The MagickCore API is a low-level interface between the C programming language and ImageMagick's core processing libraries. Designed for wizard-level programmers, MagickCore gives you direct access to structure members—unlike the MagickWand C API, which uses opaque types and accessors.

MagickCore Public Methods Reference

Explore headers and function definitions directly on GitHub:

Compiling MagickCore Programs

Compile your MagickCore C program using MagickCore-config flags:

$ cc `MagickCore-config --cflags --cppflags` -O2 -o core core.c `MagickCore-config --ldflags --libs`

If ImageMagick is installed outside your system's default path, export PKG_CONFIG_PATH:

$ export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/local/lib/pkgconfig

Code Examples

Example 1: Basic Image Resizing (core.c)

This example reads a GIF image, resizes it into a thumbnail, and writes it back as a PNG file:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <time.h>
#include <MagickCore/MagickCore.h>

int main(int argc,char **argv)
{
  ExceptionInfo
    *exception;

  Image
    *image,
    *images,
    *resize_image,
    *thumbnails;

  ImageInfo
    *image_info;

  if (argc != 3)
    {
      (void) fprintf(stdout,"Usage: %s image thumbnail\n",argv[0]);
      exit(0);
    }
  /*
    Initialize the image info structure and read an image.
  */
  MagickCoreGenesis(*argv,MagickTrue);
  exception=AcquireExceptionInfo();
  image_info=CloneImageInfo((ImageInfo *) NULL);
  (void) strcpy(image_info->filename,argv[1]);
  images=ReadImage(image_info,exception);
  if (exception->severity != UndefinedException)
    CatchException(exception);
  if (images == (Image *) NULL)
    exit(1);
  /*
    Convert the image to a thumbnail.
  */
  thumbnails=NewImageList();
  while ((image=RemoveFirstImageFromList(&images)) != (Image *) NULL)
  {
    resize_image=ResizeImage(image,106,80,LanczosFilter,exception);
    if (resize_image == (Image *) NULL)
      MagickError(exception->severity,exception->reason,exception->description);
    (void) AppendImageToList(&thumbnails,resize_image);
    DestroyImage(image);
  }
  /*
    Write the image thumbnail.
  */
  (void) strcpy(thumbnails->filename,argv[2]);
  WriteImage(image_info,thumbnails,exception);
  /*
    Destroy the image thumbnail and exit.
  */
  thumbnails=DestroyImageList(thumbnails);
  image_info=DestroyImageInfo(image_info);
  exception=DestroyExceptionInfo(exception);
  MagickCoreTerminus();
  return(0);
}

Example 2: Parallel Processing with Wand Views (sigmoidal-contrast.c)

This program applies sigmoidal non-linearity contrast control across multicore systems in parallel using OpenMP-backed Wand Views:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <math.h>
#include <MagickCore/MagickCore.h>

static MagickBooleanType SigmoidalContrast(ImageView *contrast_view,
  const ssize_t y,const int id,void *context)
{
#define QuantumScale  ((MagickRealType) 1.0/(MagickRealType) QuantumRange)
#define SigmoidalContrast(x) \
  (QuantumRange*(1.0/(1+exp(10.0*(0.5-QuantumScale*x)))-0.0066928509)*1.0092503)

  RectangleInfo
    extent;

  register IndexPacket
    *indexes;

  register PixelPacket
    *pixels;

  register ssize_t
    x;

  extent=GetImageViewExtent(contrast_view);
  pixels=GetImageViewAuthenticPixels(contrast_view);
  for (x=0; x < (ssize_t) (extent.width-extent.x); x++)
  {
    SetPixelRed(pixels,RoundToQuantum(SigmoidalContrast(GetPixelRed(pixels))));
    SetPixelGreen(pixels,RoundToQuantum(SigmoidalContrast(GetPixelGreen(pixels))));
    SetPixelBlue(pixels,RoundToQuantum(SigmoidalContrast(GetPixelBlue(pixels))));
    SetPixelOpacity(pixels,RoundToQuantum(SigmoidalContrast(GetPixelOpacity(pixels))));
    pixels++;
  }
  indexes=GetImageViewAuthenticIndexes(contrast_view);
  if (indexes != (IndexPacket *) NULL)
    for (x=0; x < (ssize_t) (extent.width-extent.x); x++)
      SetPixelIndex(indexes+x,RoundToQuantum(SigmoidalContrast(GetPixelIndex(indexes+x))));
  return(MagickTrue);
}

int main(int argc,char **argv)
{
#define ThrowImageException(image) \
{ \
  CatchException(exception); \
  if (contrast_image != (Image *) NULL) \
    contrast_image=DestroyImage(contrast_image); \
  exit(-1); \
}
#define ThrowViewException(view) \
{ \
  char \
    *description; \
  ExceptionType \
    severity; \
  description=GetImageViewException(view,&severity); \
  (void) fprintf(stderr,"%s %s %lu %s\n",GetMagickModule(),description); \
  description=DestroyString(description); \
  exit(-1); \
}

  ExceptionInfo
    *exception;

  Image
    *contrast_image;

  ImageInfo
    *image_info;

  ImageView
    *contrast_view;

  MagickBooleanType
    status;

  if (argc != 3)
    {
      (void) fprintf(stdout,"Usage: %s image sigmoidal-image\n",argv[0]);
      exit(0);
    }
  /*
    Read an image.
  */
  MagickCoreGenesis(*argv,MagickTrue);
  image_info=AcquireImageInfo();
  (void) CopyMagickString(image_info->filename,argv[1],MaxTextExtent);
  exception=AcquireExceptionInfo();
  contrast_image=ReadImage(image_info,exception);
  if (contrast_image == (Image *) NULL)
    ThrowImageException(contrast_image);
  /*
    Sigmoidal non-linearity contrast control.
  */
  contrast_view=NewImageView(contrast_image);
  if (contrast_view == (ImageView *) NULL)
    ThrowImageException(contrast_image);
  status=UpdateImageViewIterator(contrast_view,SigmoidalContrast,(void *) NULL);
  if (status == MagickFalse)
    ThrowImageException(contrast_image);
  contrast_view=DestroyImageView(contrast_view);
  /*
    Write the image then destroy it.
  */
  status=WriteImages(image_info,contrast_image,argv[2],exception);
  if (status == MagickFalse)
    ThrowImageException(contrast_image);
  contrast_image=DestroyImage(contrast_image);
  exception=DestroyExceptionInfo(exception);
  image_info=DestroyImageInfo(image_info);
  MagickCoreTerminus();
  return(0);
}

Resource Cleanup and OpenMP Considerations

The MagickCoreTerminus() function cleans up and releases internal resources upon application shutdown. Call this in the main application thread only after all secondary worker threads using ImageMagick functions have completed.

OpenMP Resource Deallocation (v5.0+)

When OpenMP threading is used, the runtime handles worker thread lifecycles and thread-local memory allocation. Consequently, some OpenMP worker threads and memory allocations may persist after MagickCoreTerminus() completes. To release these remaining resources, call omp_pause_resource_all(omp_pause_hard) immediately following MagickCoreTerminus().