1. IronBarcode
2. How-Tos
3. Read Multipage Image

How to Read Barcodes from Multi-Page/Frame GIF and TIFF

by Hairil Hasyimi Bin Omar

IronBarcode supports a various image format inputs for reading, including multi-page and multi-frame GIF and TIFF image formats. This offers ease-of-use for the users to simply use the image without having to manually separate the frames or pages of a TIFF or GIF file. Let's explore on how to use IronBarcode to read these file formats.

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Read Multiframe GIF and TIFF Images

Reading multiframe GIF and TIFF images using IronBarcode is as easy as reading single image because IronBarcode readily accepts the multipage image files into the BarcodeReader.Read method.The users do not have to do any image preparation as all of them has been internalized in the library.

Code example below demonstrates on how to read multipage GIF and TIFF files:

:path=/static-assets/barcode/content-code-examples/how-to/read-barcodes-from-multi-page-frame-tiff-gif-read-tif.cs

using IronBarCode;
using System;

// Read barcode from TIF image
BarcodeResults results = BarcodeReader.Read("sample.tif");

// Output the barcodes value to console
foreach (var result in results)
{
    Console.WriteLine(result.Value);
}

Imports IronBarCode
Imports System

' Read barcode from TIF image
Private results As BarcodeResults = BarcodeReader.Read("sample.tif")

' Output the barcodes value to console
For Each result In results
	Console.WriteLine(result.Value)
Next result

Convert Images to GIF and TIFF

Learn how to convert images to multipage TIFF and GIF by utilizing our open-source library, IronDrawing. Now, let's look at the code example below on how to generate a multipage GIF or TIFF image.

:path=/static-assets/barcode/content-code-examples/how-to/read-barcodes-from-multi-page-frame-tiff-gif-create-tiff-gif.cs

using IronBarCode;
using IronSoftware.Drawing;
using System.Collections.Generic;

// Import images
List<AnyBitmap> images = new List<AnyBitmap>()
{
    AnyBitmap.FromFile("image1.png"),
    AnyBitmap.FromFile("image2.png"),
    AnyBitmap.FromFile("image3.png"),
    AnyBitmap.FromFile("image4.jpg"),
    AnyBitmap.FromFile("image5.jpg")
};

// Convert TIFF from images
AnyBitmap tiffImage = AnyBitmap.CreateMultiFrameTiff(images);

// Export TIFF
tiffImage.SaveAs("multiframetiff.tiff");

// Convert GIF from images
AnyBitmap gifImage = AnyBitmap.CreateMultiFrameGif(images);

// Export GIF
gifImage.SaveAs("multiframegif1.gif");

Imports IronBarCode
Imports IronSoftware.Drawing
Imports System.Collections.Generic

' Import images
Private images As New List(Of AnyBitmap)() From {AnyBitmap.FromFile("image1.png"), AnyBitmap.FromFile("image2.png"), AnyBitmap.FromFile("image3.png"), AnyBitmap.FromFile("image4.jpg"), AnyBitmap.FromFile("image5.jpg")}

' Convert TIFF from images
Private tiffImage As AnyBitmap = AnyBitmap.CreateMultiFrameTiff(images)

' Export TIFF
tiffImage.SaveAs("multiframetiff.tiff")

' Convert GIF from images
Dim gifImage As AnyBitmap = AnyBitmap.CreateMultiFrameGif(images)

' Export GIF
gifImage.SaveAs("multiframegif1.gif")

From the code snippet above, we can first group a number of image files by importing them into a list of AnyBitmap objects. This list can then be used as a parameter when calling the AnyBitmap.CreateMultiFrameTiff and AnyBitmap.CreateMultiFrameGif methods to obtain the multipage TIFF and multipage GIF objects, respectively.

While both multipage GIF and TIFF offer a way to group images into a single file, there are several differences between the two formats, as outlined below:

Advanced Barcode Reading

Although IronBarcode works directly out of the box, some images may require configuring the BarcodeReaderOptions class to achieve accurate and fast barcode reading. You can find more information on this class in the 'How to read Barcodes from Image Files (jpg, png, gif, tiff, svg, bmp)' article.

The code snippet below provides examples of the necessary properties that can be configured in the BarcodeReaderOptions class.

:path=/static-assets/barcode/content-code-examples/how-to/read-barcodes-from-multi-page-frame-tiff-gif-advance.cs

using IronBarCode;
using System;

// Configure filters
ImageFilterCollection filters = new ImageFilterCollection()
{
    new SharpenFilter(3.5f),
    new ContrastFilter(2)
};

// Configure options
BarcodeReaderOptions options = new BarcodeReaderOptions()
{
    ExpectBarcodeTypes = IronBarCode.BarcodeEncoding.QRCode,
    ImageFilters = filters,
    ExpectMultipleBarcodes = true,
    Speed = ReadingSpeed.Balanced
};

// Read barcode from TIF image
BarcodeResults results = BarcodeReader.Read("sample.tif", options);

// Output the barcodes value to console
foreach (var result in results)
{
    Console.WriteLine(result.Value);
}

Imports IronBarCode
Imports System

' Configure filters
Private filters As New ImageFilterCollection() From {
	New SharpenFilter(3.5F),
	New ContrastFilter(2)
}

' Configure options
Private options As New BarcodeReaderOptions() With {
	.ExpectBarcodeTypes = IronBarCode.BarcodeEncoding.QRCode,
	.ImageFilters = filters,
	.ExpectMultipleBarcodes = True,
	.Speed = ReadingSpeed.Balanced
}

' Read barcode from TIF image
Private results As BarcodeResults = BarcodeReader.Read("sample.tif", options)

' Output the barcodes value to console
For Each result In results
	Console.WriteLine(result.Value)
Next result

In the code snippet, we not only set BarcodeReaderOptions properties, but we also apply some filters, specifically the SharpenFilter and ContrastFilter. These filters essentially help in improving the clarity of blurry images for barcode detection and reading. You can find more information on image correction filters in the 'How to use Image Correction Filters' article.

For the BarcodeReaderOptions object, we suggest that users to include ExpectMultipleBarcodes for IronBarcode to scan all available barcodes in the image file, Speed to balance between the reading accuracy and performance, ExpectBarcodeTypes to further increase performance, and ImageFilters to apply the filters set in ImageFilterCollection object for reading accuracy.

Though setting the BarcodeReaderOptions object is optional for most use cases, it is important for users to get the most out of IronBarcode when reading barcodes from a multipage GIF and TIFF image files.

Hairil Hasyimi Bin Omar

Software Engineer

Like all great engineers, Hairil is an avid learner. He’s refining his knowledge of C#, Python, and Java, using that knowledge to add value to team members across Iron Software. Hairil joined the Iron Software team from Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia, where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Chemical and Process Engineering.