Drawing, is also built on top of WIC, although GDI+ will not load 3rd-party or external codecs. The WIC stack itself underwent a major overhaul and is now free threaded, and so are all the built-in and external codecs shipping with the operating system. Being free threaded is also a requirement for new codecs targeting Windows 7.
WIC is also available for Windows XP
as a standalone download or as part of .NET Framework 3.0. A PowerToy
for Windows XP from Microsoft, known as Photo Info, which allows viewing and editing image metadata from Windows Explorer, also uses WIC.
Microsoft Expression Design
's import and export capabilities are entirely based on WIC Expression Media Service Pack 1 and later also supports additional RAW camera formats and HD Photo using WIC.
FastPictureViewer
, a simple standalone third-party image viewer, supports standard image formats along with HD Photo and RAW camera formats (NRW, NEF, CR2, DNG) using WIC. An experimental WIC import plug-in for Adobe Photoshop can also be found on FastPictureViewer's website.
From version 3.6.0.76 IMatch
also supports WIC.
Available WIC Codecs:
Component Object Model
Component Object Model is a binary-interface standard for software componentry introduced by Microsoft in 1993. It is used to enable interprocess communication and dynamic object creation in a large range of programming languages...
based imaging codec
Codec
A codec is a device or computer program capable of encoding or decoding a digital data stream or signal. The word codec is a portmanteau of "compressor-decompressor" or, more commonly, "coder-decoder"...
framework introduced in Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
and Windows XP Service Pack 3 for working with and processing digital images and image metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
. It allows applications supporting the framework to automatically get support of installed codecs for graphics file formats.
It is similar to DirectShow
DirectShow
DirectShow , codename Quartz, is a multimedia framework and API produced by Microsoft for software developers to perform various operations with media files or streams. It is the replacement for Microsoft's earlier Video for Windows technology...
, or ACM/VCM
Video for Windows
Video for Windows was a multimedia framework developed by Microsoft that allowed Microsoft Windows to play digital video.-Overview:...
, in that it can be extended using image codecs and can support third-party graphics formats on a system-wide basis. Additionally, Windows Presentation Foundation
Windows Presentation Foundation
Developed by Microsoft, the Windows Presentation Foundation is a computer-software graphical subsystem for rendering user interfaces in Windows-based applications. WPF, previously known as "Avalon", was initially released as part of .NET Framework 3.0. Rather than relying on the older GDI...
applications also automatically support the installed image codecs. Codecs for RAW
RAW image format
A camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor...
image formats used by high-end professional digital cameras are also supported in this manner.
WIC enables application developers to perform image processing operations on any image format through a single set of common APIs, without requiring prior knowledge of specific image formats. By writing a codec once for WIC, developers can get system-wide support for that graphics file format in all applications that use WIC, .NET 3.x or WPF.
Features
Windows Imaging Component provides an extensible architecture for image codecs, pixel formats, and metadata, with automatic run-time discovery of new formats. It supports reading and writing of arbitrary metadata in image files, with the ability to preserve unrecognized metadata during editing. While working with images, it preserves high bit depthColor depth
In computer graphics, color depth or bit depth is the number of bits used to represent the color of a single pixel in a bitmapped image or video frame buffer. This concept is also known as bits per pixel , particularly when specified along with the number of bits used...
image data, up to 32 bits per channel, throughout the revamped high dynamic range
High dynamic range
High dynamic range is a term generally used for media applications such as digital imaging and digital audio production...
image processing pipeline built into Windows Vista.
Windows Imaging Component supports Windows Color System
Windows Color System
Windows Color System is a platform for color management first included with Windows Vista that aims to achieve color consistency across various software and hardware, including cameras, monitors, printers and scanners. Different devices interpret the same colors differently, according to their...
, the ICC
International Color Consortium
The International Color Consortium was formed in 1993 by eight industry vendors in order to create a universal color management system that would function transparently across all operating systems and software packages....
V4-compliant color management technology in Windows Vista.
Codecs
By default, Windows Vista ships with the JPEGJPEG
In computing, JPEG . The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality....
, TIFF, GIF
GIF
The Graphics Interchange Format is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability....
, PNG, BMP and HD Photo encoder and decoder codecs, and an .ICO
ICO (icon image file format)
The ICO file format is an image file format for computer icons in Microsoft Windows. ICO files contain one or more small images at multiple sizes and color depths, such that they may be scaled appropriately...
decoder. Additionally, as of 2009, some camera manufacturers and 3rd-parties have released WIC codecs for proprietary raw image format
RAW image format
A camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor...
s, enabling Mac-like raw image support to Windows 7 and Vista. In July of 2011, this was extended significantly by Microsoft itself by providing a separate Codec Pack for most current digital cameras.
Metadata
WIC supports Exchangeable Image File (ExifExchangeable image file format
Exchangeable image file format is a standard that specifies the formats for images, sound, and ancillary tags used by digital cameras , scanners and other systems handling image and sound files recorded by digital cameras...
