diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 4adacb75..8f0b3c80 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 - dzsave can directly write a ZIP file 
 - add ".vips" as an alternative suffix for vips files
 - added vips_tiffload_buffer()
-- added vips_foreign_load_buffer(), vips_foreign_save_buffer()
+- added vips_image_new_from_buffer(), vips_image_write_to_buffer()
 - added vips_object_set_from_string()
 - added @container option to dzsave 
 - support 1/2/4 bit palette tiff images with alpha
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 - im_*merge(), im_*mosaic(), im_match*(), im_global_balance*(), im_remosaic(),
   im_*mosaic1(), im_*merge1() redone as classes
 - better filename tracking for globalbalance
+- revised vips8 image load/save API, now simpler and more logical
 
 6/3/14 started 7.38.6
 - grey ramp minimum was wrong
diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index d9b65a94..915a1944 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,25 +1,10 @@
-- vips_image_new_from_file() should take a set of options
+- need something to write an image to an area of memory
 
-  implement it using vips_foreign_load()?
+  eg.:
 
-  foreign/vipsload.c uses vips_image_new_from_file() ... instead it should use
-  the _mode thing
+  int vips_image_write_to_memory( VipsImage *x, void **buf, size_t *len )
 
-- likewise, vips_image_write_to_file() should take options. Implement in terms
-  of vips_foreign_save()?
-
-- also new_from_memory() (new from buffer?)
-
-  see vips_foreign_load_buffer() for API
-
-- can get rid of vips_foreign_load() / vips_foreign_save()
-
-  also vips_foreign_load_from_buffer() or whatever it's called, and save too.
-
-- do we still need all the vips_image_build() machinery? can't we just use
-  the foreign system?
-
-  only need a couple of basic modes:wq
+  maybe?
 
 
 
diff --git a/libvips/arithmetic/hough.c b/libvips/arithmetic/hough.c
index 5b71280c..7c8838d0 100644
--- a/libvips/arithmetic/hough.c
+++ b/libvips/arithmetic/hough.c
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ vips_hough_new_accumulator( VipsHough *hough )
 
 	VipsImage *accumulator; 
 
-	accumulator = vips_image_new_buffer(); 
+	accumulator = vips_image_new_memory(); 
 
 	vips_image_pipelinev( accumulator,
 		VIPS_DEMAND_STYLE_ANY, statistic->ready, NULL );
diff --git a/libvips/conversion/insert.c b/libvips/conversion/insert.c
index 2c8cdbf9..636f35cf 100644
--- a/libvips/conversion/insert.c
+++ b/libvips/conversion/insert.c
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ vips__vector_to_ink( const char *domain,
 	/* And now recode the vec to match the original im.
 	 */
 	if( vips_image_encode( t[3], &t[4], im->Coding ) || 
-		!(t[5] = vips_image_new_buffer()) ||
+		!(t[5] = vips_image_new_memory()) ||
 		vips_image_write( t[4], t[5] ) ) {
 		g_object_unref( context );
 		return( NULL );
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ vips__ink_to_vector( const char *domain, VipsImage *im, VipsPel *ink, int *n )
 
 	/* To a mem buffer, then copy to out. 
 	 */
-	if( !(t[4] = vips_image_new_buffer()) ||
+	if( !(t[4] = vips_image_new_memory()) ||
 		vips_image_write( t[3], t[4] ) )
 		return( NULL ); 
 
diff --git a/libvips/conversion/rot45.c b/libvips/conversion/rot45.c
index 283a4ec5..2ac312f6 100644
--- a/libvips/conversion/rot45.c
+++ b/libvips/conversion/rot45.c
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ vips_rot45_build( VipsObject *object )
 	if( vips_image_wio_input( rot45->in ) )
 		return( -1 );
 
-	t[0] = vips_image_new_buffer();
+	t[0] = vips_image_new_memory();
 	if( vips_image_pipelinev( t[0], 
 		VIPS_DEMAND_STYLE_ANY, rot45->in, NULL ) )
 		return( -1 );
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/dzsave.c b/libvips/foreign/dzsave.c
index 58f24e19..94e8510e 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/dzsave.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/dzsave.c
@@ -1052,7 +1052,7 @@ strip_work( VipsThreadState *state, void *a )
 	printf( "strip_work: writing to %s\n", buf );
 #endif /*DEBUG_VERBOSE*/
 
