Develop Reference

Invert Crop from (Cut hole into) Image

Everywhere I look online, I see people posting on how to successfully crop an image. However, I want to 'crop'/ clear a hole out of an image. I want to keep the original image, but crop out a rectangle
As you can see in the image above, I have "cropped" out the kittens face. I maintained the original image, but removed only part of it. I cannot figure out how to do that.

Assuming you want to replace the original pixel colors with transparency you run into a small problem: You can't draw or fill with transparency in GDI+.
But you can use Graphics.Clear(Color.Transparent).
To do that you restrict the region where the Graphics object will draw. Here we can use the simple cropping rectangle but you can clear more complex shapes using a GraphicsPath..
Example using a bitmap bmp:
using (Graphics g = Graphics.FromImage(bmp))
{
Rectangle crop = new Rectangle(222,222,55,55);
g.SetClip(crop);
g.Clear(Color.Transparent);
}
bmp.Save(somefilename, ImageFormat.Png);

Setting your Graphics object's CompositingMode property to CompositingMode.SourceCopy will allow your drawing operations to replace the alpha value instead of proportionally opacifying it:
public static void TestDrawTransparent()
{
//This code will, successfully, draw something transparent overwriting an opaque area.
//More precisely, it creates a 100*100 fully-opaque red square with a 50*50 semi-transparent center.
using(Bitmap bmp = new Bitmap(100, 100, PixelFormat.Format32bppArgb))
{
using(Graphics g = Graphics.FromImage(bmp))
using(Brush opaqueRedBrush = new SolidBrush(Color.FromArgb(255, 255, 0, 0)))
using(Brush semiRedBrush = new SolidBrush(Color.FromArgb(128, 255, 0, 0)))
{
g.Clear(Color.Transparent);
Rectangle bigRect = new Rectangle(0, 0, 100, 100);
Rectangle smallRect = new Rectangle(25, 25, 50, 50);
g.CompositingMode = System.Drawing.Drawing2D.CompositingMode.SourceCopy;
g.FillRectangle(opaqueRedBrush, bigRect);
g.FillRectangle(semiRedBrush, smallRect);
}
bmp.Save(#"C:\FilePath\TestDrawTransparent.png", ImageFormat.Png);
}
}
In this code, I first draw a fully-opaque red square, then a semi-transparent red square "over" it. The result is a semi-transparent "hole" in the square:
And on a black background:
A zero-opacity brush works just as well, leaving a clear hole through the image (I checked).
With that in mind, you should be able to crop any shapes you want, simply by filling them with a zero-opacity brush.

C# CopyFromScreen takes a screenshot of whats underneath the active window

I'm trying to make an application that I can open and minimize or just leave it there, then with the help of a hotkey I want it to capture a portion of a screen, I got all that covered and working fine except for when I hit the hotkey and I have a game window opened, instead of taking a screenshot of the game it takes a screenshot of what's underneath that window, I've searched literally everywhere and couldn't find an answer, this is the closest I got to:
c# screenshot of active window but doesn't caputre the window
Here's my code:
Bitmap printscreen = new Bitmap(40, 20);
Graphics graphics = Graphics.FromImage(printscreen as Image);
graphics.CopyFromScreen(775, 515, 0, 0, printscreen.Size);
printscreen = Transform(printscreen);
Bitmap newImage = new Bitmap(100, 50);
using (Graphics gr = Graphics.FromImage(newImage))
{
gr.SmoothingMode = SmoothingMode.HighQuality;
gr.InterpolationMode = InterpolationMode.HighQualityBicubic;
gr.PixelOffsetMode = PixelOffsetMode.HighQuality;
gr.DrawImage(printscreen, new Rectangle(0, 0, 100, 50));
newImage.Save("code.jpg");
}
What I'm trying to achieve is capturing a portion of the screen of the active window or a specific window, thanks!

Capturing an image behind a rectangle

I have written a small application which will be used in my work environment for cropping images. The windows form (.NET 3.5) that contains the image has a transparent rectangle which I use for dragging over a section of an image and hitting a button to get me whatever was behind the rectangle.
Currently I am using the code below, this is causing me issues because the area that it is capturing is off by quite a few pixels, and I think it's something to do with my CopyFromScreen function.
//Pass in a rectangle
private void SnapshotImage(Rectangle rect)
{
Point ptPosition = new Point(rect.X, rect.Y);
Point ptRelativePosition;
//Get me the screen coordinates, so that I get the correct area
ptRelativePosition = PointToScreen(ptPosition);
//Create a new bitmap
Bitmap bmp = new Bitmap(rect.Width, rect.Height, PixelFormat.Format32bppArgb);
//Sort out getting the image
Graphics g = Graphics.FromImage(bmp);
//Copy the image from screen
g.CopyFromScreen(this.Location.X + ptPosition.X, this.Location.Y + ptPosition.Y, 0, 0, bmp.Size, CopyPixelOperation.SourceCopy);
//Change the image to be the selected image area
imageControl1.Image.ChangeImage(bmp);
}
If anyone can spot why when the image is redrawn its quite a bit out, I'd be eternally grateful at this point. Also, the ChangeImage function is fine - it works if I use a form as a select area but using a rectangle has jazzed things up a bit.

