Read and Write Image Data from Files

Read and write image data from files, get information about contents of image files

Image Processing Toolbox™ enables you to read and write image files in many common file formats including BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, and TIFF. The toolbox supports reading and writing medical file formats including DICOM, NIfTI, and Analyze 7.5. The toolbox also supports reading RAW file formats. You can also work with images in specialized file formats, including NITF, DPX, and Interfile.

Apps

DICOM Browser

Explore collection of DICOM files

Functions

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Generic File Import and Export

`imread`	Read image from graphics file
`imwrite`	Write image to graphics file
`imfinfo`	Information about graphics file

Work with DICOM Files

`dicominfo`	Read metadata from DICOM message
`dicomfind`	Find location and value of target attribute in DICOM metadata (Since R2021b)
`dicomupdate`	Update value of target attribute in DICOM metadata (Since R2021b)
`dicomread`	Read DICOM image
`dicomwrite`	Write images as DICOM files
`dicomreadVolume`	Create 4-D volume from set of DICOM images
`dicomCollection`	Gather details about related series of DICOM files
`dicomContours`	Extract ROI data from DICOM-RT structure set (Since R2020a)
`dicomanon`	Anonymize DICOM file
`dicomdict`	Get or set active DICOM data dictionary
`dicomdisp`	Display DICOM file structure
`dicomlookup`	Find attribute in DICOM data dictionary
`dicomuid`	Generate DICOM globally unique identifier
`images.dicom.decodeUID`	Get information about DICOM unique identifier
`images.dicom.parseDICOMDIR`	Extract metadata from DICOMDIR file

Work with RAW Files

`rawinfo`	Read metadata from RAW file (Since R2021a)
`rawread`	Read color filter array (CFA) image from RAW file (Since R2021a)
`raw2rgb`	Transform color filter array (CFA) image in RAW file into RGB image (Since R2021a)
`planar2raw`	Combine planar sensor images into full Bayer pattern CFA (Since R2021a)
`raw2planar`	Separate Bayer pattern color filter array (CFA) image into sensor element images (Since R2021a)

Work with Specialized File Formats

`tiffreadVolume`	Read volume or time series image stack from TIFF file (Since R2020b)
`niftiinfo`	Read metadata from NIfTI file
`niftiwrite`	Write volume to file using NIfTI format
`niftiread`	Read NIfTI image
`analyze75info`	Read metadata from header file of Analyze 7.5 data set
`analyze75read`	Read image data from image file of Analyze 7.5 data set
`interfileinfo`	Read metadata from Interfile file
`interfileread`	Read images in Interfile format
`nitfinfo`	Read metadata from National Imagery Transmission Format (NITF) file
`nitfread`	Read image from NITF file
`isnitf`	Check if file is National Imagery Transmission Format (NITF) file
`dpxinfo`	Read metadata from DPX file
`dpxread`	Read DPX image
`exrinfo`	Read metadata from EXR file (Since R2022b)
`exrread`	Read image data from EXR file (Since R2022b)
`exrwrite`	Write image data to EXR file (Since R2022b)
`isexr`	Check if file is valid EXR file (Since R2022b)
`exrHalfAsSingle`	Convert numeric values into half-precision values (Since R2022b)

Topics

Read and Write Standard Graphics Files

Image Types in the Toolbox

Image types determine how MATLAB^® interprets data matrix elements as pixel intensity values. The toolbox supports many image types including binary, grayscale, truecolor, multispectral, and label images.

Work with RAW Files

Implement Digital Camera Processing Pipeline
This example shows how to implement a camera processing pipeline that renders an RGB image from a RAW Bayer-pattern color filter array (CFA) image.

Work with DICOM and Other Medical Files

DICOM Support in Image Processing Toolbox

The Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) Standard facilitates access to image data and files across medical imaging equipment.
Mayo Analyze 7.5 Files
Analyze 7.5 is a file format, developed by the Mayo Clinic, for storing MRI data.
Interfile Files
Interfile is a file format that was developed for the exchange of nuclear medicine image data.
Import and Spatial Referencing (Medical Imaging Toolbox)
Read images and spatial metadata from medical imaging file formats

Featured Examples

Create Image Datastore Containing DICOM Images

Create an image datastore from a collection of DICOM files containing 2-D images. To learn more about organizing images labeled using the Medical Image Labeler app, see Create Datastores for Medical Image Semantic Segmentation.

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Create Image Datastore Containing Single and Multi-File DICOM Series

Datastores are a convenient way of working with and representing collections of data that are too large to fit in memory at one time, especially in deep learning workflows. Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) is a standardized medical image file format that can store volumes and image series as a single file or multiple files in a folder. This example shows how to create an image datastore containing DICOM data stored as a mix of single files and multiple files.

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