Welcome : GDI+ FAQ : Generating Multi-Frame TIFF image files

Generating Multi-Page TIFF files.

Creating a multi-page TIFF file from several images is not a complex operation but it's confusing to get things in the right order. This article will clearly demonstrate that technique and provide a test application that creates multi-page TIFF files automatically when you drop images onto a form.

Rather than delve immediately into the code, take a moment to understand the process.

Images can be saved in a number of formats. To determine which one is used we can specify the encoder used to save the data. Image encoders can be complex and so the framework provides a bunch of parameters that can be used in the context of a certain encoders to alter the way images are saved.

Tiff files probably employ the most complex and diverse image formats so, not surprisingly, the encoders for TIFF files are similarly complex and diverse. A multiple page TIFF is effectively a bunch of images stored one-after-the-other in a single file. The files may be of different formats and even have different physical sizes. These individual images, or frames, may be accessed by selecting the frame to be viewed and drawing it as you would any other image. The process of creating such a file is controlled by using a single image as a master frame and adding other images to it in sequence.

The steps taken to create the multi-frame image are:

Get an encoder for saving with
Obtain the TIFF codec info.
Create a parameter list. This needs 1 parameter in it.
Place the MultiFrame encoder value in the parameter list
Save the first frame using the encoder and parameters
Change the encoder value in the list to FrameDimensionPage
Use first of the master frame's overloaded SaveAdd methods to add subsequent images. Repeat this step for as many images as you want to add.
Change the encoder value in the list to Flush
Use the second of the master frames overloaded SaveAdd methods to flush, save and close the image.

Taking these steps in order, the code to make the process work looks something like this:

Encoder enc=Encoder.SaveFlag;

ImageCodecInfo info=null;

foreach(ImageCodecInfo ice in ImageCodecInfo.GetImageEncoders())

if(ice.MimeType=="image/tiff")

info=ice;

EncoderParameters ep=new EncoderParameters(1);

ep.Param[0]=new EncoderParameter(enc,(long)EncoderValue.MultiFrame);

MasterBitmap.Save(myFileName,info,ep);

ep.Param[0]=new EncoderParameter(enc,(long)EncoderValue.FrameDimensionPage);

MasterBitmap.SaveAdd(myExtraPage1,ep);

MasterBitmap.SaveAdd(myExtraPage2,ep);

MasterBitmap.SaveAdd(myExtraPage3,ep);

ep.Param[0]=new EncoderParameter(enc,(long)EncoderValue.Flush);

MasterBitmap.SaveAdd(ep);

To demonstrate this process the following Windows Forms application enables you to drag any number of image files onto the form. You will be asked for a filename and a multi-page TIFF with all the files dragged in will be saved.

using System;

using System.Drawing;

using System.Drawing.Imaging;

using System.Collections;

using System.ComponentModel;

using System.Windows.Forms;

using System.Data;

using System.IO;

namespace multipagetiff

{

/// <summary>

/// Summary description for Form1.

/// </summary>

public class Form1 : System.Windows.Forms.Form

{

/// <summary>

/// Required designer variable.

/// </summary>

private System.ComponentModel.Container components = null;

public Form1()

{

// Required for Windows Form Designer support

InitializeComponent();

// TODO: Add any constructor code after InitializeComponent call

this.SetStyle(ControlStyles.ResizeRedraw,true);

}

/// <summary>

/// Clean up any resources being used.

/// </summary>

protected override void Dispose( bool disposing )

{

if( disposing )

{

if (components != null)

{

components.Dispose();

}

base.Dispose( disposing );

}

#region Windows Form Designer generated code

/// <summary>

/// Required method for Designer support - do not modify

/// the contents of this method with the code editor.

/// </summary>

private void InitializeComponent()

{

// Form1

this.AllowDrop = true;

this.AutoScaleBaseSize = new System.Drawing.Size(5, 13);

this.ClientSize = new System.Drawing.Size(288, 173);

this.Name = "Form1";

this.Text = "Multi Page Tiff Generator";

this.Paint += new System.Windows.Forms.PaintEventHandler(this.Form1_Paint);

}

#endregion

/// <summary>

/// The main entry point for the application.

/// </summary>

[STAThread]

static void Main()

{

Application.Run(new Form1());

}

protected override void OnDragEnter(DragEventArgs e)

{

if(e.Data.GetDataPresent(DataFormats.FileDrop))

{

bool allow=true;

foreach(string s in (string[])e.Data.GetData(DataFormats.FileDrop))

{

string ext= Path.GetExtension(s).ToLower();

if(

!(ext==".jpg" ||

ext==".jpeg" ||

ext==".tif" ||

ext==".gif" ||

ext==".bmp"))

allow=false;

}

if(allow)

e.Effect=DragDropEffects.Copy;

else

e.Effect=DragDropEffects.None;

}

protected override void OnDragDrop(DragEventArgs e)

{

string[] sa=(string[])e.Data.GetData(DataFormats.FileDrop);

SaveFileDialog dlg=new SaveFileDialog();

dlg.DefaultExt=".tif";

if(dlg.ShowDialog()!=DialogResult.OK)

return;

//get the codec for tiff files

ImageCodecInfo info=null;

foreach(ImageCodecInfo ice in ImageCodecInfo.GetImageEncoders())

if(ice.MimeType=="image/tiff")

info=ice;

//use the save encoder

Encoder enc=Encoder.SaveFlag;

EncoderParameters ep=new EncoderParameters(1);

ep.Param[0]=new EncoderParameter(enc,(long)EncoderValue.MultiFrame);

Bitmap pages=null;

int frame=0;

foreach(string s in sa)

{

if(frame==0)

{

pages=(Bitmap)Image.FromFile(s);

//save the first frame

pages.Save(dlg.FileName,info,ep);

}

else

{

//save the intermediate frames

ep.Param[0]=new EncoderParameter(enc,(long)EncoderValue.FrameDimensionPage);

Bitmap bm=(Bitmap)Image.FromFile(s);

pages.SaveAdd(bm,ep);

}

if(frame==sa.Length-1)

{

//flush and close.

ep.Param[0]=new EncoderParameter(enc,(long)EncoderValue.Flush);

pages.SaveAdd(ep);

}

frame++;

}

private void Form1_Paint(object sender, System.Windows.Forms.PaintEventArgs e)

{

StringFormat sf=(StringFormat)StringFormat.GenericTypographic.Clone();

sf.Alignment=StringAlignment.Center;

sf.LineAlignment=StringAlignment.Center;

e.Graphics.DrawString("Drop images here to make a multi-page tiff",Font,Brushes.Black,new RectangleF(0,0,this.ClientSize.Width,this.ClientSize.Height),sf);

}

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