-	if( vips_foreign_save_buffer( x, dz->suffix, &buf, &len, NULL ) ) {
+	if( vips_image_write_to_buffer( x, dz->suffix, &buf, &len, NULL ) ) {
 		g_object_unref( x );
 		return( -1 );
 	}
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/foreign.c b/libvips/foreign/foreign.c
index dc2ea250..aa3c02f2 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/foreign.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/foreign.c
@@ -540,22 +540,10 @@ vips_foreign_find_load( const char *name )
 	return( G_OBJECT_CLASS_NAME( load_class ) );
 }
 
-/**
- * vips_foreign_load:
- * @filename: file to load
- * @out: output image
- * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
- *
- * Loads @filename into @out using the loader recommended by
- * vips_foreign_find_load().
- *
- * Load options may be appended to @filename as "[name=value,...]" or given as
- * a NULL-terminated list of name-value pairs at the end of the arguments. 
- *
- * See also: vips_foreign_save().
- *
- * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
+/* Kept for compat with earlier version of the vip8 API. Use
+ * vips_image_new_from_file() now. 
  */
+
 int
 vips_foreign_load( const char *name, VipsImage **out, ... )
 {
@@ -597,7 +585,7 @@ vips_foreign_find_load_buffer_sub( VipsForeignLoadClass *load_class,
  *
  * Searches for an operation you could use to load a memory buffer.
  *
- * See also: vips_foreign_load_buffer().
+ * See also: vips_image_new_from_buffer().
  *
  * Returns: the name of an operation on success, %NULL on error
  */
@@ -618,48 +606,6 @@ vips_foreign_find_load_buffer( void *buf, size_t len )
 	return( G_OBJECT_CLASS_NAME( load_class ) );
 }
 
-/**
- * vips_foreign_load_buffer:
- * @buf: start of memory buffer
- * @len: length of memory buffer
- * @option_string: set of extra options as a string
- * @out: output image
- * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
- *
- * Loads @buf, @len into @out using the loader recommended by
- * vips_foreign_find_load_buffer(). @option_string can be used to give an
- * extra set of load options. 
- *
- * See also: vips_foreign_save().
- *
- * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
- */
-int
-vips_foreign_load_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, const char *option_string, 
-	VipsImage **out, ... )
-{
-	const char *operation_name;
-	VipsArea *area;
-	va_list ap;
-	int result;
-
-	if( !(operation_name = vips_foreign_find_load_buffer( buf, len )) )
-		return( -1 );
-
-	/* We don't take a copy of the data or free it.
-	 */
-	area = vips_area_new_blob( NULL, buf, len );
-
-	va_start( ap, out );
-	result = vips_call_split_option_string( operation_name, 
-		option_string, ap, area, out );
-	va_end( ap );
-
-	vips_area_unref( area );
-
-	return( result );
-}
-
 /**
  * vips_foreign_is_a:
  * @loader: name of loader to use for test
@@ -812,7 +758,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_temp( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 
 	/* Otherwise, fall back to a memory buffer.
 	 */
-	return( vips_image_new_buffer() );
+	return( vips_image_new_memory() );
 }
 
 /* Check two images for compatibility: their geometries need to match.
@@ -1506,22 +1452,9 @@ vips_foreign_find_save( const char *name )
 	return( G_OBJECT_CLASS_NAME( save_class ) );
 }
 
-/**
- * vips_foreign_save:
- * @in: image to write
- * @filename: file to write to
- * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
- *
- * Saves @in to @filename using the saver recommended by
- * vips_foreign_find_save(). 
- *
- * Save options may be appended to @filename as "[name=value,...]" or given as
- * a NULL-terminated list of name-value pairs at the end of the arguments. 
- *
- * See also: vips_foreign_load().
- *
- * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
+/* Kept for early vips8 API compat.
  */
+
 int
 vips_foreign_save( VipsImage *in, const char *name, ... )
 {
@@ -1568,7 +1501,7 @@ vips_foreign_find_save_buffer_sub( VipsForeignSaveClass *save_class,
  * Searches for an operation you could use to write to a buffer in @suffix
  * format. 
  *
- * See also: vips_foreign_save_buffer().
+ * See also: vips_image_write_to_buffer().
  *
  * Returns: the name of an operation on success, %NULL on error
  */
@@ -1594,59 +1527,6 @@ vips_foreign_find_save_buffer( const char *name )
 	return( G_OBJECT_CLASS_NAME( save_class ) );
 }
 
