How to save image in the picturebox for .NET 5.0 WinForms?

Question

Hello:
I need to write a C# program to create an image from some text, and I have to center the text in the image.
Since I am using Visual Studio 2019 on Windows 10, and I have to use .NET 5.0, so I created one C# WinForms App, and add the following code:

using System;  
using System.Diagnostics;  
using System.Threading.Tasks;  
using System.Drawing;  
using System.Drawing.Imaging;  
using System.Drawing.Text;  
using System.Windows.Forms;  
  
namespace CenterTextInImage  
{  
    public partial class Form1 : Form  
    {  
        private PictureBox pictureBox1 = new ();  
        private Button button1 = new();  
  
        public Form1()  
        {  
            InitializeComponent();  
            pictureBox1.Location = new Point(12, 30);  
            pictureBox1.Name = "pictureBox1";  
            pictureBox1.Size = new Size(768, 268);  
            pictureBox1.TabIndex = 1;  
            pictureBox1.TabStop = false;  
            Controls.Add(pictureBox1);  
  
            button1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(363, 364);  
            button1.Name = "button1";  
            button1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(75, 23);  
            button1.TabIndex = 0;  
            button1.Text = "SaveImage";  
            button1.UseVisualStyleBackColor = true;  
            button1.Click += new System.EventHandler(button1_Click);  
        }  
  
        private void pictureBox1_Paint(object sender, PaintEventArgs e)  
        {  
            Graphics g = e.Graphics;  
            string text1 = "Test for center text in the image";  
            using Font font12 = new("Arial", 12, FontStyle.Bold, GraphicsUnit.Point);  
            g.Clear(Color.FromKnownColor(KnownColor.White));  
            Rectangle rect1 = new(0, 0, B20_Image_Width, B20_Image_Height);  
            TextFormatFlags flags = TextFormatFlags.HorizontalCenter |  
                TextFormatFlags.VerticalCenter | TextFormatFlags.WordBreak;  
            TextRenderer.DrawText(e.Graphics, text1, font12, rect1, Color.Black, flags);  
            e.Graphics.DrawRectangle(Pens.Black, rect1);  
        }  
  
        private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)  
        {  
            pictureBox1.Paint += new PaintEventHandler(pictureBox1_Paint);  
        }  
  
        private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)  
        {  
            pictureBox1.Image.Save(@"C:\Images\Test1.png", ImageFormat.Png);  
        }  
    }  
}  

When I run this code, I can see the text is drawn in the center of the image. But I can't figure out how to save the image from the pictureBox1.
When I click on button1, I always got error:
System.NullReferenceException
HResult=0x80004003
Message=Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
Source=AddText2ImageForm
When I debug my code, I can always see that the image of pictureBox1 is null.
How I can save the image from pictureBox1?
My IDE is: Visual Studio 2019 (version 16.10.4), and my OS is Windows 10 (Version 21H1)
Thanks,

Answer 1

You can do for example :

private void pictureBox1_Paint(object sender, PaintEventArgs e)
{
    PictureBox1_Render(e.Graphics);            
}

private void PictureBox1_Render(Graphics g)
{           
    string text1 = "Test for center text in the image";
    using Font font12 = new("Arial", 12, FontStyle.Bold, GraphicsUnit.Point);
    g.Clear(Color.FromKnownColor(KnownColor.White));
    Rectangle rect1 = new(0, 0, B20_Image_Width, B20_Image_Height);
    TextFormatFlags flags = TextFormatFlags.HorizontalCenter | TextFormatFlags.VerticalCenter | TextFormatFlags.WordBreak;
    TextRenderer.DrawText(g, text1, font12, rect1, Color.Black, flags);
    g.DrawRectangle(Pens.Black, rect1);
}

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    Bitmap pic = new Bitmap(pictureBox1.ClientSize.Width, pictureBox1.ClientSize.Height);
    using (Graphics g = Graphics.FromImage(pic))
    {
        PictureBox1_Render(g);
        pic.Save(@"C:\Images\Test1.png", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png);
    }
}