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# CVPixelFormatDescription

An API that provides functions and types for defining custom pixel formats.

## Discussion

The Core Video pixel format description API defines functions and types for defining custom pixel formats. You should only use pixel format descriptions if you need to define a custom pixel format.

## Topics

### Creating Format Descriptions

[`func CVPixelFormatDescriptionCreateWithPixelFormatType(CFAllocator?, OSType) -> CFDictionary?`](/documentation/CoreVideo/CVPixelFormatDescriptionCreateWithPixelFormatType(_:_:))

Creates a pixel format description from a given `OSType` identifier.

[`func CVPixelFormatDescriptionRegisterDescriptionWithPixelFormatType(CFDictionary, OSType)`](/documentation/CoreVideo/CVPixelFormatDescriptionRegisterDescriptionWithPixelFormatType(_:_:))

Registers a pixel format description with Core Video.

### Retrieving Format Descriptions

[`func CVPixelFormatDescriptionArrayCreateWithAllPixelFormatTypes(CFAllocator?) -> CFArray?`](/documentation/CoreVideo/CVPixelFormatDescriptionArrayCreateWithAllPixelFormatTypes(_:))

Returns all the pixel format descriptions known to Core Video.

### Converting format types

[`func CVPixelFormatTypeCopyFourCharCodeString(OSType) -> CFString`](/documentation/CoreVideo/CVPixelFormatTypeCopyFourCharCodeString(_:))

### Data Types

[`struct CVPixelFormatDescription`](/documentation/CoreVideo/CVPixelFormatDescription)

Defines a pixel format which can be used to create custom pixel buffer types.

[`struct CVFillExtendedPixelsCallBackData`](/documentation/CoreVideo/CVFillExtendedPixelsCallBackData)

A structure for holding information that describes a custom extended pixel fill algorithm.

[`struct CVPixelFormatType`](/documentation/CoreVideo/CVPixelFormatType)

Identifier for a pixel format type

[`struct CVSenselSitingOffsets`](/documentation/CoreVideo/CVSenselSitingOffsets)

Siting offsets, relative to pixel center, of individual sensels/components constituting each pixel.

[`enum CVSenselArrayPattern`](/documentation/CoreVideo/CVSenselArrayPattern)

Pattern indicating sensel arrangement.

### Callbacks

[`typealias CVFillExtendedPixelsCallBack`](/documentation/CoreVideo/CVFillExtendedPixelsCallBack)

Defines a pointer to a custom extended pixel-fill function, which is called whenever the system needs to pad a buffer holding your custom pixel format.

### Constants

[Pixel Format Description Keys](/documentation/CoreVideo/pixel-format-description-keys)

The attributes of a pixel format.

[Pixel Format Identifiers](/documentation/CoreVideo/pixel-format-identifiers)

Core Video does not provide support for all of these formats; this list defines only their names.

### Constants

[Pixel Format Description Keys](/documentation/CoreVideo/pixel-format-description-keys)

The attributes of a pixel format.


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