You've retrieved the relative position to the screen as ptRelativePosition, but you never actually use that - you add the rectangle's location to your form's location, which doesn't account for the form's border.
Here's that fixed, with a few optimizations:
// Pass in a rectangle
private void SnapshotImage(Rectangle rect)
{
// Get me the screen coordinates, so that I get the correct area
Point relativePosition = this.PointToScreen(rect.Location);
// Create a new bitmap
Bitmap bmp = new Bitmap(rect.Width, rect.Height, PixelFormat.Format32bppArgb);
// Copy the image from screen
using(Graphics g = Graphics.FromImage(bmp)) {
g.CopyFromScreen(relativePosition, Point.Empty, bmp.Size);
}
// Change the image to be the selected image area
imageControl1.Image.ChangeImage(bmp);
}

Interestingly, this was because of the space between the main form and the control that the image was on and the toolbar at the top of the form separating the control and the top of the main form. To get around this I simply modified one line in capture screen to account for those pixels, as shown below:
g.CopyFromScreen(relativePosition.X + 2, relativePosition.Y+48, Point.Empty.X, Point.Empty.Y, bmp.Size);
Cheers

How can I take a picture from screen?

I want to write a program that shows one PC's screen to the others... something like presentation systems. how can i take a picture from current screen?

.NET exposes this functionality via the Screen (System.Windows.Forms) class.
// the surface that we are focusing upon
Rectangle rect = new Rectangle();
// capture all screens in Windows
foreach (Screen screen in Screen.AllScreens)
{
// increase the Rectangle to accommodate the bounds of all screens
rect = Rectangle.Union(rect, screen.Bounds);
}
// create a new image that will store the capture
Bitmap bitmap = new Bitmap(rect.Width, rect.Height, PixelFormat.Format32bppArgb);
using (Graphics g = Graphics.FromImage(bitmap))
{
// use GDI+ to copy the contents of the screen into the bitmap
g.CopyFromScreen(rect.X, rect.Y, 0, 0, rect.Size, CopyPixelOperation.SourceCopy);
}
// bitmap now has the screen capture

How to create a simple glass effect

I am currently painting a light blue, partly transparent overlay over owner-drawn objects to indicate certain state. It's OK but I thought that it would be even nicer if I could at some sort of glass effect to further establish the idea that the particular object has "something" overlaid over the top of it.
I thought that some glass streaks, for example, in addition to the blue transparency would lend a nice effect.
I've Googled around for GDI+ (and others) algorithms to do simple things painting like this but have come up empty. Links to any (fairly simple) algorithms in any language would be appreciated. I prefer .NET but can figure out the painting from pseudo-code on up.
Sorry, shoul've also specified that I need to target WinXP and using .NET version 2.0 - So unable to use WPF or Vista/Win7 goodies.

I've not done this myself but, have used codeproject source to render a sample...Try this:
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/GDI-plus/Image-Glass-Reflection.aspx
public static Image DrawReflection(Image _Image, Color _BackgroundColor, int _Reflectivity)
{
// Calculate the size of the new image
int height = (int)(_Image.Height + (_Image.Height * ((float)_Reflectivity / 255)));
Bitmap newImage = new Bitmap(_Image.Width, height, PixelFormat.Format24bppRgb);
newImage.SetResolution(_Image.HorizontalResolution, _Image.VerticalResolution);
using (Graphics graphics = Graphics.FromImage(newImage))
{
// Initialize main graphics buffer
graphics.Clear(_BackgroundColor);
graphics.DrawImage(_Image, new Point(0, 0));
graphics.InterpolationMode = InterpolationMode.HighQualityBicubic;
Rectangle destinationRectangle = new Rectangle(0, _Image.Size.Height,
_Image.Size.Width, _Image.Size.Height);
// Prepare the reflected image
int reflectionHeight = (_Image.Height * _Reflectivity) / 255;
Image reflectedImage = new Bitmap(_Image.Width, reflectionHeight);
// Draw just the reflection on a second graphics buffer
using (Graphics gReflection = Graphics.FromImage(reflectedImage))
{
gReflection.DrawImage(_Image,
new Rectangle(0, 0, reflectedImage.Width, reflectedImage.Height),
0, _Image.Height - reflectedImage.Height, reflectedImage.Width,
reflectedImage.Height, GraphicsUnit.Pixel);
}
reflectedImage.RotateFlip(RotateFlipType.RotateNoneFlipY);
Rectangle imageRectangle =
new Rectangle(destinationRectangle.X, destinationRectangle.Y,
destinationRectangle.Width,
(destinationRectangle.Height * _Reflectivity) / 255);
// Draw the image on the original graphics
graphics.DrawImage(reflectedImage, imageRectangle);
// Finish the reflection using a gradiend brush
LinearGradientBrush brush = new LinearGradientBrush(imageRectangle,
Color.FromArgb(255 - _Reflectivity, _BackgroundColor),
_BackgroundColor, 90, false);
graphics.FillRectangle(brush, imageRectangle);
}
return newImage;
}

I was actually able to achieve a basic glass effect by overlaying my image with a rectangle about one third the size of the image below that contains a gradient fill of white that starts at 25% opacity and goes to 75% opacity. This is single bit of painting produces a glassy "streak" that I was happy with. The same idea could be repeated a number of times with a variety of rect widths to produce several "streaks" that will give the illusion of a glass overlay.

You could try the Aero Glass function, if you are using Vista or Windows 7.
These might be helpful:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa969537%28VS.85%29.aspx#blurbehind
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms748975.aspx