-/**
- * vips_foreign_save_buffer:
- * @in: image to write
- * @suffix: format to write 
- * @buf: return buffer start here
- * @len: return buffer length here
- * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
- *
- * Saves @in to a memory buffer selected from @suffix. @suffix may also set
- * save options, for example it could be ".jpg[Q=80]". 
- * Save options may also be given  
- * as a NULL-terminated list of name-value pairs.
- *
- * See also: vips_foreign_load_buffer().
- *
- * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
- */
-int
-vips_foreign_save_buffer( VipsImage *in, 
-	const char *name, void **buf, size_t *len, 
-	... )
-{
-	char suffix[VIPS_PATH_MAX];
-	char option_string[VIPS_PATH_MAX];
-	const char *operation_name;
-	VipsArea *area;
-	va_list ap;
-	int result;
-
-	vips__filename_split8( name, suffix, option_string );
-
-	if( !(operation_name = vips_foreign_find_save_buffer( suffix )) )
-		return( -1 );
-
-	va_start( ap, len );
-	result = vips_call_split_option_string( operation_name, option_string, 
-		ap, in, &area );
-	va_end( ap );
-
-	if( area ) { 
-		if( buf ) {
-			*buf = area->data;
-			area->free_fn = NULL;
-		}
-		if( len ) 
-			*len = area->length;
-
-		vips_area_unref( area );
-	}
-
-	return( result );
-}
-
 /* Called from iofuncs to init all operations in this dir. Use a plugin system
  * instead?
  */
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/openslide2vips.c b/libvips/foreign/openslide2vips.c
index e68c6da8..7732791f 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/openslide2vips.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/openslide2vips.c
@@ -444,7 +444,7 @@ vips__openslide_read_associated( const char *filename, VipsImage *out,
 
 	/* Memory buffer. Get associated directly to this, then copy to out.
 	 */
-	raw = vips_image_new_buffer();
+	raw = vips_image_new_memory();
 	vips_object_local( out, raw );
 
 	if( !(rslide = readslide_new( filename, raw, 0, associated )) ||
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c b/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c
index c462e225..960bf4c5 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c
@@ -516,7 +516,7 @@ png2vips_image( Read *read, VipsImage *out )
 		/* Arg awful interlaced image. We have to load to a huge mem 
 		 * buffer, then copy to out.
 		 */
-		t[0] = vips_image_new_buffer();
+		t[0] = vips_image_new_memory();
 		if( png2vips_header( read, t[0] ) ||
 			png2vips_interlace( read, t[0] ) ||
 			vips_image_write( t[0], out ) )
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/webp2vips.c b/libvips/foreign/webp2vips.c
index 2bd93736..51710c15 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/webp2vips.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/webp2vips.c
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ read_image( Read *read, VipsImage *out )
 		vips_object_local_array( VIPS_OBJECT( out ), 3 );
 	webp_decoder decoder;
 
-	t[0] = vips_image_new_buffer();
+	t[0] = vips_image_new_memory();
 	if( read_header( read, t[0] ) )
 		return( -1 );
 	if( vips_image_write_prepare( t[0] ) ) 
diff --git a/libvips/freqfilt/freqmult.c b/libvips/freqfilt/freqmult.c
index 01d61bbe..20b0682f 100644
--- a/libvips/freqfilt/freqmult.c
+++ b/libvips/freqfilt/freqmult.c
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ vips_freqmult_build( VipsObject *object )
 		 * FIXME does this actually work now we're a class? test
 		 * perhaps we need a temporary object
 		 */
-		t[4] = vips_image_new_buffer();
+		t[4] = vips_image_new_memory();
 
 		if( vips_fwfft( in, &t[0], NULL ) ||
 			vips_multiply( t[0], freqmult->mask, &t[1], NULL ) ||
diff --git a/libvips/freqfilt/fwfft.c b/libvips/freqfilt/fwfft.c
index 8d2880d6..cddcc3ca 100644
--- a/libvips/freqfilt/fwfft.c
+++ b/libvips/freqfilt/fwfft.c
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ rfwfft1( VipsObject *object, VipsImage *in, VipsImage **out )
 
