Premultiply alpha channel to avoid dark artifacts during tranformation

Add `Sharp.compare(file1, file2, callback)` function for comparing images
using mean squared error (MSE). This is useful for unit tests.

See:
- https://github.com/jcupitt/libvips/issues/291
- http://entropymine.com/imageworsener/resizealpha/

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -74,11 +74,10 @@ npm test
 
 ### Memory leak tests
 
-Requires _valgrind_.
+Requires [Valgrind](http://valgrind.org/).
 
 ```sh
-cd sharp/test/leak
-./leak.sh
+npm run test-leak
 ```
 
 ## Finally

README.md

@@ -169,6 +169,7 @@ sharp('input.png')
   .resize(300)
   .flatten()
   .background('#ff6600')
+  .overlayWith('overlay.png')
   .sharpen()
   .withMetadata()
   .quality(90)
@@ -176,8 +177,8 @@ sharp('input.png')
   .toBuffer()
   .then(function(outputBuffer) {
     // outputBuffer contains upside down, 300px wide, alpha channel flattened
-    // onto orange background, sharpened, with metadata, 90% quality WebP image
-    // data
+    // onto orange background, composited with `overlay.png`, sharpened,
+    // with metadata, 90% quality WebP image data
   });
 ```
 
@@ -416,6 +417,10 @@ If the background contains an alpha value then WebP and PNG format output images
 
 Merge alpha transparency channel, if any, with `background`.
 
+#### Experimental: overlayWith(filename)
+
+**Experimental:** Composite image with transparent overlay. Both input and overlay image must be RGBA and their dimensions must match.
+
 #### rotate([angle])
 
 Rotate the output image by either an explicit angle or auto-orient based on the EXIF `Orientation` tag.
@@ -661,6 +666,17 @@ Provides access to internal task counters.
 var counters = sharp.counters(); // { queue: 2, process: 4 }
 ```
 
+#### Experimental: sharp.compare(filename1, filename2, callback)
+
+`filename1` and `filename2` are strings containing the filenames of the images to compare.
+
+`callback` is called with two arguments `(err, info)` where:
+
+* `err` contains an error message, if any.
+* `info` contains the info about the difference between the two images such as `isEqual` (Boolean), `meanSquaredError` (Number; present iff `status='success'`, otherwise `undefined`), and `status` (String; one of `success`, `mismatchedDimensions`, `mismatchedBands`, `mismatchedType`).
+
+This function can be useful for comparing test output images against reference images.
+
 ## Contributing
 
 A [guide for contributors](https://github.com/lovell/sharp/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md) covers reporting bugs, requesting features and submitting code changes.
@@ -771,7 +787,7 @@ This module would never have been possible without the help and code contributio
 * [Brandon Aaron](https://github.com/brandonaaron)
 * [Andreas Lind](https://github.com/papandreou)
 * [Maurus Cuelenaere](https://github.com/mcuelenaere)
-* [Linus Unnebäck](https://github.com/LinusU)
+* [Linus Unnebäck](https://github.com/LinusU)
 * [Victor Mateevitsi](https://github.com/mvictoras)
 * [Alaric Holloway](https://github.com/skedastik)
 * [Bernhard K. Weisshuhn](https://github.com/bkw)

binding.gyp

@@ -3,11 +3,13 @@
     'target_name': 'sharp',
     'sources': [
       'src/common.cc',
+      'src/compare-internal.c',
+      'src/compare.cc',
       'src/composite.c',
-      'src/utilities.cc',
       'src/metadata.cc',
       'src/resize.cc',
-      'src/sharp.cc'
+      'src/sharp.cc',
+      'src/utilities.cc'
     ],
     'conditions': [
         ['OS=="win"', {

index.js

@@ -758,6 +758,30 @@ Sharp.prototype.metadata = function(callback) {
   }
 };
 
+/*
+  Reads two input images and returns stats about their differences.
+  Supports only callbacks.
+*/
+Sharp.compare = function(input1, input2, callback) {
+  if (typeof input1 !== 'string' || input1 === '') {
+    throw new TypeError('`input1` must be a non-empty string');
+  }
+
+  if (typeof input2 !== 'string' || input2 === '') {
+    throw new TypeError('`input2` must be a non-empty string');
+  }
+
+  if (typeof callback !== 'function') {
+    throw new TypeError('`callback` must be a function');
+  }
+
+  var options = {
+    fileIn1: input1,
+    fileIn2: input2
+  };
+  sharp.compare(options, callback);
+};
+
 /*
   Get and set cache memory and item limits
 */

package.json

@@ -20,7 +20,10 @@
   ],
   "description": "High performance Node.js module to resize JPEG, PNG, WebP and TIFF images using the libvips library",
   "scripts": {
+    "clean": "rm -rf test/fixtures/output.*",
     "test": "VIPS_WARNING=0 node ./node_modules/istanbul/lib/cli.js cover ./node_modules/mocha/bin/_mocha -- --slow=5000 --timeout=20000 ./test/unit/*.js",
+    "test-clean": "npm run clean && npm install && npm test",
+    "test-leak": "cd test/leak; ./leak.sh; cd - > /dev/null",
     "test-win32-node": "node ./node_modules/mocha/bin/mocha --slow=5000 --timeout=20000 ./test/unit/*.js",
     "test-win32-iojs": "iojs ./node_modules/mocha/bin/mocha --slow=5000 --timeout=20000 ./test/unit/*.js"
   },

