---
title: vImageCVImageFormat
framework: accelerate
role: symbol
role_heading: Class
path: accelerate/vimagecvimageformat
---

# vImageCVImageFormat

A mutable description of image encoding in a Core Video pixel buffer.

## Declaration

```swift
class vImageCVImageFormat
```

## Mentioned in

Converting chroma-subsampled images

## Overview

Overview The vImage library uses the information in an image format to construct vImageConverter instances that convert to and from images encoded with the format. The format stores a description of the pixels in the image, such as color representation, bit depth, and number of channels. A vImageCVImageFormat instance is capable of holding an incomplete encoding representation. In this case, the vImageConverter_CreateForCGToCVImageFormat(_:_:_:_:_:) and vImageConverter_CreateForCVToCGImageFormat(_:_:_:_:_:) functions return an error code that indicates what information is missing. Reuse a vImageCVImageFormat instance with other Core Video pixel buffers of the same format, such as other frames from the same movie.

## Topics

### Creating a Core Video image format

- [make(buffer:)](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat/make(buffer:).md)
- [make(format:matrix:chromaSiting:colorSpace:alphaIsOpaqueHint:)](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat/make(format:matrix:chromasiting:colorspace:alphaisopaquehint:).md)
- [make(format:colorSpace:alphaIsOpaqueHint:)](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat/make(format:colorspace:alphaisopaquehint:).md)

### Inspecting a Core Video image format’s properties

- [channelCount](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat/channelcount.md)
- [channels](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat/channels.md)
- [channelDescription(bufferType:)](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat/channeldescription(buffertype:).md)
- [formatCode](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat/formatcode.md)
- [chromaSiting](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat/chromasiting-swift.property.md)
- [colorSpace](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat/colorspace.md)
- [alphaIsOpaqueHint](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat/alphaisopaquehint.md)

### Supporting types

- [vImageCVImageFormat.ChromaSiting](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat/chromasiting-swift.enum.md)
- [vImageCVImageFormat.Format](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat/format.md)

## Relationships

### Conforms To

- [Equatable](swift/equatable.md)
- [Hashable](swift/hashable.md)

## See Also

### Creating Core Video image formats

- [vImageConstCVImageFormat](accelerate/vimageconstcvimageformat.md)
- [vImageCVImageFormat_CreateWithCVPixelBuffer(_:)](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat_createwithcvpixelbuffer(_:).md)
- [vImageCVImageFormat_Create(_:_:_:_:_:)](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat_create(_:_:_:_:_:).md)