 	/* Convert input to a real double membuffer.
 	 */
-	t[1] = vips_image_new_buffer();
+	t[1] = vips_image_new_memory();
 	if( vips_cast_double( in, &t[0], NULL ) ||
 		vips_image_write( t[0], t[1] ) )
 		return( -1 ); 
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ rfwfft1( VipsObject *object, VipsImage *in, VipsImage **out )
 
 	/* Write to out as another memory buffer. 
 	 */
-	*out = vips_image_new_buffer();
+	*out = vips_image_new_memory();
 	if( vips_image_pipelinev( *out, VIPS_DEMAND_STYLE_ANY, in, NULL ) )
                 return( -1 );
 	(*out)->BandFmt = VIPS_FORMAT_DPCOMPLEX;
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ cfwfft1( VipsObject *object, VipsImage *in, VipsImage **out )
 
 	/* Convert input to a complex double membuffer.
 	 */
-	t[1] = vips_image_new_buffer();
+	t[1] = vips_image_new_memory();
 	if( vips_cast_dpcomplex( in, &t[0], NULL ) ||
 		vips_image_write( t[0], t[1] ) )
 		return( -1 ); 
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ cfwfft1( VipsObject *object, VipsImage *in, VipsImage **out )
 
 	/* Write to out as another memory buffer. 
 	 */
-	*out = vips_image_new_buffer();
+	*out = vips_image_new_memory();
 	if( vips_image_pipelinev( *out, VIPS_DEMAND_STYLE_ANY, in, NULL ) )
                 return( -1 );
 	(*out)->BandFmt = VIPS_FORMAT_DPCOMPLEX;
diff --git a/libvips/freqfilt/invfft.c b/libvips/freqfilt/invfft.c
index 9b87b9d0..3aa24881 100644
--- a/libvips/freqfilt/invfft.c
+++ b/libvips/freqfilt/invfft.c
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ cinvfft1( VipsObject *object, VipsImage *in, VipsImage **out )
 
 	/* Convert input to a complex double membuffer.
 	 */
-	*out = vips_image_new_buffer();
+	*out = vips_image_new_memory();
 	if( vips_cast_dpcomplex( in, &t[0], NULL ) ||
 		vips_image_write( t[0], *out ) )
 		return( -1 ); 
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ rinvfft1( VipsObject *object, VipsImage *in, VipsImage **out )
 
 	/* Convert input to a complex double membuffer.
 	 */
-	t[1] = vips_image_new_buffer();
+	t[1] = vips_image_new_memory();
 	if( vips_cast_dpcomplex( in, &t[0], NULL ) ||
 		vips_image_write( t[0], t[1] ) )
 		return( -1 ); 
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ rinvfft1( VipsObject *object, VipsImage *in, VipsImage **out )
 
 	/* Make mem buffer real image for output.
 	 */
-	*out = vips_image_new_buffer();
+	*out = vips_image_new_memory();
 	if( vips_image_pipelinev( *out, VIPS_DEMAND_STYLE_ANY, t[1], NULL ) )
                 return( -1 );
 	(*out)->BandFmt = VIPS_FORMAT_DOUBLE;
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/foreign.h b/libvips/include/vips/foreign.h
index 118396ee..473c4e5e 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/foreign.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/foreign.h
@@ -307,21 +307,7 @@ typedef struct _VipsForeignSaveClass {
 GType vips_foreign_save_get_type( void );
 