src/compare-internal.c

@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <vips/vips.h>
+
+#include "composite.h"
+
+const int STATS_SUM2_COLUMN = 3;
+
+/*
+  Compare images `actual` and `expected` and return mean squared error (MSE).
+ */
+int Compare(VipsObject *context, VipsImage *actual, VipsImage *expected, double *out) {
+  if (actual->Bands != expected->Bands)
+    return -1;
+
+  if (actual->Type != expected->Type)
+    return -1;
+
+  VipsImage *actualPremultiplied;
+  if (Premultiply(context, actual, &actualPremultiplied))
+    return -1;
+  vips_object_local(context, actualPremultiplied);
+
+  VipsImage *expectedPremultiplied;
+  if (Premultiply(context, expected, &expectedPremultiplied))
+    return -1;
+  vips_object_local(context, expectedPremultiplied);
+
+  VipsImage *difference;
+  if (vips_subtract(expectedPremultiplied, actualPremultiplied, &difference, NULL))
+    return -1;
+  vips_object_local(context, difference);
+
+  VipsImage *stats;
+  if (vips_stats(difference, &stats, NULL))
+    return -1;
+  vips_object_local(context, stats);
+
+  double *statsData = (double*) stats->data;
+  int numValues = actual->Xsize * actual->Ysize * actual->Bands;
+  double sumOfSquares = statsData[STATS_SUM2_COLUMN];
+  double meanSquaredError = sumOfSquares / numValues;
+
+  // Return a reference to the mean squared error:
+  *out = meanSquaredError;
+
+  return 0;
+}

src/compare-internal.h

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+#ifndef SRC_COMPARE_INTERNAL_H_
+#define SRC_COMPARE_INTERNAL_H_
+
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+int Compare(VipsObject *context, VipsImage *actual, VipsImage *expected, double *out);;
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif  // SRC_COMPARE_INTERNAL_H_

src/compare.cc

@@ -0,0 +1,186 @@
+#include <node.h>
+#include <vips/vips.h>
+
+#include "nan.h"
+
+#include "common.h"
+#include "compare-internal.h"
+
+using v8::Boolean;
+using v8::Exception;
+using v8::Function;
+using v8::Handle;
+using v8::Local;
+using v8::Number;
+using v8::Object;
+using v8::String;
+using v8::Value;
+
+using sharp::ImageType;
+using sharp::DetermineImageType;
+using sharp::InitImage;
+using sharp::counterQueue;
+
+struct CompareBaton {
+  // Input
+  std::string fileIn1;
+  std::string fileIn2;
+
+  // Output
+  bool isEqual;
+  float meanSquaredError;
+  std::string err;
+  std::string status;
+
+  CompareBaton():
+    isEqual(false),
+    meanSquaredError(0.0) {}
+};
+
+class CompareWorker : public NanAsyncWorker {
+
+ public:
+  CompareWorker(NanCallback *callback, CompareBaton *baton) : NanAsyncWorker(callback), baton(baton) {}
+  ~CompareWorker() {}
+
+  void Execute() {
+    // Decrement queued task counter
+    g_atomic_int_dec_and_test(&counterQueue);
+
+    ImageType imageType1 = ImageType::UNKNOWN;
+    ImageType imageType2 = ImageType::UNKNOWN;
+    VipsImage *image1 = NULL;
+    VipsImage *image2 = NULL;
+
+    // Create "hook" VipsObject to hang image references from
+    hook = reinterpret_cast<VipsObject*>(vips_image_new());
+
+    // From files
+    imageType1 = DetermineImageType(baton->fileIn1.c_str());
+    imageType2 = DetermineImageType(baton->fileIn2.c_str());
+
+    if (imageType1 != ImageType::UNKNOWN) {
+      image1 = InitImage(baton->fileIn1.c_str(), VIPS_ACCESS_RANDOM);
+      if (image1 == NULL) {
+        (baton->err).append("Input file 1 has corrupt header");
+        imageType1 = ImageType::UNKNOWN;
+      } else {
+        vips_object_local(hook, image1);
+      }
+    } else {
+      (baton->err).append("Input file 1 is of an unsupported image format");
+    }
+
+    if (imageType2 != ImageType::UNKNOWN) {
+      image2 = InitImage(baton->fileIn2.c_str(), VIPS_ACCESS_RANDOM);
+      if (image2 == NULL) {
+        (baton->err).append("Input file 2 has corrupt header");
+        imageType2 = ImageType::UNKNOWN;
+      } else {
+        vips_object_local(hook, image2);
+      }
+    } else {
+      (baton->err).append("Input file 2 is of an unsupported image format");
+    }
+
+    if (image1 != NULL && imageType1 != ImageType::UNKNOWN && image2 != NULL && imageType2 != ImageType::UNKNOWN) {
+      double meanSquaredError;
+
+      baton->meanSquaredError = -1.0;
+      baton->isEqual = FALSE;
+
+      if (image1->Type != image2->Type) {
+        baton->status = "mismatchedTypes";
+      } else if (image1->Bands != image2->Bands) {
+        baton->status = "mismatchedBands";
+      } else if (image1->Xsize != image2->Xsize || image1->Ysize != image2->Ysize) {
+        baton->status = "mismatchedDimensions";
+      } else {
+        if (Compare(hook, image1, image2, &meanSquaredError)) {
+          (baton->err).append("Failed to compare two images");
+          return Error();
+        } else {
+          baton->status = "success";
+          baton->meanSquaredError = meanSquaredError;
+          baton->isEqual = meanSquaredError == 0.0;
+        }
+      }
+    } else {
+      return Error();
+    }
+
+    CleanUp();
+  }
+
+  void CleanUp() {
+    // Clean up any dangling image references
+    g_object_unref(hook);
+
+    // Clean up
+    vips_error_clear();
+    vips_thread_shutdown();
+  }
+
+  void HandleOKCallback () {
+    NanScope();
+
+    Handle<Value> argv[2] = { NanNull(), NanNull() };
+    if (!baton->err.empty()) {
+      // Error
+      argv[0] = Exception::Error(NanNew<String>(baton->err.data(), baton->err.size()));
+    } else {
+      // Compare Object
+      Local<Object> info = NanNew<Object>();
+      info->Set(NanNew<String>("isEqual"), NanNew<Boolean>(baton->isEqual));
+      info->Set(NanNew<String>("status"), NanNew<String>(baton->status));
+      if (baton->meanSquaredError >= 0.0) {
+        info->Set(NanNew<String>("meanSquaredError"), NanNew<Number>(baton->meanSquaredError));
+      }
+      argv[1] = info;
+    }
+    delete baton;
+
+    // Return to JavaScript
+    callback->Call(2, argv);
+  }
+
+  /*
+    Copy then clear the error message.
+    Unref all transitional images on the hook.
+    Clear all thread-local data.
+  */
+  void Error() {
+    // Get libvips' error message
+    (baton->err).append(vips_error_buffer());
+
+    CleanUp();
+  }
+
+ private:
+  CompareBaton* baton;
+  VipsObject *hook;
+};
+
+/*
+  compare(options, callback)
+*/
+NAN_METHOD(compare) {
+  NanScope();
+
+  // V8 objects are converted to non-V8 types held in the baton struct
+  CompareBaton *baton = new CompareBaton;
+  Local<Object> options = args[0]->ToObject();
+
+  // Input filename
+  baton->fileIn1 = *String::Utf8Value(options->Get(NanNew<String>("fileIn1"))->ToString());
+  baton->fileIn2 = *String::Utf8Value(options->Get(NanNew<String>("fileIn2"))->ToString());
+
+  // Join queue for worker thread
+  NanCallback *callback = new NanCallback(args[1].As<v8::Function>());
+  NanAsyncQueueWorker(new CompareWorker(callback, baton));
+
+  // Increment queued task counter
+  g_atomic_int_inc(&counterQueue);
+
+  NanReturnUndefined();
+}

