In this post, we’re shining a spotlight on our Image Editing APIs, all of which are available via the Cloudmersive Image Recognition & Processing API endpoint. Whether you’re looking to make simple or substantial changes to your images, our Image Editing API iterations have you covered. There are fourteen Image Editing API iterations in total; in this post, we’ll highlight five commonly used iterations and briefly discuss their respective use-cases and parameters. Please note that each Image Editing API iteration accepts common file types like PNG and JPG.

Adaptively Adjust the Contrast in an Image

The gamma value of an image determines how easy or difficult it is to make out distinctive features within the image itself. If a photo is too dark to begin with, adjusting its gamma will help you see distinct shapes that may not have been discernable at first. This API iteration allows you to change the gamma value of any image by entering a specific (double) numerical value. Values between 0.0 and 1.0 will reduce the contrast in your image, while values above 1.0 will instead increase contrast. Given it’s much more common to increase gamma when using this operation, the default gamma value is set at 2.0.

Rotate an Image any Number of Degrees

An important feature of many basic image editing applications is the option to rotate images in positive (left rotation) or negative (right rotation) multiples of 90 degrees. This API iteration goes a step further, allowing you to achieve a much more specific degree of rotation by entering any (double) value between 0.0 and 360.0.

Add a Customizable Drop Shadow to an Image

Adding a drop shadow to an image is an easy way to give it a three-dimensional feel; it’s a method often used by marketing/content creation professionals to add depth to an image, making it more pleasant to look at. This API iteration offers you the ability to create and customize clean, engaging drop shadows for your images. When configuring this API’s parameters, you can specify the exact horizontal & vertical offset of the shadow, as well as its sigma (blur distance) and opacity (ranging from 0% to 100%).

Draw Text onto an Image

Whether you're creating polished marketing materials or generating viral internet memes, text and images are often inseparable. This API iteration affords you the ability to programmatically draw text onto an image by supplying plain text along with various details about your desired font, X/Y pixel coordinates (indicating exactly where the custom text should show up), and the height and width of your text box (in pixels).

Composite Two Images Together (Basic or Precise)

Compositing images is a common and useful way to generate a “surreal” image effect. This usually entails placing the subject of one image onto the background of another (imagine, for example, an image of a Giraffe grazing from a tree in Central Park) or fully blending two images with varying degrees of opacity. There are two iterations of Cloudmersive Image Compositing APIs available for you to use: one which performs a basic version of this operation, and another which performs a much more precise/advanced version of this operation. The basic version only requires you to specify a general composite location, such as “top-center” or “center-left,” while the precise iteration allows you to dictate the exact coordinates (in pixels) of the composite’s location. The precise iteration also allows you to control padding by including transparent pixels at the border(s) of your layered images as needed.