How can I add the x265 codec to ImageMagick in C#

Question

I would like to add the x265 codec to ImageMagick in a Visual Studio C# project targeting .Net 4.7.2 in order to access HEIC format files. I obtained the file x265.dll from the ShiftMediaProject file libx265_3.4_msvc16.zip from the but I cannot add it to the VS project via Add Reference. I get the message that it is not accessible or not a COM or Assembly component. How can I add x265.dll to my VS project?

Answer 1

I would like to add the x265 codec to ImageMagick in a Visual Studio C# project targeting .Net 4.7.2 in order to access HEIC format files.

In short: you can't. ImageMagick has no way to integrate C#-implemented codecs. Also, just getting a dll doesn't solve using it without API definitions.

ImageMagick, however, in a modern version comes with its own heif codec, so this is all a bit pointless. What you want to achieve is already achieved.