src/compare.h

@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#ifndef SRC_COMPARE_H_
+#define SRC_COMPARE_H_
+
+#include "nan.h"
+
+NAN_METHOD(compare);
+
+#endif  // SRC_COMPARE_H_

src/composite.c

@@ -2,45 +2,58 @@
 #include <vips/vips.h>
 
 
+// Constants
 const int ALPHA_BAND_INDEX = 3;
 const int NUM_COLOR_BANDS = 3;
 
+// TODO: Copied from `common.cc`. Deduplicate once this becomes a C++ module.
+int HasAlpha(VipsImage *image) {
+  return (
+    (image->Bands == 2 && image->Type == VIPS_INTERPRETATION_B_W) ||
+    (image->Bands == 4 && image->Type != VIPS_INTERPRETATION_CMYK) ||
+    (image->Bands == 5 && image->Type == VIPS_INTERPRETATION_CMYK)
+  );
+}
 
 /*
-  Composite images `src` and `dst`
+  Composite images `src` and `dst` with premultiplied alpha channel and output
+  image with premultiplied alpha.
  */
-int Composite(VipsObject *context, VipsImage *src, VipsImage *dst, VipsImage **out) {
-  if (src->Bands != 4 || dst->Bands != 4)
+int Composite(VipsObject *context, VipsImage *srcPremultiplied, VipsImage *dstPremultiplied, VipsImage **outPremultiplied) {
+  if (srcPremultiplied->Bands != 4 || dstPremultiplied->Bands != 4)
     return -1;
 
   // Extract RGB bands:
-  VipsImage *srcRGB;
-  VipsImage *dstRGB;
-  if (vips_extract_band(src, &srcRGB, 0, "n", NUM_COLOR_BANDS, NULL) ||
-      vips_extract_band(dst, &dstRGB, 0, "n", NUM_COLOR_BANDS, NULL))
+  VipsImage *srcRGBPremultiplied;
+  if (vips_extract_band(srcPremultiplied, &srcRGBPremultiplied, 0, "n", NUM_COLOR_BANDS, NULL))
     return -1;
+  vips_object_local(context, srcRGBPremultiplied);
 
-  vips_object_local(context, srcRGB);
-  vips_object_local(context, dstRGB);
+  VipsImage *dstRGBPremultiplied;
+  if (vips_extract_band(dstPremultiplied, &dstRGBPremultiplied, 0, "n", NUM_COLOR_BANDS, NULL))
+    return -1;
+  vips_object_local(context, dstRGBPremultiplied);
 
