Converting a 24-bit PNG image to an array of GLubytes - ios

Question

I'd like to do the following:
Read RGB color values from a 24 bit PNG image
Average the RGB values and store them into an array of Glubytes.
I have provided my function that I was hoping would perform these 2 steps.
My function returns an array of Glubytes, however all elements have a value of 0.
So im guessing im reading the image data incorrectly.
What am i going wrong in reading the image? (perhaps my format is incorrect).
Here is my function:
+ (GLubyte *) LoadPhotoAveragedIndexPNG:(UIImage *)image numPixelComponents: (int)numComponents
{
// Load an image and return byte array.
CGImageRef textureImage = image.CGImage;
if (textureImage == nil)
{
NSLog(#"LoadPhotoIndexPNG: Failed to load texture image");
return nil;
}
NSInteger texWidth = CGImageGetWidth(textureImage);
NSInteger texHeight = CGImageGetHeight(textureImage);
CGColorSpaceRef colorSpace = CGColorSpaceCreateDeviceRGB();
GLubyte *indexedData = (GLubyte *)malloc(texWidth * texHeight);
GLubyte *rawData = (GLubyte *)malloc(texWidth * texHeight * numComponents);
CGContextRef textureContext = CGBitmapContextCreate(
rawData,
texWidth,
texHeight,
8,
texWidth * numComponents,
colorSpace,
kCGImageAlphaPremultipliedLast);
CGColorSpaceRelease(colorSpace);
CGContextDrawImage(textureContext,
CGRectMake(0.0, 0.0, (float)texWidth, (float)texHeight),
textureImage);
CGContextRelease(textureContext);
int rawDataLength = texWidth * texHeight * numComponents;
for (int i = 0, j = 0; i < rawDataLength; i += numComponents)
{
GLubyte b = rawData[i];
GLubyte g = rawData[i + 1];
GLubyte r = rawData[i + 2];
indexedData[j++] = (r + g + b) / 3;
}
return indexedData;
}
Here is the test image im loading (RGB colorspace in PNG format):

Answer 1

Do check with some logging if the parameters b,g and r are producing normal values in the last for loop. Where you made a mistake is indexedData[j++] = (r + g + b) / 3; those 3 parameters are sizeof 1 byte and you can not sum them up like that. Use a larger integer, typecast them and typecast the result back to array. (You are most likely getting overflow)

Answer 2

Apart from your original problem there's a major problem here (maybe even related)
for (int i = 0, j = 0; i < rawDataLength; i += numComponents)
{
GLubyte b = rawData[i];
GLubyte g = rawData[i + 1];
GLubyte r = rawData[i + 2];
indexedData[j++] = (r + g + b) / 3;
}
Namely the expression
(r + g + b)
This expression will be performed on GLubyte sized integer operations. If the sum of r+g+b is larger than the type GLubyte can hold it will overflow. Whenever you're processing data through intermediary variables (good style!) choose the variable types large enough to hold the largest value you can encounter. Another method was casting the expression like
indexedData[j++] = ((uint16_t)r + (uint16_t)g + (uint16_t)b) / 3;
But that's cumbersome to read. Also if you're processing integers of a known size, use the types found in stdint.h. You know, that you're expecting 8 bits per channel. Also you can use the comma operator in the for increment clause
uint8_t *indexedData = (GLubyte *)malloc(texWidth * texHeight);
/* ... */
for (int i = 0, j = 0; i < rawDataLength; i += numComponents, j++)
{
uint16_t b = rawData[i];
uint16_t g = rawData[i + 1];
uint16_t r = rawData[i + 2];
indexedData[j] = (r + g + b) / 3;
}