If you want to load and display an image, and keep the file amenable to operations in the file system (like reloading it or moving it to another directory), the Uri constructor will not work because (as you point out), the BitmapImage class hangs on to the file handle.
Instead, use a method like this…
private static BitmapImage ByStream(FileInfo info)
{ //http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/wpf/thread/dee7cb68-aca3-402b-b159-2de933f933f1
try
{
if (info.Exists)
{
// do this so that the image file can be moved in the file system
BitmapImage result = new BitmapImage();
// Create new BitmapImage
Stream stream = new MemoryStream(); // Create new MemoryStream
Bitmap bitmap = new Bitmap(info.FullName);
// Create new Bitmap (System.Drawing.Bitmap) from the existing image file
(albumArtSource set to its path name)
bitmap.Save(stream, System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png);
// Save the loaded Bitmap into the MemoryStream - Png format was the only one I
tried that didn't cause an error (tried Jpg, Bmp, MemoryBmp)
bitmap.Dispose(); // Dispose bitmap so it releases the source image file
result.BeginInit(); // Begin the BitmapImage's initialisation
result.StreamSource = stream;
// Set the BitmapImage's StreamSource to the MemoryStream containing the image
result.EndInit(); // End the BitmapImage's initialisation
return result; // Finally, set the WPF Image component's source to the
BitmapImage
}
return null;
}
catch
{
return null;
}
}
This method takes a FileInfo and returns a BitmapImage which you can display and simultaneously move it to another directory or display it again.
A much simpler method, copied from another answer below, is this:
public static BitmapImage LoadBitmapImage(string fileName)
{
using (var stream = new FileStream(fileName, FileMode.Open))
{
var bitmapImage = new BitmapImage();
bitmapImage.BeginInit();
bitmapImage.CacheOption = BitmapCacheOption.OnLoad;
bitmapImage.StreamSource = stream;
bitmapImage.EndInit();
bitmapImage.Freeze();
return bitmapImage;
}
}