   // Extract alpha bands:
   VipsImage *srcAlpha;
-  VipsImage *dstAlpha;
-  if (vips_extract_band(src, &srcAlpha, ALPHA_BAND_INDEX, NULL) ||
-      vips_extract_band(dst, &dstAlpha, ALPHA_BAND_INDEX, NULL))
+  if (vips_extract_band(srcPremultiplied, &srcAlpha, ALPHA_BAND_INDEX, "n", 1, NULL))
     return -1;
-
   vips_object_local(context, srcAlpha);
+
+  VipsImage *dstAlpha;
+  if (vips_extract_band(dstPremultiplied, &dstAlpha, ALPHA_BAND_INDEX, "n", 1, NULL))
+    return -1;
   vips_object_local(context, dstAlpha);
 
   // Compute normalized input alpha channels:
   VipsImage *srcAlphaNormalized;
-  VipsImage *dstAlphaNormalized;
-  if (vips_linear1(srcAlpha, &srcAlphaNormalized, 1.0 / 255.0, 0.0, NULL) ||
-      vips_linear1(dstAlpha, &dstAlphaNormalized, 1.0 / 255.0, 0.0, NULL))
+  if (vips_linear1(srcAlpha, &srcAlphaNormalized, 1.0 / 255.0, 0.0, NULL))
     return -1;
-
   vips_object_local(context, srcAlphaNormalized);
+
+  VipsImage *dstAlphaNormalized;
+  if (vips_linear1(dstAlpha, &dstAlphaNormalized, 1.0 / 255.0, 0.0, NULL))
+    return -1;
   vips_object_local(context, dstAlphaNormalized);
 
   //
@@ -56,15 +69,18 @@ int Composite(VipsObject *context, VipsImage *src, VipsImage *dst, VipsImage **o
   //                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
   //                         t1
   VipsImage *t0;
-  VipsImage *t1;
-  VipsImage *outAlphaNormalized;
-  if (vips_linear1(srcAlphaNormalized, &t0, -1.0, 1.0, NULL) ||
-      vips_multiply(dstAlphaNormalized, t0, &t1, NULL) ||
-      vips_add(srcAlphaNormalized, t1, &outAlphaNormalized, NULL))
+  if (vips_linear1(srcAlphaNormalized, &t0, -1.0, 1.0, NULL))
     return -1;
-
   vips_object_local(context, t0);
+
+  VipsImage *t1;
+  if (vips_multiply(dstAlphaNormalized, t0, &t1, NULL))
+    return -1;
   vips_object_local(context, t1);
+
+  VipsImage *outAlphaNormalized;
+  if (vips_add(srcAlphaNormalized, t1, &outAlphaNormalized, NULL))
+    return -1;
   vips_object_local(context, outAlphaNormalized);
 
   //
@@ -72,54 +88,142 @@ int Composite(VipsObject *context, VipsImage *src, VipsImage *dst, VipsImage **o
   //
   // Wikipedia:
   // out_rgb = (src_rgb * src_a + dst_rgb * dst_a * (1 - src_a)) / out_a
+  //                                                ^^^^^^^^^^^
+  //                                                    t0
   //
-  // `vips_ifthenelse` with `blend=TRUE`: http://bit.ly/1KoSsga
-  // out = (cond / 255) * in1 + (1 - cond / 255) * in2
+  // Omit division by `out_a` since `Compose` is supposed to output a
+  // premultiplied RGBA image as reversal of premultiplication is handled
+  // externally.
   //
-  // Substitutions:
-  //
-  //     cond --> src_a
-  //     in1 --> src_rgb
-  //     in2 --> dst_rgb * dst_a (premultiplied destination RGB)
-  //
-  // Finally, manually divide by `out_a` to unpremultiply the RGB channels.
-  // Failing to do so results in darker than expected output with low
-  // opacity images.
-  //
-  VipsImage *dstRGBPremultiplied;
-  if (vips_multiply(dstRGB, dstAlphaNormalized, &dstRGBPremultiplied, NULL))
+  VipsImage *t2;
+  if (vips_multiply(dstRGBPremultiplied, t0, &t2, NULL))
     return -1;
-
-  vips_object_local(context, dstRGBPremultiplied);
+  vips_object_local(context, t2);
 
   VipsImage *outRGBPremultiplied;
-  if (vips_ifthenelse(srcAlpha, srcRGB, dstRGBPremultiplied,
-      &outRGBPremultiplied, "blend", TRUE, NULL))
+  if (vips_add(srcRGBPremultiplied, t2, &outRGBPremultiplied, NULL))
     return -1;
-
   vips_object_local(context, outRGBPremultiplied);
 
-  // Unpremultiply RGB channels:
-  VipsImage *outRGB;
-  if (vips_divide(outRGBPremultiplied, outAlphaNormalized, &outRGB, NULL))
-    return -1;
-
-  vips_object_local(context, outRGB);
-
   // Denormalize output alpha channel:
   VipsImage *outAlpha;
   if (vips_linear1(outAlphaNormalized, &outAlpha, 255.0, 0.0, NULL))
     return -1;
-
   vips_object_local(context, outAlpha);
 
   // Combine RGB and alpha channel into output image:
   VipsImage *joined;
-  if (vips_bandjoin2(outRGB, outAlpha, &joined, NULL))
+  if (vips_bandjoin2(outRGBPremultiplied, outAlpha, &joined, NULL))
     return -1;
 
