How to change rgb values from a png image with libpng using c?

Question

What is a recommendable way to change the rgb values of a png image? Right now I'm using an example code to see the way libpng works, it only opens a png image and writes another png image, however I would like to change the RGB values of this new image so that it gets to be all blue, green or red, whatever is my choice, is there an efficient way to do it?

Code:

#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <png.h>

int width, height;
png_byte color_type;
png_byte bit_depth;
png_bytep *row_pointers;

void read_png_file(char *filename) {
  FILE *fp = fopen(filename, "rb");
  if(!fp) abort();
  png_structp png = png_create_read_struct(PNG_LIBPNG_VER_STRING, NULL, NULL, NULL);
  if(!png) abort();
  png_infop info = png_create_info_struct(png);
  if(!info) abort();
  if(setjmp(png_jmpbuf(png))) abort();
  png_init_io(png, fp);
  png_read_info(png, info);
  width      = png_get_image_width(png, info);
  height     = png_get_image_height(png, info);
  color_type = png_get_color_type(png, info);
  bit_depth  = png_get_bit_depth(png, info);

  if(bit_depth == 16)
    png_set_strip_16(png);

  if(color_type == PNG_COLOR_TYPE_PALETTE)
    png_set_palette_to_rgb(png);

  if(color_type == PNG_COLOR_TYPE_GRAY && bit_depth < 8)
    png_set_expand_gray_1_2_4_to_8(png);

  if(png_get_valid(png, info, PNG_INFO_tRNS))
    png_set_tRNS_to_alpha(png);

  if(color_type == PNG_COLOR_TYPE_RGB ||
     color_type == PNG_COLOR_TYPE_GRAY ||
     color_type == PNG_COLOR_TYPE_PALETTE)
    png_set_filler(png, 0xFF, PNG_FILLER_AFTER);

  if(color_type == PNG_COLOR_TYPE_GRAY ||
     color_type == PNG_COLOR_TYPE_GRAY_ALPHA)
    png_set_gray_to_rgb(png);

  png_read_update_info(png, info);

  row_pointers = (png_bytep*)malloc(sizeof(png_bytep) * height);
  for(int y = 0; y < height; y++) {
    row_pointers[y] = (png_byte*)malloc(png_get_rowbytes(png,info));
  }

  png_read_image(png, row_pointers);

  fclose(fp);
}

void write_png_file(char *filename) {
  int y;

  FILE *fp = fopen(filename, "wb");
  if(!fp) abort();

  png_structp png = png_create_write_struct(PNG_LIBPNG_VER_STRING, NULL, NULL, NULL);
  if (!png) abort();

  png_infop info = png_create_info_struct(png);
  if (!info) abort();

  if (setjmp(png_jmpbuf(png))) abort();

  png_init_io(png, fp);

  png_set_IHDR(
    png,
    info,
    width, height,
    8,
    PNG_COLOR_TYPE_RGBA,
    PNG_INTERLACE_NONE,
    PNG_COMPRESSION_TYPE_DEFAULT,
    PNG_FILTER_TYPE_DEFAULT
  );

  png_set_expand(png);
  png_write_info(png, info);
  png_write_image(png, row_pointers);
  png_write_end(png, NULL);

  for(int y = 0; y < height; y++) {
    free(row_pointers[y]);
  }
  free(row_pointers);

  fclose(fp);
}

void process_png_file() {
  for(int y = 0; y < height; y++) {
    png_bytep row = row_pointers[y];
    for(int x = 0; x < width; x++) {
      png_bytep px = &(row[x * 4]);
    }
  }
}

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
  if(argc != 3) abort();

  read_png_file(argv[1]);
  process_png_file();
  write_png_file(argv[2]);

  return 0;
}

Answer 1

To modify the image, you have to do some work on px data.

For instance, if you want to set image to RED, you can do this

static void process_png(void) {

    /* set wanted color as red */
    png_byte wanted_color[] = {255,0,0};

    for (unsigned int y = 0; y < height; y++) {
        png_bytep row = row_pointers[y];
        for (unsigned int x = 0; x < width; x++) {
            png_bytep px = &(row[x * 4]);

            /* set pixel to wanted color*/
            for(int i = 0; i < 3; ++i)
                px[i] = wanted_color[i];
        }
    }
}