OpenImageIO is an open source library for reading and writing images. Support for different images format are realised through plugins. Project is distributed on modified BSD license

BSD licenses

BSD licenses are a family of permissive free software licenses. The original license was used for the Berkeley Software Distribution , a Unix-like operating system after which it is named....

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History

Project OpenImageIO started as ImageIO - an API that was part of Gelato

Gelato (software)

Gelato is a hardware-accelerated, offline renderer created by graphics card manufacturer Nvidia. It was originally intended for use with its Quadro FX GPU, although a Quadro class GPU is no longer a requirement, as it now also supports GeForce cards. Designed to produce film-quality images, Gelato...

, the renderer software developed by nVidia

NVIDIA

Nvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...

. Work on ImageIO started in 2002. In the same year specification of the API and its header files were released under BSD license. In 2007, when project Gelato was stopped, the development of ImageIO also ceased. After this Larry Gritz started a new project - OpenImageIO.

In April 2009 OpenImageIO was accepted into the Google Summer of Code

Google Summer of Code

The Google Summer of Code is an annual program, first held from May to August 2005, in which Google awards stipends to hundreds of students who successfully complete a requested free or open-source software coding project during the summer...

 program with four student slots.

September 2009 marked the release of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a children's book written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. It was first published in 1978 by the Simon & Schuster imprint Atheneum Books, followed by a 1982 trade paperback edition from sister company Aladdin Paperbacks...

, the first full-length feature film

Feature film

In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...

 in whose production OpenImageIO has been used as the texturing

Texture mapping

Texture mapping is a method for adding detail, surface texture , or color to a computer-generated graphic or 3D model. Its application to 3D graphics was pioneered by Dr Edwin Catmull in his Ph.D. thesis of 1974.-Texture mapping:...

 engine.

Applications

OpenImageIO library comes with a few applications that demonstrate its features:

• iconvert - convert image file from one format to another
• idiff - compare two images, print information on how much they differ
• iinfo - prints basic (width and height of image, color depth) or detailed (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...
  
  ) information about given image
• igrep - search images for matching metadata
• iv - simple image viewer
• maketx - mipmap
  Mipmap
  In 3D computer graphics texture filtering, MIP maps are pre-calculated, optimized collections of images that accompany a main texture, intended to increase rendering speed and reduce aliasing artifacts. They are widely used in 3D computer games, flight simulators and other 3D imaging systems. The...
  
   generation tool

Supported formats

As of today library support the following formats: OpenEXR

OpenEXR

OpenEXR is a high dynamic range imaging image file format, released as an open standard along with a set of software tools created by Industrial Light and Magic , released under a free software license similar to the BSD license....

, HDR

HDR

HDR may refer to:* HDR, Inc., an American architectural and engineering firm* Hard disk recorder* Hevy Devy Records, a record label* High Dose Rate, a treatment technique in radiotherapy* High dynamic range imaging, digital imaging...

/RGBE

RGBE image format

RGBE is an image format invented by Gregory Ward Larson. It stores pixels as one byte each for RGB values with a one byte shared exponent. Thus it stores four bytes per pixel....

, TIFF, 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....

/JFIF, PNG, Truevision TGA

Truevision TGA

Truevision TGA, often referred to as TARGA, is a raster graphics file format created by Truevision Inc. . It was the native format of TARGA and VISTA boards, which were the first graphic cards for IBM-compatible PCs to support Highcolor/truecolor display...

, BMP, ICO

ICO

Ico may refer to:* Ico, a 2001 action-adventure video game for the PlayStation 2* Ico Hitrec , a Croatian football player* Icó, a town in Ceará, BrazilICO may refer to:...

, FITS

FITS

Flexible Image Transport System is a digital file format used to store, transmit, and manipulate scientific and other images. FITS is the most commonly used digital file format in astronomy...

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