-  // Return a reference to the output image:
-  *out = joined;
+  // Return a reference to the composited output image:
+  *outPremultiplied = joined;
+
+  return 0;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Premultiply alpha channel of `image`.
+ */
+int Premultiply(VipsObject *context, VipsImage *image, VipsImage **out) {
+  VipsImage *imagePremultiplied;
+
+  // Trivial case: Copy images without alpha channel:
+  if (!HasAlpha(image)) {
+    return vips_image_write(image, *out);
+  }
+
+#if (VIPS_MAJOR_VERSION >= 9 || (VIPS_MAJOR_VERSION >= 8 && VIPS_MINOR_VERSION >= 1))
+
+  if (vips_premultiply(image, &imagePremultiplied, NULL))
+    return -1;
+
+#else
+
+  if (image->Bands != 4)
+    return -1;
+
+  VipsImage *imageRGB;
+  if (vips_extract_band(image, &imageRGB, 0, "n", NUM_COLOR_BANDS, NULL))
+    return -1;
+  vips_object_local(context, imageRGB);
+
+  VipsImage *imageAlpha;
+  if (vips_extract_band(image, &imageAlpha, ALPHA_BAND_INDEX, "n", 1, NULL))
+    return -1;
+  vips_object_local(context, imageAlpha);
+
+  VipsImage *imageAlphaNormalized;
+  if (vips_linear1(imageAlpha, &imageAlphaNormalized, 1.0 / 255.0, 0.0, NULL))
+    return -1;
+  vips_object_local(context, imageAlphaNormalized);
+
+  VipsImage *imageRGBPremultiplied;
+  if (vips_multiply(imageRGB, imageAlphaNormalized, &imageRGBPremultiplied, NULL))
+    return -1;
+  vips_object_local(context, imageRGBPremultiplied);
+
+  if (vips_bandjoin2(imageRGBPremultiplied, imageAlpha, &imagePremultiplied, NULL))
+    return -1;
+
+#endif
+
+  // Return a reference to the premultiplied output image:
+  *out = imagePremultiplied;
+
+  return 0;
+
+}
+
+/*
+ * Unpremultiply alpha channel of `image`.
+ */
+int Unpremultiply(VipsObject *context, VipsImage *image, VipsImage **out) {
+  VipsImage *imageUnpremultiplied;
+
+  // Trivial case: Copy images without alpha channel:
+  if (!HasAlpha(image)) {
+    return vips_image_write(image, *out);
+  }
+
+#if (VIPS_MAJOR_VERSION >= 9 || (VIPS_MAJOR_VERSION >= 8 && VIPS_MINOR_VERSION >= 1))
+
+  if (vips_unpremultiply(image, &imageUnpremultiplied, NULL))
+    return -1;
+
+#else
+
+  if (image->Bands != 4)
+    return -1;
+
+  VipsImage *imageRGBPremultipliedTransformed;
+  if (vips_extract_band(image, &imageRGBPremultipliedTransformed, 0, "n", NUM_COLOR_BANDS, NULL))
+    return -1;
+  vips_object_local(context, imageRGBPremultipliedTransformed);
+
+  VipsImage *imageAlphaTransformed;
+  if (vips_extract_band(image, &imageAlphaTransformed, ALPHA_BAND_INDEX, "n", 1, NULL))
+    return -1;
+  vips_object_local(context, imageAlphaTransformed);
+
+  VipsImage *imageAlphaNormalizedTransformed;
+  if (vips_linear1(imageAlphaTransformed, &imageAlphaNormalizedTransformed, 1.0 / 255.0, 0.0, NULL))
+    return -1;
+  vips_object_local(context, imageAlphaNormalizedTransformed);
+
+  VipsImage *imageRGBUnpremultipliedTransformed;
+  if (vips_divide(imageRGBPremultipliedTransformed, imageAlphaNormalizedTransformed, &imageRGBUnpremultipliedTransformed, NULL))
+    return -1;
+  vips_object_local(context, imageRGBUnpremultipliedTransformed);
+
+  if (vips_bandjoin2(imageRGBUnpremultipliedTransformed, imageAlphaTransformed, &imageUnpremultiplied, NULL))
+    return -1;
+
+
+#endif
+
+  // Return a reference to the unpremultiplied output image:
+  *out = imageUnpremultiplied;
 
   return 0;
 }

src/composite.h

@@ -5,10 +5,10 @@
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
 #endif
-/*
-  Composite images `src` and `dst`.
-*/
+
 int Composite(VipsObject *context, VipsImage *src, VipsImage *dst, VipsImage **out);
+int Premultiply(VipsObject *context, VipsImage *image, VipsImage **out);
+int Unpremultiply(VipsObject *context, VipsImage *image, VipsImage **out);
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }

src/resize.cc

@@ -480,8 +480,29 @@ class ResizeWorker : public NanAsyncWorker {
       }
     }
 
