Overview of the Java 2D API

Images

The Java 2D API implements a new imaging model that supports the manipulation of fixed-resolution images stored in memory. A new Image class in the java.awt.image package, BufferedImage , can be used to hold and manipulate image data retrieved from a file or URL. For example, a BufferedImage can be used to implement double-buffering--the graphic elements are rendered offscreen to the BufferedImage and then copied to the screen through a call to Graphics2D drawImage . BufferedImage and the BufferedImageOp classes also enable you to perform a variety of image filtering operations, such as blur and sharpen.

The producer/consumer imaging model provided in previous versions of the JDK is supported for backward compatibility.

Overview of the Java 2D API