| Windows Imaging Component | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Microsoft |
| Operating system | Windows NT family |
| Type | Application programming interface |
| License | docs |
Windows Imaging Component (WIC) is aCOM-based imagingcodec framework introduced inWindows Vista (and later available inWindows XP Service Pack 3)[1] for working with and processing digital images and imagemetadata.
WIC enables application developers to perform image processing operations on any image format through a single set of commonAPIs, without requiring prior knowledge of specific image formats.
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 highbit depth image data, up to 32 bits per channel, throughout the revampedhigh dynamic range image processing pipeline built into Windows Vista.
Windows Imaging Component supportsWindows Color System, theICC V4-compliant color management technology in Windows Vista.
By default, Windows Vista ships withJPEG,TIFF,GIF,PNG,BMP andHD Photo encoders and decoders, and anICO decoder. Additionally, as of 2009, some camera manufacturers[2] and 3rd-parties[3][4] have released WIC codecs for proprietaryraw image formats, enabling Mac-like raw image support to Windows 7 and Vista.[5] In July 2011, this was extended significantly by Microsoft itself by providing a separate Codec Pack for most current digital cameras.[6] TheProgressive Graphics File (PGF) viewer is distributed with a WIC codec.
WIC supports Exchangeable Image File (Exif), 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 nativeJPEG codec supportsXMP but the nativeGIF andPNG codecs do not.[7]
WIC is available forWindows XP with Service Pack 2, as a stand-alone downloadable program, and is built into Windows XP with Service Pack 3. It is also available as part of.NET Framework 3.0.[8] A discontinuedPowerToy for Windows XP from Microsoft, known as Photo Info, which allows viewing and editing image metadata from Windows Explorer, also uses WIC.[9]
Starting with Windows Vista,Windows Explorer, andWindows Photo Gallery, are based on WIC and can thus view and organize images in any format for which a WIC codec is installed.Office 2010 and later versions of the core Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) can import image file formats supported by WIC.
Starting with Windows 7,Windows Media Center (available on Windows 7 Home Premium and above) is WIC-enabled. Also, theGDI+ graphic library is built on WIC, although GDI+ does not load 3rd-party or external codecs. With Windows 7 the WIC stack itself underwent a major overhaul and is now free-threaded, as are all the built-in and external codecs shipping with Windows. Being free-threaded is also a requirement for new codecs targeting Windows 7.[10]
Microsoft Expression Design's import and export capabilities are entirely based on WIC.[11] Expression Media (nowPhase One Media Pro) with Service Pack 1 and later also supports additional raw camera formats and HD Photo (nowJPEG XR) using WIC.[12][13]
As of 2018, few third-party imaging applications (image editors, image organizers and image viewers) utilize WIC.
FastPictureViewer, a simple standalone third-party image viewer, supports standard image formats along withHD Photo and RAW camera formats (NRW, NEF, CR2, DNG) using WIC. An experimental WIC importplug-in for AdobePhotoshop can also be found on FastPictureViewer's website.[14]
Another WIC import plug-in forGIMP can be found at Gimp-Forum.net.[15]