+    // Premultiply image alpha channel before all transformations to avoid
+    // dark fringing around bright pixels
+    // See: http://entropymine.com/imageworsener/resizealpha/
+    bool shouldAffineTransform = xresidual != 0.0 || yresidual != 0.0;
+    bool shouldBlur = baton->blurSigma != 0.0;
+    bool shouldSharpen = baton->sharpenRadius != 0;
+    bool shouldTransform = shouldAffineTransform || shouldBlur || shouldSharpen;
+    bool hasOverlay = !baton->overlayPath.empty();
+    bool shouldPremultiplyAlpha = HasAlpha(image) && image->Bands == 4 && (shouldTransform || hasOverlay);
+
+    if (shouldPremultiplyAlpha) {
+      VipsImage *imagePremultiplied;
+      if (Premultiply(hook, image, &imagePremultiplied)) {
+        (baton->err).append("Failed to premultiply alpha channel.");
+        return Error();
+      }
+
+      vips_object_local(hook, imagePremultiplied);
+      image = imagePremultiplied;
+    }
+
     // Use vips_affine with the remaining float part
-    if (xresidual != 0.0 || yresidual != 0.0) {
+    if (shouldAffineTransform) {
       // Use average of x and y residuals to compute sigma for Gaussian blur
       double residual = (xresidual + yresidual) / 2.0;
       // Apply Gaussian blur before large affine reductions
@@ -646,7 +667,7 @@ class ResizeWorker : public NanAsyncWorker {
     }
 
     // Blur
-    if (baton->blurSigma != 0.0) {
+    if (shouldBlur) {
       VipsImage *blurred;
       if (baton->blurSigma < 0.0) {
         // Fast, mild blur - averages neighbouring pixels
@@ -677,7 +698,7 @@ class ResizeWorker : public NanAsyncWorker {
     }
 
     // Sharpen
-    if (baton->sharpenRadius != 0) {
+    if (shouldSharpen) {
       VipsImage *sharpened;
       if (baton->sharpenRadius == -1) {
         // Fast, mild sharpen
@@ -793,7 +814,7 @@ class ResizeWorker : public NanAsyncWorker {
 #endif
 
     // Composite with overlay, if present
-    if (!baton->overlayPath.empty()) {
+    if (hasOverlay) {
       VipsImage *overlayImage = NULL;
       ImageType overlayImageType = ImageType::UNKNOWN;
       overlayImageType = DetermineImageType(baton->overlayPath.c_str());
@@ -802,6 +823,8 @@ class ResizeWorker : public NanAsyncWorker {
         if (overlayImage == NULL) {
           (baton->err).append("Overlay input file has corrupt header");
           overlayImageType = ImageType::UNKNOWN;
+        } else {
+          vips_object_local(hook, overlayImage);
         }
       } else {
         (baton->err).append("Overlay input file is of an unsupported image format");
@@ -831,8 +854,15 @@ class ResizeWorker : public NanAsyncWorker {
         return Error();
       }
 
+      VipsImage *overlayImagePremultiplied;
+      if (Premultiply(hook, overlayImage, &overlayImagePremultiplied)) {
+        (baton->err).append("Failed to premultiply alpha channel of overlay image.");
+        return Error();
+      }
+      vips_object_local(hook, overlayImagePremultiplied);
+
       VipsImage *composited;
-      if (Composite(hook, overlayImage, image, &composited)) {
+      if (Composite(hook, overlayImagePremultiplied, image, &composited)) {
         (baton->err).append("Failed to composite images");
         return Error();
       }
@@ -840,6 +870,18 @@ class ResizeWorker : public NanAsyncWorker {
       image = composited;
     }
 
+    // Reverse premultiplication after all transformations:
+    if (shouldPremultiplyAlpha) {
+      VipsImage *imageUnpremultiplied;
+      if (Unpremultiply(hook, image, &imageUnpremultiplied)) {
+        (baton->err).append("Failed to unpremultiply alpha channel.");
+        return Error();
+      }
+
+      vips_object_local(hook, imageUnpremultiplied);
+      image = imageUnpremultiplied;
+    }
+
     // Convert image to sRGB, if not already
     if (image->Type != VIPS_INTERPRETATION_sRGB) {
       // Switch intrepretation to sRGB

src/sharp.cc

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 #include "nan.h"
 
 #include "common.h"
+#include "compare.h"
 #include "metadata.h"
 #include "resize.h"
 #include "utilities.h"
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ extern "C" void init(v8::Handle<v8::Object> target) {
   // Methods available to JavaScript
   NODE_SET_METHOD(target, "metadata", metadata);
   NODE_SET_METHOD(target, "resize", resize);
+  NODE_SET_METHOD(target, "compare", compare);
   NODE_SET_METHOD(target, "cache", cache);
   NODE_SET_METHOD(target, "concurrency", concurrency);
   NODE_SET_METHOD(target, "counters", counters);

test/fixtures/index.js

@@ -2,9 +2,13 @@
 
 var path = require('path');
 var assert = require('assert');
-
 var sharp = require('../../index');
 
+
+// Constants
+var MAX_ALLOWED_MEAN_SQUARED_ERROR = 0.0005;
+
+// Helpers
 var getPath = function(filename) {
   return path.join(__dirname, filename);
 };
@@ -57,6 +61,8 @@ module.exports = {
   inputPngOverlayLayer2: getPath('alpha-layer-2-ink.png'),
   inputPngOverlayLayer1LowAlpha: getPath('alpha-layer-1-fill-low-alpha.png'),
   inputPngOverlayLayer2LowAlpha: getPath('alpha-layer-2-ink-low-alpha.png'),
+  inputPngAlphaPremultiplicationSmall: getPath('alpha-premultiply-1024x768-paper.png'),
+  inputPngAlphaPremultiplicationLarge: getPath('alpha-premultiply-2048x1536-paper.png'),
 