 const char *vips_foreign_find_save( const char *filename );
-const char * vips_foreign_find_save_buffer( const char *suffix );
-
-/* Read/write an image convenience functions.
- */
-int vips_foreign_load( const char *filename, VipsImage **out, ... )
-	__attribute__((sentinel));
-int vips_foreign_save( VipsImage *in, const char *filename, ... )
-	__attribute__((sentinel));
-
-int vips_foreign_load_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, const char *option_string, 
-	VipsImage **out, ... )
-	__attribute__((sentinel));
-int vips_foreign_save_buffer( VipsImage *in, 
-	const char *suffix, void **buf, size_t *len, ... )
-	__attribute__((sentinel));
+const char *vips_foreign_find_save_buffer( const char *suffix );
 
 int vips_openslideload( const char *filename, VipsImage **out, ... )
 	__attribute__((sentinel));
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/image.h b/libvips/include/vips/image.h
index d80f2881..019aeb8c 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/image.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/image.h
@@ -416,21 +416,29 @@ void vips_image_set_kill( VipsImage *image, gboolean kill );
 
 VipsImage *vips_image_new( void );
 VipsImage *vips_image_new_mode( const char *filename, const char *mode );
-VipsImage *vips_image_new_buffer( void );
+VipsImage *vips_image_new_memory( void );
 VipsImage *vips_image_new_from_file( const char *filename, ... )
 	__attribute__((sentinel));
+VipsImage *vips_image_new_from_file_RW( const char *filename );
 VipsImage *vips_image_new_from_file_raw( const char *filename, 
 	int xsize, int ysize, int bands, guint64 offset );
 VipsImage *vips_image_new_from_memory( void *buffer, 
 	int xsize, int ysize, int bands, VipsBandFormat bandfmt );
+VipsImage *vips_image_new_from_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, 
+	const char *option_string, ... )
+	__attribute__((sentinel));
 VipsImage *vips_image_new_matrix( int width, int height );
 VipsImage *vips_image_new_matrixv( int width, int height, ... );
 void vips_image_set_delete_on_close( VipsImage *image, 
 	gboolean delete_on_close );
 VipsImage *vips_image_new_temp_file( const char *format );
+
 int vips_image_write( VipsImage *image, VipsImage *out );
 int vips_image_write_to_file( VipsImage *image, const char *filename, ... )
 	__attribute__((sentinel));
+int vips_image_write_to_buffer( VipsImage *in, 
+	const char *name, void **buf, size_t *len, ... )
+	__attribute__((sentinel));
 
 int vips_image_decode_predict( VipsImage *im, 
 	int *bands, VipsBandFormat *format );
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/internal.h b/libvips/include/vips/internal.h
index edc8ddf5..1c3f44c4 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/internal.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/internal.h
@@ -315,6 +315,11 @@ IMAGE *vips__deprecated_open_write( const char *filename );
 
 int vips__input_interpolate_init( im_object *obj, char *str );
 
+int vips_foreign_load( const char *filename, VipsImage **out, ... )
+	__attribute__((sentinel));
+int vips_foreign_save( VipsImage *in, const char *filename, ... )
+	__attribute__((sentinel));
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif /*__cplusplus*/
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/image.c b/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
index a49febc0..bf6042f0 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/image.c
@@ -1538,109 +1538,6 @@ vips_image_new( void )
 	return( image ); 
 }
 
