converting a binary stream into a png format - c++

Question

I will try to be clear ....
My project idea is as follow :
I took several compression algorithms which I implemented using C++, after that I took a text file and applied to it the compression algorithms which I implemented, then applied several encryption algorithms on the compressed files, now I am left with final step which is converting these encrypted files to any format of image ( am thinking about png since its the clearest one ).
MY QUESTION IS :
How could I transform a binary stream into a png format ?
I know the image will look rubbish.
I want the binary stream to be converted to a an png format so I can view it as an image
I am using C++, hope some one out there can help me
( my previous thread which was closed )
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5773638/converting-a-text-file-to-any-format-of-images-png-etc-c
thanx in advance
Help19

Answer 1

If you really really must store your data inside a PNG, it's better to use a 3rd party library like OpenCV to do the work for you. OpenCV will let you store your data and save it on the disk as PNG or any other format that it supports.
The code to do this would look something like this:
#include <cv.h>
#include <highgui.h>
IplImage* out_image = cvCreateImage(cvSize(width, height), IPL_DEPTH_8U, bits_pr_pixel);
char* buff = new char[width * height * bpp];
// then copy your data to this buff
out_image->imageData = buff;
if (!cvSaveImage("fake_picture.png", out_image))
{
std::cout << "ERROR: Failed cvSaveImage" << std::endl;
}
cvReleaseImage(&out_image);
The code above it's just to give you an idea on how to do what you need using OpenCV.

Answer 2

I think you're better served with a bi-dimensional bar code instead of converting your blob of data into a png image.
One of the codes that you could use is the QR code.

Answer 3

To do what you have in mind (storing data in an image), you'll need a lossless image format. PNG is a good choice for this. libpng is the official PNG encoding library. It's written in C, so you should be able to easily interface it with your C++ code. The homepage I linked you to contains links to both the source code so you can compile libpng into your project as well as a manual on how to use it. A few quick notes on using libpng:
It uses setjmp and longjmp for error handling. It's a little weird if you haven't worked with C's long jump functionality before, but the manual provides a few good examples.
It uses zlib for compression, so you'll also have to compile that into your project.