---
title: "vImageCVImageFormat_GetChannelCount(_:)"
framework: accelerate
role: symbol
role_heading: Function
path: "accelerate/vimagecvimageformat_getchannelcount(_:)"
---

# vImageCVImageFormat_GetChannelCount(_:)

Returns the number of channels, including alpha, for the Core Video image format.

## Declaration

```swift
func vImageCVImageFormat_GetChannelCount(_ format: vImageConstCVImageFormat) -> UInt32
```

## Parameters

- `format`: The Core Video image format to query.

## Return Value

Return Value The number of channels.

## Discussion

Discussion This function returns the number of interleaved or planar channels. The functions that create Core Video image formats, such as vImageCVImageFormat_CreateWithCVPixelBuffer(_:), return a vImageCVImageFormat. The following code shows how you create a vImageConstCVImageFormat representation of a vImageCVImageFormat instance to pass to vImageCVImageFormat_GetChannelCount(_:): let channelCount = withUnsafeBytes(of: cvImageFormat) { bytes in     let format = bytes.assumingMemoryBound(         to: vImageConstCVImageFormat.self).first!          return vImageCVImageFormat_GetChannelCount(format) }

## See Also

### Related Documentation

- [channelCount](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat/channelcount.md)

### Querying and setting channel information

- [vImageCVImageFormat_GetChannelDescription(_:_:)](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat_getchanneldescription(_:_:).md)
- [vImageCVImageFormat_CopyChannelDescription(_:_:_:)](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat_copychanneldescription(_:_:_:).md)
- [vImageCVImageFormat_GetChannelNames(_:)](accelerate/vimagecvimageformat_getchannelnames(_:).md)
- [vImageChannelDescription](accelerate/vimagechanneldescription.md)