   inputWebP: getPath('4.webp'), // http://www.gstatic.com/webp/gallery/4.webp
   inputTiff: getPath('G31D.TIF'), // http://www.fileformat.info/format/tiff/sample/e6c9a6e5253348f4aef6d17b534360ab/index.htm
@@ -116,12 +122,37 @@ module.exports = {
         }
 
         if (distance > options.threshold) {
-          return callback(new Error('Maximum similarity distance: ' + options.threshold + '. Actual: ' + distance));
+          return callback(new Error('Expected maximum similarity distance: ' + options.threshold + '. Actual: ' + distance + '.'));
         }
 
         callback();
       });
     });
+  },
+
+  assertEqual: function(actualImagePath, expectedImagePath, callback) {
+    if (typeof actualImagePath !== 'string') {
+      throw new TypeError('`actualImagePath` must be a string; got ' + actualImagePath);
+    }
+
+    if (typeof expectedImagePath !== 'string') {
+      throw new TypeError('`expectedImagePath` must be a string; got ' + expectedImagePath);
+    }
+
+    if (typeof callback !== 'function') {
+      throw new TypeError('`callback` must be a function');
+    }
+
+    sharp.compare(actualImagePath, expectedImagePath, function (error, info) {
+      if (error) return callback(error);
+
+      var meanSquaredError = info.meanSquaredError;
+      if (typeof meanSquaredError !== 'undefined' && meanSquaredError > MAX_ALLOWED_MEAN_SQUARED_ERROR) {
+        return callback(new Error('Expected images be equal. Mean squared error: ' + meanSquaredError + '.'));
+      }
+
+      return callback(null, info);
+    });
   }
 
 };

test/unit/alpha.js

@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 'use strict';
 
 var assert = require('assert');
-
-var sharp = require('../../index');
 var fixtures = require('../fixtures');
+var sharp = require('../../index');
 
 sharp.cache(0);
 
@@ -76,4 +75,30 @@ describe('Alpha transparency', function() {
       });
   });
 
+  it('Enlargement with non-nearest neighbor interpolation shouldn’t cause dark edges', function(done) {
+    var BASE_NAME = 'alpha-premultiply-enlargement-2048x1536-paper.png';
+    var actual = fixtures.path('output.' + BASE_NAME);
+    var expected = fixtures.expected(BASE_NAME);
+    sharp(fixtures.inputPngAlphaPremultiplicationSmall)
+      .resize(2048, 1536)
+      .interpolateWith('bicubic')
+      .toFile(actual, function(err) {
+        if (err) throw err;
+        fixtures.assertEqual(actual, expected, done);
+      });
+  });
+
+  it('Reduction with non-nearest neighbor interpolation shouldn’t cause dark edges', function(done) {
+    var BASE_NAME = 'alpha-premultiply-reduction-1024x768-paper.png';
+    var actual = fixtures.path('output.' + BASE_NAME);
+    var expected = fixtures.expected(BASE_NAME);
+    sharp(fixtures.inputPngAlphaPremultiplicationLarge)
+      .resize(1024, 768)
+      .interpolateWith('bicubic')
+      .toFile(actual, function(err) {
+        if (err) throw err;
+        fixtures.assertEqual(actual, expected, done);
+      });
+  });
+
 });

test/unit/compare.js

@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var assert = require('assert');
+var fixtures = require('../fixtures');
+var fs = require('fs');
+var sharp = require('../../index');
+
+sharp.cache(0);
+
+
+// Constants
+var MAX_ALLOWED_MEAN_SQUARED_ERROR = 0.0005;
+
+// Tests
+describe('sharp.compare', function() {
+  it('should report equality when comparing an image to itself', function(done) {
+    var image = fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer0;
+
+    sharp.compare(image, image, function (error, info) {
+      if (error) return done(error);
+
+      assert.strictEqual(info.isEqual, true, 'image is equal to itself');
+      assert.strictEqual(info.status, 'success', 'status is correct');
+      assert(0 <= info.meanSquaredError &&
+        info.meanSquaredError <= MAX_ALLOWED_MEAN_SQUARED_ERROR,
+        'MSE is within tolerance');
+      done();
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('should report that two images have a mismatched number of bands (channels)', function(done) {
+    var actual = fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer1;
+    var expected = fixtures.inputJpg;
+
+    sharp.compare(actual, expected, function (error, info) {
+      if (error) return done(error);
+
+      assert.strictEqual(info.isEqual, false);
+      assert.strictEqual(info.status, 'mismatchedBands');
+      assert(typeof info.meanSquaredError === 'undefined', 'MSE is undefined');
+      done();
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('should report that two images have a mismatched dimensions', function(done) {
+    var actual = fixtures.inputJpg;
+    var expected = fixtures.inputJpgWithExif;
+
+    sharp.compare(actual, expected, function (error, info) {
+      if (error) return done(error);
+
+      assert.strictEqual(info.isEqual, false);
+      assert.strictEqual(info.status, 'mismatchedDimensions');
+      assert(typeof info.meanSquaredError === 'undefined', 'MSE is undefined');
+      done();
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('should report the correct mean squared error for two different images', function(done) {
+    var actual = fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer0;
+    var expected = fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer1;
+
+    sharp.compare(actual, expected, function (error, info) {
+      if (error) return done(error);
+
+      var meanSquaredError = info.meanSquaredError;
+      assert.strictEqual(info.isEqual, false);
+      assert.strictEqual(info.status, 'success');
+      // ImageMagick reports: 42242.5
+      // `compare -metric mse 'actual' 'expected' comparison.png`
+      assert(41900 <= meanSquaredError && meanSquaredError <= 41950,
+        'Expected: 41900 <= meanSquaredError <= 41950. Actual: ' + meanSquaredError);
+      done();
+    });
+  });
+
+});

test/unit/overlay.js

@@ -6,19 +6,78 @@ var sharp = require('../../index');
 
 sharp.cache(0);
 
