Converting Byte Array To Image Throws "Parameter is not valid."

Question

I'm trying to convert several byte arrays (stored in SQL Server 2008 R2 as varbinary(8000)) into images so I can attach them to a PDF file (an example of the data is below). I keep getting "Parameter is not valid." when creating the Image from the MemoryStream. Any help on this?

MemoryStream memoryStream = new MemoryStream(byteArray);
Image image = Image.FromStream(memoryStream);
Bitmap bitmap = new Bitmap(image);

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

Answer 1

It's a

% file output 
output: PCX ver. 2.8 image data, with palette

under linux I just transformed your hex stream from plain text to a binary file called output

echo "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" | xxd -p -r >output

and then the easy part with file output to get the name of the file format from the utility file.

Answer 2

First, make sure you know the encoding, as the Image.FromStream method knows only a limited number of formats.

Make sure that the Position of your MemoryStream is set properly to 0, and not to the end - otherwise, any reads will begin at the end appear to be empty, instead of starting at the beginning.

Also, note that

This constructor does not expose the underlying stream. GetBuffer throws UnauthorizedAccessException.1

Thus, this could be caused by some of the way Bitmap is handling the underlying stream. IF need be, try making an empty memorystream, copying the byte into it, and then resetting the position

MemoryStream memoryStream = new MemoryStream();
foreach(var b in byteArray) memoryStream.WriteByte(b);
memoryStream.Position = 0;
Image image = Image.FromStream(memoryStream);

Answer 3

The byte array you gave is 1117 bytes long. That's not evenly divisible by 4 or 3, so I'm pretty certain that the image is not raw bytes and is actually encoded in an image format of some sort.

The Image.FromStream() method can't decode an encoded image without knowing the format, and the byte array you gave doesn't specify what that format is. Therefore the parameter you gave is invalid. If you know the format of the image you could attempt to insert a header into the byte array before the rest of the image, and see if that helps. It's curious you have the image but not its header, although it doesn't appear to be a base-64 string either.

Without knowing the image format it could be difficult to convert these byte arrays into images. Is there any way you could find out what they are? How is the image data retrieved to be stored?