Core Image

Core Image is a new technology in Mac OS X that heavily leverages Quartz Compositor and the machine's GPU. Demonstrated in the August 2004 WWDC, it provides access to the most common Graphics APIs. It provides the ability to edit images on-the-fly (which used to be handled by Quartz/Quartz Extreme) and apply effects to them. It can also apply 3D transformations as aptly as 2D transformations.

Core Image has further implications than simple GUI enhancements. Core Image can be used to perform real time image manipulations similar to Photoshop filters. These operations are called Image Units. However, unlike a traditional filter that manipulates the source image, Core Image performs a manipulation as an overlay — maintaining the original image. This is called "non-destructive" manipulation. The result is the ability to do highly complex and layered image manipulations with little or no loss in quality.

Image Units

Median, Gaussian, Motion and Zoom blurs
Noise Reduction
Full color, hue, temperature, white point and saturation control
Pinch, Hole, Dump, Displacement, Glass, torus Lens, Twirl, Vortex, Circle Splash and Circular warp distortions
Several generator filters including Star Shine, Sunbeams, Checkerboard and Lenticular Halo
Color blends: color burn, darken, difference, exclusion, hard light, hue, lighten, luminosity, multiply, overlay, saturation, screen, soft light
On-the-fly cropping
On-the-fly perspective transform
Several halftone filters including CMYK, dot, hatched and line
Deconvolution

Core Video

Running alongside Core Image is Core Video which is based on the H.264 codec. Like Core Image, it allows on-the-fly editing of video, as shown in the WWDC Webcast.

Both technologies depend heavily on the system's graphics card, and may offer tiered solutions, such as Quartz and its more powerful version, Quartz Extreme.

External Links

Mac OS X Tiger: Core Image: preview from the Apple web site
WWDC 2004 Keynote Webcast: original presentation by Steve Jobs