-// Main
+
+// Constants
+var MAX_ALLOWED_IMAGE_MAGICK_MEAN_SQUARED_ERROR = 0.3;
+
+// Helpers
+var getPaths = function(baseName, extension) {
+  if (typeof extension === 'undefined') {
+    extension = 'png';
+  }
+
+  var actual = fixtures.path('output.' + baseName + '.' + extension);
+  var expected = fixtures.expected(baseName + '.' + extension);
+  var expectedMagick = fixtures.expected(baseName + '-imagemagick.' + extension);
+
+  return {
+    actual: actual,
+    expected: expected,
+    expectedMagick: expectedMagick
+  };
+};
+
+var assertEqual = function (paths, callback) {
+  if (typeof callback !== 'function') {
+    throw new TypeError('`callback` must be a function');
+  }
+
+  fixtures.assertEqual(paths.actual, paths.expected, function (error) {
+    if (error) return callback(error);
+
+    sharp.compare(paths.actual, paths.expectedMagick, function (error, info) {
+      if (error) return callback(error);
+
+      if (info.meanSquaredError > MAX_ALLOWED_IMAGE_MAGICK_MEAN_SQUARED_ERROR) {
+        return callback(new Error('Expected MSE against ImageMagick to be <= ' +
+          MAX_ALLOWED_IMAGE_MAGICK_MEAN_SQUARED_ERROR + '. Actual: ' +
+          info.meanSquaredError));
+      }
+
+      callback();
+    });
+  });
+};
+
+// Test
 describe('Overlays', function() {
   it('Overlay transparent PNG on solid background', function(done) {
+    var paths = getPaths('alpha-layer-01');
+
     sharp(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer0)
       .overlayWith(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer1)
-      .toBuffer(function (error, data, info) {
+      .toFile(paths.actual, function (error) {
         if (error) return done(error);
 
-        fixtures.assertSimilar(fixtures.expected('alpha-layer-01.png'), data, {threshold: 0}, done);
+        assertEqual(paths, done);
+      });
+  });
+
+  it('Overlay low-alpha transparent PNG on solid background', function(done) {
+    var paths = getPaths('alpha-layer-01-low-alpha');
+
+    sharp(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer0)
+      .overlayWith(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer1LowAlpha)
+      .toFile(paths.actual, function (error) {
+        if (error) return done(error);
+
+        assertEqual(paths, done);
       });
   });
 
   it('Composite three transparent PNGs into one', function(done) {
+    var paths = getPaths('alpha-layer-012');
+
     sharp(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer0)
       .overlayWith(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer1)
       .toBuffer(function (error, data, info) {
@@ -26,26 +85,56 @@ describe('Overlays', function() {
 
         sharp(data)
           .overlayWith(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer2)
-          .toBuffer(function (error, data, info) {
+          .toFile(paths.actual, function (error) {
             if (error) return done(error);
 
-            fixtures.assertSimilar(fixtures.expected('alpha-layer-012.png'), data, {threshold: 0}, done);
+            assertEqual(paths, done);
           });
       });
   });
 
-  // This tests that alpha channel unpremultiplication is correct:
-  it('Composite three low-alpha transparent PNGs into one', function(done) {
+  it('Composite two transparent PNGs into one', function(done) {
+    var paths = getPaths('alpha-layer-12');
+
+    sharp(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer1)
+      .overlayWith(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer2)
+      .toFile(paths.actual, function (error, data, info) {
+        if (error) return done(error);
+
+        assertEqual(paths, done);
+      });
+  });
+
+  it('Composite two low-alpha transparent PNGs into one', function(done) {
+    var paths = getPaths('alpha-layer-12-low-alpha');
+
     sharp(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer1LowAlpha)
       .overlayWith(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer2LowAlpha)
+      .toFile(paths.actual, function (error, data, info) {
+        if (error) return done(error);
+
+        assertEqual(paths, done);
+      });
+  });
+
+  it('Composite three low-alpha transparent PNGs into one', function(done) {
+    var paths = getPaths('alpha-layer-012-low-alpha');
+
+    sharp(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer0)
+      .overlayWith(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer1LowAlpha)
       .toBuffer(function (error, data, info) {
         if (error) return done(error);
 
-        fixtures.assertSimilar(fixtures.expected('alpha-layer-012-low-alpha.png'), data, {threshold: 0}, done);
+        sharp(data)
+          .overlayWith(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer2LowAlpha)
+          .toFile(paths.actual, function (error, data, info) {
+            if (error) return done(error);
+
+            assertEqual(paths, done);
+          });
       });
   });
 
-  // This tests that alpha channel unpremultiplication is correct:
   it('Composite transparent PNG onto JPEG', function(done) {
     sharp(fixtures.inputJpg)
       .overlayWith(fixtures.inputPngOverlayLayer1)