-/**
- * vips_image_new_mode:
- * @filename: file to open
- * @mode: mode to open with
- *
- * vips_image_new_mode() examines the mode string and creates an 
- * appropriate #VipsImage.
- *
- * This function (mostly) exists to support the vips7 compatibility layer. 
- * vips8 programs should use vips_image_new_from_file() and friends. 
- *
- * <itemizedlist>
- *   <listitem> 
- *     <para>
- *       <emphasis>"t"</emphasis>
- *       creates a temporary memory buffer image.
- *     </para>
- *   </listitem>
- *   <listitem> 
- *     <para>
- *       <emphasis>"p"</emphasis>
- *       creates a "glue" descriptor you can use to join operations, see also
- *       vips_image_new().
- *     </para>
- *   </listitem>
- *   <listitem> 
- *     <para>
- *       <emphasis>"r"</emphasis>
- *       opens the named file for reading. If the file is not in the native 
- *       VIPS format for your machine, vips_image_new_mode() 
- *       automatically converts the file for you. 
- *
- *       Some formats (eg. tiled tiff) are read directly. 
- *
- *       Some formats (eg. strip tiff) do not support random access and can't
- *       be processed directly. Small images are decompressed to memory and
- *       loaded from there, large images are decompressed to a disc file and
- *       processed from that.
- *
- *       If the operations you intend to perform are sequential, that is, they
- *       operate in a strict top-to-bottom manner, you can use sequential mode
- *       instead, see "rs" below,
- *       or you can use the lower-level 
- *       API and control the loading process yourself. See 
- *       #VipsForeign. 
- *
- *	 See vips_image_new_temp_file() for an explanation of how VIPS selects a
- *	 location for the temporary file.
- *
- *	 The disc threshold can be set with the "--vips-disc-threshold"
- *	 command-line argument, or the VIPS_DISC_THRESHOLD environment variable.
- *	 The value is a simple integer, but can take a unit postfix of "k", 
- *	 "m" or "g" to indicate kilobytes, megabytes or gigabytes.
- *
- *	 For example:
- *
- *       |[
- *         vips --vips-disc-threshold 500m copy fred.tif fred.v
- *       ]|
- *
- *       will copy via disc if "fred.tif" is more than 500 Mbytes
- *       uncompressed. The default threshold is 100 MB.
- *
- *       Note that <emphasis>"r"</emphasis> mode works in at least two stages. 
- *       It should return quickly and let you check header fields. It will
- *       only actually read in pixels when you first access them. 
- *     </para>
- *   </listitem>
- *   <listitem> 
- *     <para>
- *       <emphasis>"rs"</emphasis>
- *	 opens the named file for reading sequentially. It reads the source
- *	 image top-to-bottom and serves up pixels to the pipeline as required.
- *	 Provided the operations that connect to the image all demand pixels
-*	 only top-to-bottom as well, everything is fine and you avoid the
-*	 separate decompress stage.
- *     </para>
- *   </listitem>
- *   <listitem> 
- *     <para>
- *       <emphasis>"w"</emphasis>
- *       opens the named file for writing. It looks at the file name 
- *       suffix to determine the type to write -- for example:
- *
- *       |[
- *         vips_image_new_mode( "fred.tif", "w" )
- *       ]|
- *
- *       will write in TIFF format.
- *     </para>
- *   </listitem>
- *   <listitem> 
- *     <para>
- *       <emphasis>"rw"</emphasis>
- *       opens the named file for reading and writing. This will only work for 
- *       VIPS files in a format native to your machine. It is only for 
- *       paintbox-type applications.
- *     </para>
- *   </listitem>
- * </itemizedlist>
- *
- * Returns: the new #VipsImage, or %NULL on error.
- */
 VipsImage *
 vips_image_new_mode( const char *filename, const char *mode )
 {
@@ -1665,10 +1562,10 @@ vips_image_new_mode( const char *filename, const char *mode )
 }
 
