Components in software development are pieces of the application puzzle. Components encapsulate functionality into a reusable form that can easily be included with your application. What is more, your development team can be experts in other areas such as database, web, or user-interface development and use a component written by a team of imaging development experts. Your team inherits the other developers image processing expertise. Components can extend the abilities of your team to an infinite realm of possibilities, just by putting the pieces together.
In the instance of imaging technology, there are only rudimentary routines for manipulating images in the various compilers. When a programmer wants to do more than just "the basics," he may choose to use pre-built third party components to add features to his software application that he either does not have the time and/or the expertise to code himself.
For example: Let's say you are a database developer and have just completed a rather complex data management application. You are right at the deadline for delivery when the specs for the application change. Now the client wants to supplement the data with corresponding images. An imaging component for image format support will give you a "drag and drop" way to support a wide variety of image types in your application.
You made the deadline and you didn't have to become familiar with coding TIFF image format support! There are comprehensive component solutions for various vertical markets.