API Review: BufferedImage import/export utilities

[Jim Graham]

Now that the Image Ops provide a supported way of manipulating the 
pixels of an Image, we can add supported methods for managing 
BufferedImage import and export in the javafx.embed.swing package.  I am 
proposing the following simple utility class for 2.2:

package javafx.embed.swing;

/**
  * This class provides utility methods for converting data types between
  * Swing/AWT and JavaFX formats.
  */
public class SwingUtils {
     private SwingUtils() {} // no instances

     /**
      * Snapshots the specified {@link BufferedImage} and stores a copy of
      * its pixels into a JavaFX {@link Image} object, creating a new
      * object if needed.
      * The returned {@code Image} will be a static snapshot of the state
      * of the pixels in the {@code BufferedImage} at the time the method
      * completes.  Further changes to the {@code BufferedImage} will not
      * be reflected in the {@code Image}.
      * <p>
      * The optional JavaFX {@link WritableImage} parameter may be reused
      * to store the copy of the pixels.
      * A new {@code Image} will be created if the supplied object is null,
      * is too small or of a type which the image pixels cannot be easily
      * converted into.
      *
      * @param bimg the {@code BufferedImage} object to be converted
      * @param wimg an optional {@code WritableImage} object that can be
      *        used to store the returned pixel data
      * @return an {@code Image} object representing a snapshot of the
      *         current pixels in the {@code BufferedImage}.
      */
     public static WritableImage toFXImage(BufferedImage bimg,
                                           WritableImage wimg);

     /**
      * Snapshots the specified JavaFX {@link Image} object and stores a
      * copy of its pixels into a {@link BufferedImage} object, creating
      * a new object if needed.
      * The method will only convert a JavaFX {@code Image} that is readable
      * as per the conditions on the
      * {@link Image#getPixelReader() Image.getPixelReader()}
      * method.
      * If the {@code Image} is a writable, or other dynamic image, then
      * the {@code BufferedImage} will only be set to the current state of
      * the pixels in the image as determined by its {@link PixelReader}.
      * Further changes to the pixels of the {@code Image} will not be
      * reflected in the returned {@code BufferedImage}.
      * <p>
      * The optional {@code BufferedImage} parameter may be reused to store
      * the copy of the pixels.
      * A new {@code BufferedImage} will be created if the supplied object
      * is null, is too small or of a type which the image pixels cannot
      * be easily converted into.
      *
      * @param img the JavaFX {@code Image} to be converted
      * @param bimg an optional {@code BufferedImage} object that may be
      *        used to store the returned pixel data
      * @return a {@code BufferedImage} containing a snapshot of the JavaFX
      *         {@code Image}
      */
     public static BufferedImage fromFXImage(Image img,
                                             BufferedImage bimg);
}

			...jim