Splitting a multipage TIFF image into individual images (Java)

Question

Been tearing my hair on this one.

How do I split a multipage / multilayer TIFF image into several individual images?

Demo image available here.

(Would prefer a pure Java (i.e. non-native) solution. Doesn't matter if the solution relies on commercial libraries.)

Answer 1

You can use the Java Advanced Imaging library, JAI, to split a mutlipage TIFF, by using an ImageReader:

ImageInputStream is = ImageIO.createImageInputStream(new File(pathToImage));
if (is == null || is.length() == 0){
  // handle error
}
Iterator<ImageReader> iterator = ImageIO.getImageReaders(is);
if (iterator == null || !iterator.hasNext()) {
  throw new IOException("Image file format not supported by ImageIO: " + pathToImage);
}
// We are just looking for the first reader compatible:
ImageReader reader = (ImageReader) iterator.next();
iterator = null;
reader.setInput(is);

Then you can get the number of pages:

nbPages = reader.getNumImages(true);

and read pages separatly:

reader.read(numPage)

Answer 2

A fast but non JAVA solution is tiffsplit. It is part of the libtiff library.

An example command to split a tiff file in all it's layers would be:

tiffsplit image.tif

The manpage says it all:

NAME
       tiffsplit - split a multi-image TIFF into single-image TIFF files

SYNOPSIS
       tiffsplit src.tif [ prefix ]

DESCRIPTION
       tiffsplit  takes  a multi-directory (page) TIFF file and creates one or more single-directory (page) TIFF files
       from it.  The output files are given names created by concatenating a prefix, a lexically ordered suffix in the
       range  [aaa-zzz],  the  suffix  .tif (e.g.  xaaa.tif, xaab.tif, xzzz.tif).  If a prefix is not specified on the
       command line, the default prefix of x is used.

OPTIONS
       None.

BUGS
       Only a select set of ‘‘known tags’’ is copied when splitting.

SEE ALSO
       tiffcp(1), tiffinfo(1), libtiff(3TIFF)

       Libtiff library home page: http://www.remotesensing.org/libtiff/