PRB: "Error 481: Invalid Picture" Error Viewing BMP File

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This article was previously published under Q216205

SYMPTOMS

Bitmaps created using Win98 Imaging components, such as Imaging for Windows (Win98) or IMGEDIT.OCX, create a BMP that cannot be read in Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000 using MSPAINT.EXE or the Visual Basic PictureBox control.

You would receive the folling error message:

Error 481: Invalid Picture When Viewing BMP Created Using Kodak Imaging in Win98

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CAUSE

The Win98 Imaging components save out the bitmaps using the v5.0 BITMAPINFOHEADER structure.

Following is the VC++ BITMAPINFOHEADER v5.0 structure:

typedef struct {
   DWORD        bV5Size;
   LONG         bV5Width;
   LONG         bV5Height;
   WORD         bV5Planes;
   WORD         bV5BitCount;
   DWORD        bV5Compression;
   DWORD        bV5SizeImage;
   LONG         bV5XPelsPerMeter;
   LONG         bV5YPelsPerMeter;
   DWORD        bV5ClrUsed;
   DWORD        bV5ClrImportant;
   DWORD        bV5RedMask;
   DWORD        bV5GreenMask;
   DWORD        bV5BlueMask;
   DWORD        bV5AlphaMask;
   DWORD        bV5CSType;
   CIEXYZTRIPLE bV5Endpoints;
   DWORD        bV5GammaRed;
   DWORD        bV5GammaGreen;
   DWORD        bV5GammaBlue;
   DWORD        bV5Intent;
   DWORD        bV5ProfileData;
   DWORD        bV5ProfileSize;
   DWORD        bV5Reserved;
} BITMAPV5HEADER, FAR *LPBITMAPV5HEADER, *PBITMAPV5HEADER;

The members of this structure, starting with bV5Size through bV5ClrImportant, are the same as those found in a normal BITMAPINFOHEADER structure, which is readable in Windows 95, Windows NT, and Windows 2000. The remainder of the BITMAPINFOHEADER structure contains new members where older applications would expect to find the start of the Color Table.

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RESOLUTION

There are three workarounds for this problem:

Open the resultant BMP using the 'Imaging for Windows' application on either Windows 95, Windows NT, or Windows 2000, and save it again. This saves the bitmap in the standard BMP format.
Open the resultant BMP using the IMGEDIT control in Windows 95, Windows NT, or Windows 2000 and do a SaveAs on the image to again save it out as a BMP. This saves the bitmap in the standard BMP format.
Create a routine that reads the BMP file and converts it back to the original BITMAPINFOHEADER structure.

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STATUS

This problem has been reported as a bug to Eastman Kodak, makers of the Imaging controls.

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MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

Using the Win98 ImgEdit control, save a BMP image to a file.
Take that file to a Windows 95, Windows NT, or Windows 2000 system. Attempt to load it into either MSPAINT.EXE or the Picture Property of a Visual Basic PictureBox control.

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