), PNG textual metadata, image file directory (IFD), IPTC Information Interchange Model
IPTC Information Interchange Model
The Information Interchange Model is a file structure and set of metadata attributes that can be applied to text, images and other media types...
(IPTC), and Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP
Extensible Metadata Platform
The Adobe Extensible Metadata Platform is a standard, created by Adobe Systems Inc., for processing and storing standardized and proprietary information relating to the contents of a file....
) formats. In addition, WIC includes an extensible framework to support third-party metadata implementations.
Metadata format support is per-codec. For example, the native JPEG
JPEG
In computing, JPEG . The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality....
codec supports XMP
Extensible Metadata Platform
The Adobe Extensible Metadata Platform is a standard, created by Adobe Systems Inc., for processing and storing standardized and proprietary information relating to the contents of a file....
but the native GIF
GIF
The Graphics Interchange Format is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability....
and PNG codecs do not.
WIC in Microsoft products
In Windows Vista: Windows ExplorerWindows Explorer
This article is about the Windows file system browser. For the similarly named web browser, see Internet ExplorerWindows Explorer is a file manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user interface...
, Windows Photo Gallery
Windows Photo Gallery
Windows Photo Gallery is a photo management, tagging, and editing tool developed by Microsoft, and is included with all editions of Windows Vista...
and Windows Live Photo Gallery
Windows Live Photo Gallery
Windows Live Photo Gallery is a photo management and photo sharing application released as a part of Microsoft's Windows Live initiative. It is an upgraded version of Windows Photo Gallery, which is a part of Windows Vista....
Viewer are based on Windows Imaging Component and can thus view/organize images in any format for which the WIC codecs are installed.
Starting with Windows 7, Windows Media Center (available on Windows 7 Home Premium and above) is WIC-enabled. The GDI+ graphic library, used by many native application and underneath .NET 2's System.Drawing, is also built on top of WIC, although GDI+ will not load 3rd-party or external codecs. The WIC stack itself underwent a major overhaul and is now free threaded, and so are all the built-in and external codecs shipping with the operating system. Being free threaded is also a requirement for new codecs targeting Windows 7.
WIC is also available for Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
as a standalone download or as part of .NET Framework 3.0. A PowerToy
Microsoft PowerToys
Microsoft PowerToys is a set of programs provided by Microsoft for the Windows operating system. PowerToys are not integrated into Windows since they are released after the public release of a Windows operating system...
for Windows XP from Microsoft, known as Photo Info, which allows viewing and editing image metadata from Windows Explorer, also uses WIC.
Microsoft Expression Design
Microsoft Expression Design
Microsoft Expression Design is Microsoft's commercial professional illustration vector and raster graphic design tool for web images based on Creature House Expression, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2003. It is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio suite...
's import and export capabilities are entirely based on WIC Expression Media Service Pack 1 and later also supports additional RAW camera formats and HD Photo using WIC.
Third-party support
As of 2007, few third-party imaging applications (image editors, image organizers and image viewers) utilize WIC.FastPictureViewer
Fast Picture Viewer
FastPictureViewer is a commercial 32 and 64-bit image viewer for Windows 7, Vista and XP. Its aim is to facilitate quick review, rating and annotation of large quantities of digital images in the early steps of the digital workflow, with an emphasis on simplicity and speed.As of v1.6, a basic...
, a simple standalone third-party image viewer, supports standard image formats along with HD Photo and RAW camera formats (NRW, NEF, CR2, DNG) using WIC. An experimental WIC import plug-in for Adobe Photoshop can also be found on FastPictureViewer's website.
From version 3.6.0.76 IMatch
IMatch
IMatch is shareware digital asset management application for Windows.IMatch is targeted at professional and serious amateur photographers because of its organizing functions and its noted capability for managing large collections .- Features :Imported images can be sorted and organized in categories...
also supports WIC.
External links
Available WIC Codecs:
- Ardfry Imaging WIC codec for Adobe DNG format, 64-bit NEF and CR2 codecs
- Adobe's WIC codec for DNG
- Canon RAW codec for WIC
- Nikon RAW codec for WIC
- Sony RAW codec for WIC
- Olympus RAW codec for WIC
- Pentax RAW codec EXE
- WIC codec for DjVuDjVuDjVu is a computer file format designed primarily to store scanned documents, especially those containing a combination of text, line drawings, and photographs. It uses technologies such as image layer separation of text and background/images, progressive loading, arithmetic coding, and lossy...
- JPEG 2000 WIC Decoder
- WebP Codec for Windows
- FastPictureViewer Codec Pack (32 and 64-bit) Supports raw formats from Adobe, Canon, Epson, Fuji, Hasselblad, Kodak, Leica, Mamiya, Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Sigma, Sinar and Sony, plus the Rawzor compressed raw format and raster formats such as Photoshop PSD, Radiance HDR, OpenEXR, DirectX DDS, Targa (TGA), PNM/PPM/PGM/PBM, JPEG 2000 and the .LRPrev/.NoIndex preview cache format used by Adobe Lightroom.