The Java Image I/O API, developed through
JSR-015, provides a pluggable architecture for working with
images stored in files and accessed across the network. It offers
substantially more flexibility and power than the previous
APIs for loading and saving images.
The API provides provides a framework for the addition of format-specific
plugins. Plug-ins for several common formats are included with Java
Image I/O, but third parties can use this API to create their own plugins to
handle special formats.
The Java Image I/O API Guide
describes the Java Image I/O API in more detail and demonstrates how to use
Java Image I/O to read and write images and write custom
plug-ins.
Java Image I/O API Specification
The Java Image I/O API Specification consists of the following packages:
javax.imageio
Contains the basic classes and interfaces for describing the contents of
image files, including metadata and thumbnails; controlling
the image reading and writing process; performing
transcoding between formats; and reporting errors.
javax.imageio.event
Contains interfaces for dealing with synchronous notification of events
during the reading and writing of images.
javax.imageio.metadata
Contains classes and interfaces for reading and writing image metadata.