 /**
- * vips_image_new_buffer:
+ * vips_image_new_memory:
  *
- * vips_image_new_buffer() creates a new VipsImage which when written to will
- * create a memory buffer. It is a convenience function for
+ * vips_image_new_memory() creates a new #VipsImage which, when written to, will
+ * create a memory image. It is a convenience function for
  * vips_image_new_mode(vips_image_temp_name(), "t").
  *
  * See also: vips_image_new().
@@ -1676,7 +1573,7 @@ vips_image_new_mode( const char *filename, const char *mode )
  * Returns: the new #VipsImage, or %NULL on error.
  */
 VipsImage *
-vips_image_new_buffer( void )
+vips_image_new_memory( void )
 {
 	return( vips_image_new_mode( vips_image_temp_name(), "t" ) );
 }
@@ -1686,6 +1583,12 @@ vips_image_new_buffer( void )
  * @name: file to open
  * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
  *
+ * Optional arguments:
+ *
+ * @access: hint #VipsAccess mode to loader
+ * @disc: load via a temporary disc file
+ * @...: other arguments depend on the loader
+ *
  * vips_image_new_from_file() opens @name for reading. It can load files
  * in many image formats, including VIPS, TIFF, PNG, JPEG, FITS, Matlab,
  * OpenEXR, CSV, WebP, Radiance, RAW, PPM and others. 
@@ -1694,7 +1597,48 @@ vips_image_new_buffer( void )
  * a NULL-terminated list of name-value pairs at the end of the arguments.
  * Options given in the function call override options given in the filename. 
  *
- * See also: vips_foreign_load(), vips_image_write_to_file().
+ * vips_image_new_from_file() always returns immediately with the header
+ * fields filled in. No pixels are actually read until you first access them. 
+ *
+ * @access lets you hint the expected access pattern for this file.
+ * #VIPS_ACCESS_RANDOM means you can fetch pixels randomly from the image.
+ * This is the default mode. #VIPS_ACCESS_SEQUENTIAL means you will read the
+ * whole image exactly once, top-to-bottom. In this mode, vips can avoid
+ * converting the whole image in one go, for a large memory saving. You are
+ * allowed to make small non-local references, so area operations like 
+ * convolution will work. #VIPS_ACCESS_SEQUENTIAL_UNBUFFERED does not allow
+ * non-local references, so will only work for very strict top-to-bottom
+ * operations, but does have very low memory needs. 
+ *
+ * In #VIPS_ACCESS_RANDOM mode, small images are decompressed to memory and
+ * then processed from there. Large images are decompressed to temporary
+ * random-access files on disc and then processed from there. Set @disc to
+ * %TRUE to force loading via disc. See vips_image_new_temp_file() for an 
+ * explanation of how VIPS selects a location for the temporary file.
+ *
+ * The disc threshold can be set with the "--vips-disc-threshold"
+ * command-line argument, or the VIPS_DISC_THRESHOLD environment variable.
+ * The value is a simple integer, but can take a unit postfix of "k", 
+ * "m" or "g" to indicate kilobytes, megabytes or gigabytes.
+ * The default threshold is 100 MB.
+ *
+ * For example:
+ *
+ * |[
+ * VipsImage *image = vips_image_new_from_file ("fred.tif",
+ * 	"page", 12,
+ * 	NULL);
+ * ]|
+ *
+ * Will open "fred.tif", reading page 12. 
+ *
+ * Use vips_foreign_find_load() or vips_foreign_is_a() to see what format a 
+ * file is in and therefore what options are available. If you need more 
+ * control over the loading process, you can call loaders directly, see 
+ * vips_jpegload(), for example. 
+ *
+ * See also: vips_foreign_find_load(), vips_foreign_is_a(), 
+ * vips_image_write_to_file().
  *
  * Returns: the new #VipsImage, or %NULL on error.
  */
@@ -1723,6 +1667,24 @@ vips_image_new_from_file( const char *name, ... )
 	return( out );
 }
 
+/**
+ * vips_image_new_from_file_RW:
+ * @filename: filename to open
+ *
+ *       Opens the named file for reading and writing. This will only work for 
+ *       VIPS files in a format native to your machine. It is only for 
+ *       paintbox-type applications.
+ *
+ * See also: vips_draw_circle().
+ *
+ * Returns: the new #VipsImage, or %NULL on error.
+ */
+VipsImage *
+vips_image_new_from_file_RW( const char *filename )
+{
+	return( vips_image_new_mode( filename, "rw" ) ); 
+}
+
 /**
  * vips_image_new_from_file_raw:
  * @filename: filename to open
@@ -1774,11 +1736,18 @@ vips_image_new_from_file_raw( const char *filename,
  * @bands: image bands (or bytes per pixel)
  * @bandfmt: image format
  *
- * This function wraps an #IMAGE around a memory buffer. VIPS does not take
+ * This function wraps a #VipsImage around a memory area. The memory area
+ * must be a simple array, for example RGBRGBRGB, left-to-right,
+ * top-to-bottom. Use vips_image_new_from_buffer() to load an area of memory
+ * containing an image in a format.
+ *
+ * VIPS does not take
  * responsibility for the area of memory, it's up to you to make sure it's
  * freed when the image is closed. See for example #VipsObject::close.
  *
- * See also: im_binfile(), im_raw2vips(), vips_image_new().
+ * Use vips_copy_morph() to set other image properties. 
+ *
+ * See also: vips_image_new().
  *
  * Returns: the new #VipsImage, or %NULL on error.
  */
@@ -1808,6 +1777,60 @@ vips_image_new_from_memory( void *buffer,
 	return( image );
 }
 
