How to Write a WIC-Enabled Codec

This section of topics provide developers with guidance on how to implement image file format codecs that will function within the Windows Imaging Component (WIC) framework.

Introduction
How The Windows Imaging Component (WIC) Works

Discovery and Arbitration
Decoding
Encoding
The Lifetime of a Codec
How to WIC-enable a Codec
Multi-Threaded Apartment Support in WIC

Implementing a WIC-Enabled Decoder

Decoder Interfaces

IWICBitmapDecoder
IWICBitmapCodecProgressNotification
IWICBitmapSource
IWICBitmapFrameDecode
IWICMetadataBlockReader
IWICBitmapSourceTransform
IWICDevelopRaw

Implementing a WIC-Enabled Encoder

Encoder Interfaces

IWICBitmapEncoder
IWICBitmapCodecProgressNotification
IWICBitmapFrameEncode
IWICMetadataBlockWriter

Codec Installation and Registration

Registering a Codec

General Register Entries
Encoder-Specific Registry Entries

Registering a Container Format with Metadata Writers

Encoder-Specific Registry Entries

Registering a New Container Format with Metadata Readers

Integration with Windows Vista PhotoGallery and Explorer

Windows Property Store
Windows Vista Photo Gallery
Windows Vista Thumbnail Cache

Updating the Thumbnail Cache when Installing a Codec [Making Your WIC-Enabled Codec Available to Users](-wic-codecinstallandreg.md)

Conclusion

Related topics

Conceptual

Introduction (How to Write a WIC-Enabled CODEC)

Windows Imaging Component Overview