/*

 * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS FILE HEADER.

 *

 * This code is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it

 * under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 only, as

 * published by the Free Software Foundation.  Sun designates this

 * particular file as subject to the "Classpath" exception as provided

 * by Sun in the LICENSE file that accompanied this code.

 *

 * This code is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT

 * ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or

 * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License

 * version 2 for more details (a copy is included in the LICENSE file that

 * accompanied this code).

 *

 * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License version

 * 2 along with this work; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,

 * Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.

 *

 * Please contact Sun Microsystems, Inc., 4150 Network Circle, Santa Clara,

 * CA 95054 USA or visit www.sun.com if you need additional information or

 * have any questions.

 */

/* ********************************************************************

 **********************************************************************

 **********************************************************************

 *** COPYRIGHT (c) Eastman Kodak Company, 1997                      ***

 *** As  an unpublished  work pursuant to Title 17 of the United    ***

 *** States Code.  All rights reserved.                             ***

 **********************************************************************

 **********************************************************************

 **********************************************************************/

package java.awt.image.renderable;

import java.awt.image.RenderedImage;

import java.awt.RenderingHints;

/**

 * The RenderedImageFactory interface (often abbreviated RIF) is

 * intended to be implemented by classes that wish to act as factories

 * to produce different renderings, for example by executing a series

 * of BufferedImageOps on a set of sources, depending on a specific

 * set of parameters, properties, and rendering hints.

 */

public interface RenderedImageFactory {

  /**

   * Creates a RenderedImage representing the results of an imaging

   * operation (or chain of operations) for a given ParameterBlock and

   * RenderingHints.  The RIF may also query any source images

   * referenced by the ParameterBlock for their dimensions,

   * SampleModels, properties, etc., as necessary.

   *

   * <p> The create() method can return null if the

   * RenderedImageFactory is not capable of producing output for the

   * given set of source images and parameters.  For example, if a

   * RenderedImageFactory is only capable of performing a 3x3

   * convolution on single-banded image data, and the source image has

   * multiple bands or the convolution Kernel is 5x5, null should be

   * returned.

   *

   * <p> Hints should be taken into account, but can be ignored.

   * The created RenderedImage may have a property identified

   * by the String HINTS_OBSERVED to indicate which RenderingHints

   * were used to create the image.  In addition any RenderedImages

   * that are obtained via the getSources() method on the created

   * RenderedImage may have such a property.

   *

   * @param paramBlock a ParameterBlock containing sources and parameters

   *        for the RenderedImage to be created.

   * @param hints a RenderingHints object containing hints.

   * @return A RenderedImage containing the desired output.

   */

  RenderedImage create(ParameterBlock paramBlock,

                       RenderingHints hints);

}