+/**
+ * vips_image_new_from_buffer:
+ * @buf: start of memory buffer
+ * @len: length of memory buffer
+ * @option_string: set of extra options as a string
+ * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
+ *
+ * Loads an image from the formatted area of memory @buf, @len using the 
+ * loader recommended by vips_foreign_find_load_buffer(). Only TIFF, PNG and 
+ * JPEG formats are supported. To load an unformatted area of memory, use
+ * vips_image_new_from_memory(). 
+ *
+ * VIPS does not take
+ * responsibility for the area of memory, it's up to you to make sure it's
+ * freed when the image is closed. See for example #VipsObject::close.
+ *
+ * Load options may be given in @option_string as "[name=value,...]" or given as
+ * a NULL-terminated list of name-value pairs at the end of the arguments.
+ * Options given in the function call override options given in the filename. 
+ *
+ * See also: vips_image_write_to_buffer().
+ *
+ * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
+ */
+VipsImage *
+vips_image_new_from_buffer( void *buf, size_t len, 
+	const char *option_string, ... )
+{
+	const char *operation_name;
+	VipsArea *area;
+	va_list ap;
+	int result;
+	VipsImage *out;
+
+	if( !(operation_name = vips_foreign_find_load_buffer( buf, len )) )
+		return( NULL );
+
+	/* We don't take a copy of the data or free it.
+	 */
+	area = vips_area_new_blob( NULL, buf, len );
+
+	va_start( ap, option_string );
+	result = vips_call_split_option_string( operation_name, 
+		option_string, ap, area, &out );
+	va_end( ap );
+
+	vips_area_unref( area );
+
+	if( result )
+		return( NULL );
+
+	return( out ); 
+}
+
 /**
  * vips_image_new_matrix:
  * @width: image width
@@ -2042,6 +2065,63 @@ vips_image_write_to_file( VipsImage *image, const char *name, ... )
 	return( result );
 }
 
+/**
+ * vips_image_write_to_buffer:
+ * @in: image to write
+ * @suffix: format to write 
+ * @buf: return buffer start here
+ * @len: return buffer length here
+ * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
+ *
+ * Writes @in to a memory buffer selected from @suffix. @suffix may also set
+ * save options, for example it could be ".jpg[Q=80]". 
+ * Save options may also be given  
+ * as a NULL-terminated list of name-value pairs.
+ *
+ * Currently only TIFF, JPEG and PNG formats are supported.
+ *
+ * You can call the various save operations directly if you wish, see
+ * vips_jpegsave_buffer(), for example. 
+ *
+ * See also: vips_image_new_from_buffer().
+ *
+ * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
+ */
+int
+vips_image_write_to_buffer( VipsImage *in, 
+	const char *name, void **buf, size_t *len, 
+	... )
+{
+	char suffix[VIPS_PATH_MAX];
+	char option_string[VIPS_PATH_MAX];
+	const char *operation_name;
+	VipsArea *area;
+	va_list ap;
+	int result;
+
+	vips__filename_split8( name, suffix, option_string );
+	if( !(operation_name = vips_foreign_find_save_buffer( suffix )) )
+		return( -1 );
+
+	va_start( ap, len );
+	result = vips_call_split_option_string( operation_name, option_string, 
+		ap, in, &area );
+	va_end( ap );
+
+	if( area ) { 
+		if( buf ) {
+			*buf = area->data;
+			area->free_fn = NULL;
+		}
+		if( len ) 
+			*len = area->length;
+
+		vips_area_unref( area );
+	}
+
+	return( result );
+}
+
 /**
  * vips_image_decode:
  * @in: image to decode
@@ -2464,7 +2544,7 @@ vips_image_wio_input( VipsImage *image )
 		/* Change to VIPS_IMAGE_SETBUF. First, make a memory 
 		 * buffer and copy into that.
 		 */
-		t1 = vips_image_new_buffer();
+		t1 = vips_image_new_memory();
 		if( vips_image_write( image, t1 ) ) {
 			g_object_unref( t1 );
 			return( -1 );